Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

Haleigh | M/V Kestrel | July 10, 2022 | 10:00am & 2:00pm

 

10:00am

 

As we departed from Friday Harbor on today’s adventure tour, we reviewed the many possibilities of wildlife we could spot and some of the tips and tricks in identifying each individual. We memorized the 15-20 foot spout of a Humpback Whale, the bobbing head of a Harbor Seal, and the piercing black dorsal fin of a Killer Whale, all with the hopes of actually spotting one of these animals. 

 

We traveled northwest...

7/9/2022

Helena

MV Kestrel

2pm

 

The adventure tour this afternoon went north up San Juan Channel, through Speiden Channel and off the western coast of Stuart Island where we encountered not one but two Humpback Whales! This duo was actually a mother and her calf and the two were taking long (10-ish minute) dives heading south in the Haro Strait. 

 

The population of humpbacks migrating to the Salish Sea every summer are coming to their feeding grounds here. They will eat up to 3,000...

Haleigh | M/V Osprey | July 9, 2022 | 12:30 pm

 

This summer is proving to be a successful time to view wildlife, and today we were able to see two of our largest marine mammals found in the Salish Sea! As we departed from Friday Harbor, we first headed south to begin our search. Making our way through Cattle Pass, we could hear roaring Steller’s Sea Lions and squawking Pelagic Cormorants and Gulls atop Whale Rocks. We continued south towards a shallow area known as Salmon Bank where...

​Helena 7/10/2022 MV Kestrel 10am   MV Kestrel had a jam packed Saturday with wildlife everywhere we looked! We began our adventure heading south as we received some reports from other vessels south of Lopez Island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. With the Olympics peeking out behind the clouds, we made it through Cattle Pass and out of the San Juan Channel. We quickly caught up with a pod of the mammal-eating ecotype of orca whale in the Salish Sea, Bigg's Killer Whales! On scene were...

July 8th, 2022

Abby Dahl

2pm Kestrel

Captain Gabe and I zipped out of the harbor with hopes of seeing some Biggs killer whales spotted in Boundary Pass; the same group we saw that morning. They were the T065A’s, my favorite matriline in all the Salish Sea, quite possibly my favorite whales in the entire world.

The T065A’s are made up of:

• T065A “Artemis” (1986, Female, Mother of all listed below)
  
  • T065A2 “Ooxjaa” (2004, Male)
  • T065A3 “Amira” (2007, Gender Unknown)
  • T065A4 “Ellifrit”...

Elle | M/V Osprey | July 8, 2022 |12:30PM

Today we made our way up to Canada following reports of a family of Bigg’s killer whales near Saturna Island. On our journey, we got to see a few harbor porpoises pop up in the San Juan Channel. We found a group of seven orca whales towards the eastern end of Saturna Island. They were hugging the shoreline, allowing us to admire the contrast between the pale color of their 10ft tall exhalations and the dark rocks and trees behind them. The...

July 8th, 2022

Abby Dahl

10am Kestrel

Captain Gabe and I zipped out of the harbor with hopes of seeing some Biggs killer whales spotted north. Rumor had it that they were the T065A’s, my favorite matriline in all the Salish Sea, quite possibly my favorite whales in the entire world.

The T065A’s are made up of:

• T065A “Artemis” (1986, Female, Mother of all listed below)
  
  • T065A2 “Ooxjaa” (2004, Male)
  • T065A3 “Amira” (2007, Gender Unknown)
  • T065A4 “Ellifrit” (2011, Female)
  • T065A5 “Elsie”...

Elle | M/V Sea Lion | July 7, 2022 | 2:00PM

Today we followed rumors of orca whales into Canadian waters. We cruised across boundary pass and turned off our engines between Saturna Island and South Pender Island, where we watched harbor porpoises frolic around us and enjoyed the beautiful weather. After the break, we turned back south, towards Friday Harbor. On our way, we came across a young male orca whale, zigzagging through the water by himself near Waldron Island. Although it is...

7/7/2022

Helena

MV Osprey

12:30

 

We departed Friday Harbor for our Classic Tour at 12:30pm ready to explore all the Salish Sea has to offer! Our journey began by heading south down San Juan Channel, with San Juan Island to our starboard and Lopez to our port. We came into view of Cattle Point Lighthouse at the mouth of where the Channel meets the Haro Strait and the greater Strait of Juan de Fuca. This is one of my favorite views to see from the sea during our trip. First installed...

Helena

MV Osprey

7/6/22

12:30pm

 

This hump day was filled with beautiful humpback looks along Stuart Island! We began our adventure by turning north up San Juan Channel. Today the water was calm and visibility was great, making for easy scanning along the rocky shorelines and broader horizon. Along the south side of Waldron Island we spotted several Harbor Porpoises taking quick exhalations at the water’s surface. These cetaceans are the second smallest in the world and we typically...