Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | July 2nd, 2025 | 12:30 pm

Killer Whales are all unique and identifiable based on different markings on their dorsal fins, saddle patches, and eye patches, but some are definitely more distinct than others. T63, known as Chainsaw, is one of the most distinct whales in our Bigg’s population, and anyone will know why as soon as they see him. On today’s afternoon tour, I was thrilled that we got to see this iconic whale along with multiple others! We began our trip...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | June 29th, 2025 | 2:00 pm

San Juan Summer weather was finally back today and the sunny, warm, clear conditions provided the perfect backdrop for our amazing afternoon on the water. There has been lots of whale activity around the islands this week, and today was no exception. Before leaving the dock we knew there were a number of whale reports to the north, so we began heading that way. We spotted some harbor seals on a small island on our way up San Juan Channel...

Kelly | M/V Osprey | Sunday, June 29th 2025 | 12:30 PM

Goodbye Junuary! Hello proper summer weather! The sun was out and beating down as we left Friday harbor and set course up San Juan Channel. The breeze felt amazing as we picked up speed- instantly cooling everything down. Just outside presidents channel, we began to slow our speed to under 7 knots. In the distance...dorsal fins came into view! 4 distinct fins began to emerge from the water belonging to none other than... the T123's! Including...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | June 27th, 2025 | 2:00 pm

Our afternoon adventure trip could not have gone more perfectly if we tried! We set out of Friday Harbor already having whale sightings close by, so we zoomed up San Juan Channel and soon found ourselves with a Humpback Whale in Spieden Channel! This individual was slowly traveling east not far from shore, and we enjoyed some beautiful looks at the surface and a few fluking dives. This sighting was the perfect start to our trip as our...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | June 25th, 2025 | 12:30 PM 

We had another great day on the water this afternoon, where we got to spend time with two different Bigg’s Killer Whale matrilines that I have not seen before! Before leaving the dock, we had reports of these whales off the eastern side of Orcas Island, so we began traveling in that direction. Along our interisland cruise, we made a stop to see a number of harbor seals outside of Obstruction Pass. We got to see a few inch their way into the...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | Friday, June 20th, 2025 | 12:30 PM

Today’s Classic tour gave us a beautiful cruise through San Juan and Spieden Channels. We began by heading north out of Friday Harbor, and searched along the coastlines for wildlife. Once we turned West into Spieden Channel, we soon saw  boats in the distance near Henry Island that were with a group of two different Bigg’s Killer Whale matrilines! Based on photo ID, we knew these were the T65Bs and T75Bs. We have seen these families...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | Tuesday, June 17th, 2025 | 2:00 PM

Today's afternoon Adventure Whale Watch was easily one of my top trips all season. We left Friday Harbor and headed south in San Juan Channel, soon stopping at Goose Island to view harbor seals and many sea birds. We continued through Cattle Pass and into Salmon Bank, where we searched for signs of baleen whales among some bait balls. With no signs of whales here, we decided to keep moving south towards some reports of Bigg's Killer...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | Monday, June 16th, 2025 | 2:00 PM

Our afternoon trip was full of wildlife as we traveled among many of the San Juan Islands. After stopping to view some harbor seals on one of the Wasp Islands, we continued traveling along the western side of Orcas Island through President’s Channel. We suddenly saw a bald eagle dive into the water, and begin swimming to shore! Once the eagle emerged from the water, it revealed its catch of a large salmon. The eagle hauled the salmon...

Kelly | M/V Kestrel | Sunday, June 15th 2025 | 2:00 PM

Heading south in San Juan Channel, our first stop was for our ever so lovable harbor seals. This haul out site near Turn Point provided a perfect example of the wide variety in coat patterns unique to the Salish Sea. Some seals pitch black, others snow white and every mixture in between! Moving further down San Juan Channel, through Cattle Pass and into the Straight of Juan de Fuca we eventually came on scene with 4 killer whales identified...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | Saturday, June 14th, 2025 | 2:00 PM

During our afternoon trip on Kestrel, we got to cruise around the Canadian Gulf Islands and spend time with two different families of Bigg’s Killer Whales! We left Friday Harbor and headed north up San Juan Channel. Shortly after crossing the Canadian border, we stopped near Saturna Island to view a group of harbor seals resting on a small island. We then continued northwest to catch up with a group of whales that had been reported...