Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

8/13/2022 

MV Kestrel

2pm

Helena

MV Kestrel departed Friday Harbor for our afternoon tour with a fantastic view of Mount Baker off of our bow. As members of the Pacific Whale Watch Association, we are in constant communication with both American and Canadian vessels throughout the Salish Sea in regards to reports of wildlife. As we entered into San Juan Channel, we got word of orcas traveling north up the Rosario Strait. They were moving with the flooding tide quickly so we held on...

Lauren | M/V Osprey | 8/13/2022 | 12:30 PM 

What an epic day! Dare I call it the trip of the summer? Today our 12:30 Classic Whale Watch & Wildlife Tour had one of those unforgettable moments... a key memory if you will?  

With no firm whale reports in the area, we had no idea what was in store for us when leaving the dock. Shortly after cruising out of Friday Harbor, we got word that there were some rumored killer whales in Rosario Strait. I say rumored because we were working off...

Kelly | M/V Kestrel | 8/12/22 | 10:00am

Captain Eric and I were thrilled to leave the harbor on this beautiful Friday morning. A Humpback whale had been reported right outside Friday Harbor! After quickly suiting our guests up, we briefed everyone on safety precautions and gave them a quick wildlife summary before heading out into the channel.

The initial humpback report was based on a shore sighting and no boats on the water had yet reported the whale’s location. This means we were...

Elle | M/V Osprey | 8/11/2022 | 5:30 PM

This evening's sunset cruise enjoyed glassy waters and beautiful pink clouds around Mt. Baker (also known as Koma Kulshan) as we searched for wildlife in the Salish Sea. We departed from Friday Harbor and headed north at full speed, following rumors of some larger cetaceans. On our way towards Canada, we encountered plenty of birds, including common murres, rhinoceros auklets, and a few different varieties of gulls. We also encountered several...

Haleigh | M/V Osprey | August 11, 2022 | 12:30 pm

For Thursday’s classic whale watch tour, we departed southbound to scan the open waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to find any whales and wildlife lurking about. Our search began scanning the shallow banks where nutrients pool at the surface due to topographically-associated upwelling. As the nutrients collect near the sunlight, photosynthesis occurs sparking massive phytoplankton blooms. What comes afterward is a reaction...

8/10/22 // MV Osprey // 12:30pm // Helena 

As we boarded MV Osprey we could hear booms of thunder in the distance. It was a chilly grey August morning as we waiting for a storm in the southern Strait of Juan de Fuca to blow east. Once we had our final numbers and confirmation of safe weather, we left Friday Harbor with our teeth chattering (okay, maybe just me because I mistakenly wore shorts!). 

The crew decided to head north up San Juan Channel as there were reports of orcas near...

Elle | M/V Kestrel | 8/9/2022 | 2:00 PM

Today was an absolute rollercoaster of emotions! We started our journey from San Juan Island and followed reports of Bigg's killer whales towards the Rosario Strait. In Obstruction Pass, we spotted an osprey! This fish-eating bird (and the namesake of one of our vessels) is rarely spotted here in the San Juans because bald eagles feed on similar prey and will chase them out of the area. Just around the corner, to our surprise, sat two adult...

Kelly | M/V Osprey | 8/9/22 | 12:30pm

There was a pleasant cool breeze in the air as we left Friday Harbor on this tuesday afternoon. It was a wonderful departure from the hot weather we’ve been experiencing. We had just received a report of Biggs Killer whales in the south and were excited to travel inter-island to get to their reported location. As we weaved through islands on our journey south, a small group of harbor porpoise surfaced quickly as we passed by the mouth of...

Lauren | M/V Kestrel | 8/7/2022 | 10:00 AM

We couldn’t have asked for better boating conditions on our Sunday morning adventure whale watch and wildlife tour! It was predicted to be one of the warmest days Friday Harbor has seen all summer, which is a blessing for anyone cruising aboard M/V Kestrel. The water temperature of the Salish Sea sits at about 47 degrees year-round, and Kestrel is the fastest boat in our fleet. Traveling at a speed of 35 knots, she always ensures a breezy...

8/4/2022

MV Sea Lion

2pm

Helena

There are two ecotypes of killer whales found here in the Salish Sea. These include our Southern resident killer whale population and the Bigg’s (formally known as transient) killer whale population. These two groups vary widely in a variety of aspects including their genetics, behavior and size. 

The southern resident killer whales are critically endangered and there are currently only 74 individuals left in the entire world. This ecotype eats...