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Western Prince Whale Watching Adventures

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Friday Harbor, WA
Western Prince Whale Watching Adventures

We offer whale watching and wildlife tours in the San Juan Islands, north of Seattle, Washington. We http://orcawhalewatch.com
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We run whale watching and wildlife tours in the San Juan Islands, north of Seattle, Washington. We focus on offering high quality, intimate tours, guided by dedicated local naturalists.

05/14/2026

May 2, 2026– Spring is in full swing here in the archipelago! This Saturday we were treated to sunny skies as we departed Friday Harbor on our morning tour. We had some northerly winds blowing, so Captain Bethany brought us south down San Juan Channel and we made our first stop at Whale Rocks to check out the Steller’s Sea Lions hauled out. After a little while, we moved on to check out a report of a humpback in Haro Strait! This individual was identified as Zillion. We stayed to watch a few surfaces, and even caught a fluke! After a bit, we traveled south into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and met up with the T46B’s in the midst of a sea lion hunt! This family of 9 was incredibly active at the surface, tail slapping, rolling, and even breaching!

Check out the Whale Report Blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/sunny-saturday/

Photographer and Naturalist: Kate Allhusen - Instagram - Website: www.KateAllhusen.com
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05/12/2026

April 30, 2026– We were lucky to have great conditions out on the water today! Our trip took us south into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, where we had an encounter with a humpback known as BCX1800, Gretzky! After spending some time with the individual, we continued south to Smith Island, where we searched out the tufted puffins that use the island as a breeding ground. We encountered several bonded pairs, and even got to see a pair clacking their bills together in a display of affection. This area is also an important habitat for rhinoceros auklets and marbled murrelets!

Check out the Whale Report Blog for this trip at www.orcawhalewatch.com/blog/birds-and-baleen/

Photographer and Naturalist: Kate Allhusen - Instagram - Website: www.KateAllhusen.com

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05/09/2026

April 28, 2026– On this trip, we went to the very end of range to meet up with the T46B’s in Saanich Inlet. We were lucky enough to catch the group during what appeared to be the end of a hunt, and were treated to a display of surface behavior from many of the pod members! We weren’t the only ones excited to be there, either. The hunt attracted a large flock of seabirds, particularly gulls, which hovered around the pod for our entire encounter. We even spotted a Bald Eagle getting into the mix!

Check out the Whale Report Blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/breakfast-with-the-t46bs/

Photographer and Naturalist: Kate Allhusen - Instagram - Website: https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/m96JopjaOwAix
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05/07/2026

April 25, 2026 - We had a beautiful, warm spring day on the water. The perfect day for a long run. We headed into Canada with a report of killer whales in Saanich Inlet. We cruised in that direction stopping for sea lions along the way. We had a lovely encounter with the T46B family group, socializing and playing with their youngest kiddo, born earlier this year. The family of 9 swam in shadow cast water before we had to head back home. We stopped for eagles and seals on our way back to Friday Harbor. It was a long run but well worth the miles! Stowaway Naturalist Alison captured some pictures from our day.

Check out our Whale Report Blog at our website here https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/46bs-in-saanich-inlet/

Photographer and Naturalist: Alison Engle - Instagram: - Website: www.AlisonEngle.com - Instagram:

05/05/2026

April 18, 2026 - It is not every day that you get to see two different family groups of Bigg’s Killer Whales! We headed east with a report of the Exotic “Cookie Cutter” family. This family of “Exotic” Orcas was first documented in Alaska in 2025. They are a bit of a mystery as the mother has Cookie Cutter Shark scars on her saddle patch. This type of shark is found in tropical waters which outside of the normal range of our local Bigg’s population. Today the, estimated to be, 14 year old male was traveling closer to his probable younger sibling. The picture of the presumed mother is back lit, but you can really see the unique nicks in her dorsal fin. We had come a long way and needed to start heading back to Friday Harbor. Captain Bethany had been keeping up to date on the location of the second Bigg’s family in the area the T123’s. She spotted their distant blows near Vendovi Island. We had a short but sweet visit with Sidney, Stanley, Lucky and Darcy. In addition to Orcas we spotted a Bald Eagle on Obstruction Island, a couple of Steller Sea Lions on a green channel marker in Rosario Strait and Harbor Seals on and around Spindle Rock. What a day!

Check out the Whale Report Blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/exotic-cookie-cutter-whales/

Photographer and Naturalist: Alison Engle - Instagram: - Website: www.AlisonEngle.com - Instagram:

05/03/2026

April 21, 2026 - Our trip took us north across the Canadian border to Moresby Island. We found two male killer whales traveling together, T49A2 “Jude” and T51 “Roswell”. This pair is a very interesting one. A few years ago, these two males were traveling together and got stuck in Barnes Lake in Alaska for over 6 weeks! Fortunately, they were able to get out with help from some killer whale researchers and have been seen together multiple times since then, including today! We watched them cruise calmly together and even got a shot of T49A2 “Jude” surfacing with a herd of cows in the background on Moresby Island! After some time, we got another report of a humpback whale nearby, so off we went. It turned out to be BCX1193 “Zig Zag”. We got some nice looks at her as she traveled in Boundary Pass before heading back to the dock.

