San Juan Safaris - Orca Whale Watching

05/06/2026

Big Mama is back in the Salish Sea, just in time for Mother’s Day Weekend! There are so many ways to honor the special Mom in your life. We have tours all weekend long, Big Mama merch in our shop, and gift cards available online.

Photo of Big Mama taken on 5/21/25 by using a telephoto lens.

05/02/2026

May 1, 2026: A beautiful day to be on the water! We turned left out of Friday Harbor and traveled north in San Juan Channel. We rounded the north end of San Juan Island with beautiful views of Roche Harbor on our port side and Spieden Island at our starboard. We were headed to a report that was traveling north along the west side of Henry Island. As we rounded McCracken Point on the northwest side of Henry Island, we could see some other vessels that were on scene! The report was of 6 Bigg's Killer Whales! this group was already identified as T023 and the T023D's!

T023/Janice/Warmsprings — female, born in 1964
T023D/Axle/Brightly — female, born in 1993
T023D3/Robin — male, born in 2012
T023D4/Sixx/Ross — born in 2015
T023D5/Wildside — born in 2019
and a new baby?!

As we approached, we had great views of their exhales contrasting on the dark background of the cliff face. They traveled north along Henry Island and turned right, heading east, into Spieden Channel. They picked up a bit of speed on some of their dives and surfaced a way ahead of us. As we were viewing them today many passengers on board noticed that there was a significantly smaller individual with them. The report was of 6 individuals, but the information we have on this family only lists 5. There must be a new calf! In addition to spending time with this multigenerational family, we also had great looks of that young calf! It is not every day that I see groups traveling with grandma's and grandkids, so today feels extra special. Because we were already in Spieden Channel, we decided to cruise along the shoreline of Spieden Island to see if we could find any other wildlife. Sure enough, on Green Point we saw some Steller's Sea Lions hauled out. Before I could even leave the wheelhouse, I could hear their barking sounds. We also had a pair of Bald Eagles perched in a tree right on the shoreline! Towards the end of our Spieden Island tour, we were able to spot some Harbor Seals hauled out on Sentinel Rock. These rock sausages are some of my favorite creatures out here! We had an incredible day filled with so much wildlife and spectacular views of those Bigg's Killer Whales. I am so glad I could share today's trip with all of our guests on board!

Wanting to see more photos from our trips? Visit our SmugMug page at: https://sanjuansafaris.smugmug.com/

More information about the Pacific Whale Watch Association: https://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day 🌎 Our hope is that through sharing knowledge and wildlife experiences, guests will develop a lifelong love of the environment while fostering marine stewardship. We all share one planet, and that planet is awesome!

04/20/2026

4/16/26 - A truly unforgettable trip! We had a long journey ahead of us as we headed south in San Juan Channel. The report was over an hour away in the Strait of Juan De Fuca, far southeast of Victoria, BC. The sun was out, so we pushed on! As we traveled closer to the location of the report, we began to see the dorsal fins and exhales of 13 Bigg’s Killer Whales! The individuals were already identified as, or belonging to the families of the T46B’s, T117A, T117B’s, and T172. The report also listed that they were hunting and prey sharing, which is exciting behavior for us to observe. During the time we were on scene with them, we witnessed some incredible behavior from numerous individuals. We watched as they spyhopped, tail slapped, and breached! We did not just see one breach, or two, but three full breaches out of the water! Bigg’s Killer Whales don’t usually travel in groups with 13 individuals, and we also don’t see them be as active on the surface of the water. It was truly incredible and jaw dropping to see this behavior today. Truly a memorable trip! On our way back north towards San Juan Island, we stopped by Whale Rocks to try to view some Steller’s Sea Lions. They were especially smelly today as many of us on board had to plug our noses as we cruised by and watched them hauled out on the rocks. It is always fun to make a stop here on our way to or from Friday Harbor. This is most likely one of my most memorable trips for sure!

