Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

Maxx K. | M/V Sea Lion | 04/10/2022 | 12:30pm

    Today was FUN. It was a cold day out on the water today, sure. But it was also absolutely gorgeous. A low layer of clouds rolled over the San Juan’s, dumping sporadic bouts of torrential rain over small pockets of the islands. We moved southbound out of Friday Harbor through the San Juan Channel, hoping to wrap our way around the southern side of the island and along the western shore line. We began hearing rumors of Killer Whales...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | 4.6.2022 | 12:30 PM

M/V Sea Lion left the dock with only a rumor to work off this afternoon. There was hearsay that someone saw killer whales heading southeast off South Beach around 8:30 am this morning. San Juan Safaris is part of the Pacific Whale Watch Association, and when there are no firm whale reports, the PWWA whale watching vessels will work together to divide and conquer. Captain Brian knew of another whale watching vessel that was headed to the...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 04/02/2022 | 1:30pm

Today was a big day! Today marked Kestrels first voyage of the 2022 season and it did not disappoint! I had forgotten how fast this vessel is- it can reach speeds of up to 40 kts (45ish mph)! It’s like flying. But boy oh boy is it also freezing. With an average water temperature of 45 degrees, the wind chill coming off the Salish Sea is no joke! But what is a little cold air when you’re hanging out with a family of Bigg’s Killer whales?

Soo...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | 4.1.2022 | 12:30 PM 

On Thursday, March 31st the single day record of Bigg’s killer whale sightings was broken in the Salish Sea. A whopping 72 Bigg’s killer whales were sighted! Needless to say, Captain Eric and I had high expectations going into Friday's trip. Killer whales can swim over 100 miles in a day, and just because they are in the San Juans one day does not mean they will be the next. Knowing these facts, we were still optimistic that we would get...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | March 31st, 2022| 12:30pm

What a day.

The last day of March unexpectedly delivered us stunning views out on the water! We set off with a small boat of 7 passengers ready to follow up on rumors of whales over in Rosario Strait. Deciding to travel inner island, we eventually found our way to the northeast side of Orcas Island. Not only was this a confirmed sighting of Bigg’s Killer Whales, but there were also multiple family groups traveling together! We were...

Fog, Steller Sea Lions and a Squirrley Family of Bigg’s Killer Whales

Maxx K. | M/V Sea Lion | 03/29/2022 | 12:30pm

    Today’s tour was wild. Sea Lion pulled out of Friday Harbor and veered south. Whale watching runs on rumors. Someone thinks they might have seen a blow on the horizon. They tell a friend. The friend tells a friend and before you know it we can confirm a congregation of five killer whales slowly making their way along the southern banks of Lopez island.

Naturally we...

The Day is Never Stale with a Bigg's Killer Whale

Maxx K. | M/V Sea Lion | 03/28/2022 |12:30pm

    I was beyond excited to be back on the water today, having taken the winter to spend some time back home with family in North Carolina. And let me tell you, while I love coastal North Carolina, it’s deeply unlikely that you’re going to be seeing many Killer Whales regularly over there. Needless to say, it felt absolutely phenomenal getting back out here, zooming through the islands and...

Kelly| M/V Sea Lion | 3/26/22 | 12:30

We left the harbor with one firm whale report, a group of Biggs Killer whales by Sidney Island traveling north. The transient group was quickly heading out of our range, so we did our best to scurry out of the harbor and head their direction. It took us about an hour to arrive at their approximate location, but it was well worth the wait. We quicky discovered that there were multiple family groups traveling together:

T049A’s, T049B’s, T077D &...

Laura / M/V Sea Lion / 3/25/2022 / 12:30PM

            I love the days that I walk off the boat thinking “that was just such a cool whale watch!” And today was one of those afternoons.  Our vessel headed all the way towards Port Angeles near Dungeness Spit, a long journey south.  There was a Bigg’s killer whale report in that area, and as we were keeping tabs on their travel patterns from vessels to the south of us, everyone was hoping the whales weren’t going to continue out of our...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | 3.24.2022 | 12:30 PM 

As M/V Sea Lion headed out of Friday Harbor and into San Juan Channel, we were immediately greeted by four Steller’s sea lions swimming near the coast of Friday Harbor Labs. This “stellar” encounter set the mood for the rest of the trip. If having a wildlife encounter within the first 5 minutes of leaving the dock isn’t a good sign, then I don’t know what is!

As we headed north, we stopped in Rocky Bay and got some good looks at a handful...