Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

Lauren Tschirhart | June 21st, 2026 | M/V Sea Lion | 5:30 pm

Our Roche Harbor departure aboard the M/V Sea Lion began with us departing the dock and heading northwest over the top of Henry Island. We cruised across the Haro Strait, eventually making our way into British Columbia. After crossing the Canadian border, we started to see several dorsal fins in the distance. These dorsal fins belonged to members of the Bigg’s Killer Whale family the T100’s. Although there are other whales in this...

Kelly Klein | M/V Osprey | June 24th, 2026 | 12:30pm

The only whale report in our area was far north, so we wasted no time leaving the harbor and pointing up San Juan Channel. Thankfully, it was an absolutely gorgeous summer day here! We certainty enjoyed the clear skies, calm water and a gentle breeze cooling all of us off from the mid day sun . As we continued to transit north, we were treated to looks in almost every direction of harbor porpoise! Their small dark triangular fins surfacing like...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | June 23rd, 2026 | 2:00 pm

After a successful morning whale search, Captain Vaun and I were confident we would find whales again for our afternoon trip.  As the day went on, more reports had come in and we were excited to check out some rumors in Rosario Strait. Today was also a particularly hot day, so it was wonderful to be zooming on the Salish Sea again! We departed Friday Harbor and made our way east in between Lopez and Shaw and then through Peavine Pass. Mount...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | June 23rd, 2026 | 9:00 am 

Captain Vaun and I began our morning as the first PWWA vessel searching our area for whales on our 9:00 tour, which meant that anything was possible! We departed Roche Harbor and decided to head north east toward the boundary waters, pointing towards Waldron Island. We stopped at White Rock to view some harbor seals and a bald eagle that was being harassed by a group of gulls. It’s always amazing how the smaller birds can intimidate an...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Osprey | June 23rd, 2026 | 12:30pm

This tour went North out of Friday Harbor towards a report of Killer Whales. We were even able to leave the dock a few minutes early which is always a nice start to a trip. After a beautiful transit through San Juan and President's Channels, we approached the T100 family at the very bottom of the Strait of Georgia. This family has been absolutely loving the San Juans this season, and they are quickly becoming one of our favorite matrilines...

Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | June 22th, 2026 | 2:00 pm 

M/V Kestrel departed from the dock at Friday Harbor at 2:00pm today, and by 2:05pm we had sighted our first animal: a soaring bald eagle! We cruised in beautiful conditions up north to President’s Channel; the sea was a glossy emerald green reflecting the evergreen trees atop the San Juan Islands, and the skies were blanketed in cirrus clouds.

Captain Vaun and I jumped in excitement when we realized who was ahead; it was a matriline of orcas...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | June 22nd, 2026 | 1:30 pm

The Salish Sea has been full of so many whales in beautiful conditions, I cannot get enough of these dreamy days on the water. Today was another exciting trip, as we found a famous family of Bigg’s Killer Whales that I had not seen before! 

We left Friday Harbor and immediately found a bald eagle on the shoreline. This was an excellent start getting to see this beautiful animal sit nearby. We continued north, traveling through the Wasp...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | June 21st, 2026 | 2:00pm

This tour headed East out of Friday Harbor and began taking a similar route as the ferries do to get between San Juan Island and Anacortes. The only difference is that the M/V Kestrel is much quicker than those ferries, so it only took us about 25 minutes to arrive in Rosario Strait! We then travelled South for a few minutes and arrived on scene with a group of 10 Bigg's Killer Whales! This group was comprised of the T46B family which is...

Olivia Esqueda | June 21st, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 12:30pm

Today was a heartwarming trip through the Salish Sea. Passing many Harbor Porpoise along the way, and the mountains peaking out behind the haze and clouds, it was remarkably warm with calm seas as we headed north through San Juan Channel in the direction of Boundary Pass. Weaving through Spring Passage and President’s Channel, we ended up north of Waldron Island, coming across a matriline of three Bigg’s Killer Whales- the T100’s! This...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | June 20th, 2026 |10:00 am and 2:00 pm

Our morning adventure tours are always my favorite, as we get to be part of the first group of boats searching for whales. We departed Friday Harbor with some rumors of killer whales in the Canadian Gulf Islands, so we began by heading north to check it out. We cruised up San Juan Channel, made our way west into Spieden Channel, and stopped at Sentinel to see some harbor seals. Looking out across the Haro, there was some fog...