Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | September 2nd, 2024 | 12:30 pm

Our whale filled holiday weekend continued today with another great trip on the M/V Osprey! We left Friday Harbor with some reports of killer whales to the north, so that’s where we began our search. We took a left out of the harbor and headed up San Juan Channel towards Spieden Island. We stopped nearby Spieden to look at some adorable harbor seals hauled out on a small island, getting great looks at the many different colors of each...

September has arrived, and with it the chaos of busy Labor Day weekend. I was delighted to hear that the Salish Sea was matching the hustle and bustle energy of downtown Friday Harbor. Before leaving the dock, we knew of several whale reports in the region. M/V Osprey departed Friday Harbor and went north in San Juan Channel. We went to follow up on a report of Bigg’s Killer Whales that were heading southwest in Presidents Channel. Normally when we encounter our marine mammal eating killer...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | August 30th, 2024 | 12:30pm

Today was another beautiful day to be out on the water searching for wildlife! We left Friday Harbor with some exciting reports ahead of us, so we began by heading east along the ferry route between Shaw and Lopez Islands. As we traveled along Decatur Island, we were happy to find the whales we had heard about earlier, which ended up being Bigg’s or Transient Killer Whales! This family of three turned out to be the familiar dorsals of the...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | August 29th, 2024 | 12:30pm

Happy Friday from the M/V Osprey! Our afternoon trip began by heading south out of Friday Harbor, following San Juan channel down to Cattle Pass. We stopped near Cattle Point for some looks at a group of harbor seals relaxing in the sun, and even saw a Stellar’s Sea Lion swimming by! We continued past Cattle Point Lighthouse and turned west, and as we traveled across Salmon Bank we spotted a Minke Whale! This elusive baleen whale, lovingly...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | August 29th, 2024 | 12:30pm

We left the dock in Friday Harbor with high spirits and great energy for the day ahead of us! Our search led us to the north along San Juan Island, and after not too long we found ourselves nearing a report of Bigg’s Killer Whales! We approached the eastern side of Spieden Island and quickly saw a group of five whales coming right towards us! We got amazing looks at this family as they swam right by our boat multiple times, and we easily...

Maxx K. | M/v Osprey | August 28th, 2024 | 12:20pm 

Bigg’s Killer whales have a typical range from SE Alaska, straight down the coasts of Washington and Oregon to Northern California. However, they don’t seem to follow a typical “migration” in the ways our Humpback visitors do. Different families seem to pass through at different times of year. Were still learning about how they move and with all the incredible data collection that happens in this region, we may begin to further understand...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | August 27th, 2024 | 12:30pm

Today’s afternoon trip was certainly one to remember! We left Friday Harbor with an excited group of passengers and started our search for whales to the east. As we followed along the ferry route between the islands of Shaw, Lopez, and Blakely, we got some looks at a bald eagle and adorable harbor seals swimming through the channel. We maintained our course to the north east following up on some reports of whale activity, and as we rounded...

Lauren | M/V Osprey | August 26th, 2024 | 12:30pm

“Fogust” has been loud and proud this week in the San Juan Islands. We left foggy Friday Harbor and headed north in San Juan Channel. Our first stop came quick as we noticed a beautiful bald eagle perched on a tree right outside the harbor. We love seeing bald eagles out here as they serve as a reminder that there is hope for species that were once endangered. Bald eagles were de-listed from the endangered species list back in 2007, 35 years...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | August 25th, 2024 | 12:30pm

Summer weather came back today as we departed Friday Harbor under sunny skies! We took a left out of the harbor heading north in San Juan Channel, and quickly caught up with a group of Bigg’s Killer Whales traveling close by! This family of four turned out to be the T075Bs, consisting of mom Pebbles and her three calves born in 2015, 2017, and 2021! We enjoyed our sunny cruise up the channel with them as they traveled along the shoreline on...

Lauren | M/V Osprey | August 23rd, 2024 | 12:30pm 

Our 12:30 Classic Tour departed Friday Harbor with the hopes of catching up with some old friends. We had heard reports that the T018’s might be in the area. The T018’s are a fan favorite Bigg’s Killer Whale family in this region, most notably because of T019B/Galiano. Galiano is a 29-year-old male killer whale, and he has one of the largest dorsal fins in the population. When male killer whales are fully grown, their dorsal fins are on average a...