Wanting to see more photos from our trips? Visit our SmugMug page at: https://sanjuansafaris.smugmug.com/

More information about the Pacific Whale Watch Association: https://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/

04/18/2026

Never too late to join the trend - our staff of outdoor professionals are still silly nature-loving kids at heart! Can you guess who is who 👀

04/18/2026

We're on TV! The amazing team at KING 5 Evening experienced our Whale Plane Package with Kenmore Air. We love sharing the magic of our nature world, especially when folks see their first whale in the wild!

Watch the full episode:

1 like. "Catch a float plane flight to one of the best whale watching spots in the world"

04/11/2026

It’s impossible to pick the best photo from Monday’s tour, so here’s a bunch! The sparkling light from the exhalations, the blueish green water, the orcas, and the mountain! Such a stunning day. Did I mention we saw the T34s, T36s, T37s, AND T99s? A sunny, 18 orca day in April - that’s magical!

Taken on 4/6/26 by using a telephoto lens.

04/05/2026

4/3/2026
We dipped over the top of San Juan Island in our search for whales and other wildlife. Slipping into the Haro Strait from Speiden Channel, we pointed west and kept our eyes peeled in the distance for any blows or dorsal fins. While searching, we were treated to stunning views of the Olympic mountain range and San Juan's historic Lime Kiln Lighthouse. Soon, exhales appeared in the distance! A group of 5 whales including:

T065B/Chunk — female, born in 1993
T065B1/Birdsall — male, born in 2011
T065B2/Nettle/Corvis — male, born in 2019
T065B3/Rook — male, born in 2023
&
T049A2/Jude — male, born in 2007
These whales were making their way north up the Haro Strait, staying close to San Juan Island's west shoreline. The T65b's lead the charge, always at least 50 or so yards ahead of the caboose: T049A2/Jude. What was Mister Jude doing trailing behind this family of 4? Perhaps he had ulterior motives and might be interested in the 31 year old matriarch of the family. Is this an unrequited love story playing out in real time? Stalker (we hope not) or maybe even something related to stealth and hunting efficiency? Turns out Jude (who is known to travel separate from his immediate family), was not that far from his mom and siblings after all. On our way back home we were treated to a bonus group of whales just outside Friday Harbor! This Family just so happened to be the remainder of the T49A's and included:

T049A/Nan — female, born in 1986
T049A3/Nat — male, born in 2011
T049A4/Neptune — male, born in 2014
T049A5/Nebula — female, born in 2017
T049A6/Charlie II — male, born in 2022
T049A7* — born in 2026

6 more whales! The star of the show was undeniably the new born calf T49A7 (not yet assigned a nickname). This is little squirrely calf was extra jumpy, launching almost its entire body out of the water with almost every surfacing, showing off that orange hue!

See photos from this tour here: https://sanjuansafaris.smugmug.com/4426-KK

03/23/2026

It’s International Day of the Seal! We LOVE our harbor seals - all estimated 200,000 of them around the Salish Sea. These pinnipeds can stay underwater for almost 40 minutes! We lovingly call them “rock sausages” since they’re often spotted lying on rocks.

03/19/2026

Sunday’s journey featured sightings from the T100’s, T046’s, and T046B1’s. The adult males’ dorsal fins are always incredible sights, growing up to 6ft tall! We are grateful to be part of the Pacific Whale Watch Association () whose collaboration helped us identify these whales. Another great day on the water!

Photos taken on 3/15/26 by Olivia Esqueda using a telephoto lens.

03/16/2026

Whale trifecta! Orcas, gray whales, and a fin whale all on the same trip. Fin whale sightings are extremely rare around here, so this was super special! Fin whales are the 2nd largest whale in the world, growing up to 80ft long. Despite their size they are also speedy and can swim as fast as 25mph! Such an incredible day out on the water.

Photos taken on 3/14/26 using a telephoto lens.