Check out the Whale Report Blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/the-lake-boys-and-zig-zag/

Photographer and Naturalist: Bethany Shimasaki - Instagram: - Website: www.BethShim.com - Instagram:

05/01/2026

April 17, 2026 - We had a very special trip today! We got to have an encounter with a very unique group of whales that have been given the ID of the T419s! This group of whales was first documented near Anchorage, Alaska, in March of 2025 and had never been photographed or seen before then. They showed up in Vancouver Harbor in early March of 2026 and then moved into Puget Sound for several weeks! These whales are thought to be similar to our well-known mammal-eating Bigg’s killer whales, but they have different genetics and different calls! They also sport circular scars that are from a type of shark called cookie-cutter sharks, which are usually found in warmer waters! These whales have been a mystery for the whale community since they showed up several weeks ago, and we finally got to see them! The trio consists of an older female T419, a teenage male T420, and T421, who is a younger whale that is estimated to be roughly 5 years old. While we were with them, the whale stopped to hunt, and we got to watch as they ate a harbor seal. What a treat to get to meet such mysterious and unknown whales!

Check out the Whale Report blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/the-mystery-whales/

Photographer and Naturalist: Bethany Shimasaki - Instagram: - Website: www.BethShim.com - Instagram:

04/29/2026

April 16, 2026 - Spring is here in the Salish Sea, and we headed out to the Straits of Juan de Fuca with a report of a large group of Bigg’s Killer Whales. There were 13 whales socializing together from two distinct families. The T46Bs are a regularly seen family in the Salish Sea, and it was a treat to get to see the newest member of the family, T46B8 “Pi” who was born just about a month ago! There are several young whales in this family that were rolling around and socializing together with the newborn. The T117s were also in the mix, with big male T117A “Nighthawk” getting rowdy a little ways out. We were incredibly lucky to have T46B “Raksha” with her tiny newborn pass us by several times. We also got to see several spyhops from various whales as well! An incredibly special encounter with a very cool group of whales!

Check out the Whale Report blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/adorable-baby-whales/

Photographer and Naturalist: Bethany Shimasaki - Instagram: - Website: www.BethShim.com

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04/17/2026

April 12, 2026 - We did a very long run, but in the end, it was so worth it! Normal trips average 30-35 miles total. We did 70 miles on this trip, out west past Victoria and Race Rocks to have an incredible encounter with three killer whales. T117A “Nighthawk”, a large adult male, and his younger sister T117B “Nyx” and her calf T117B1 “Noctis” stalled out to hunt for a bit before continuing west. The whales were successful with catching something because we spotted several birds coming down to sn**ch bits off the surface, and Naturalist Bethany even snagged a photo of T117A surfacing with a bit of meat in his mouth. After the whales started to move on, it was incredible to see these whales blasting through the smaller waves and chop at full speed. At one point, T117A launched the 3-year-old “Noctis” out of the water, and we got a full view of their tail! On the way home, we stopped at Goose Island to check out where several sea birds nest, including Glaucous-winged gulls, double-crested cormorants, and rhinoceros auklets.

Check out the Whale Report Blog for this trip https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/farthest-trip-of-the-season/

Photographer and Naturalist: Bethany Shimasaki - Instagram: - Website: www.BethShim.com - Instagram:

04/16/2026

April 9, 2026 - We headed out for another beautiful day in the Salish Sea and started our trip by cruising through the inner islands and out to Rosario Strait. We stopped by one of the channel markers and spotted several Steller Sea Lions resting on the marker. With Kulshan (Mt. Baker) in the backdrop, it was a very picturesque place for a sea lion nap. We then continued north to where a group of killer whales known as the T90s was traveling! We got some great looks at the family of four as they passed by some smaller islands known as the Pea Pods. This family consists of mom T90 “Eagle” and her three offspring. Adult male T90B “Piglet” just turned 20 this year, and his sisters T90C “Tigger” and T90 “Kanga” were tightly grouped with their older brother and mother. The family zigged and zagged back and forth, and overall, it was a beautiful encounter with a family that we don’t get to see very often!

Check out the Whale Report blog for this trip here https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/winnie-the-pooh-whales/

Photographer and Naturalist: Bethany Shimasaki - Instagram: - Website: www.BethShim.com - Instagram:

04/15/2026

April 7, 2026 - We decided to head east, through the inner islands, and had a fun opportunity to travel through the narrow space between Frost Island and Spencer Spit. We then got a tip from one of the water taxis that there were whales in Thatcher Pass, only a few short miles from where we were! Captain Ivan spotted the whales quickly, and we were able to ID them as a family of four Bigg’s killer whales known as the T90s. The family was slowly cruising through the pass and continued up towards Orcas Island during our time with them. The people on the ferry also got some great looks at the whales! We eventually left the whales and traveled south, where we spotted some Steller Sea Lions on Whale Rocks, and finished our trip with a look at a few harbor seals outside Friday Harbor.

Check out the Whale Report Blog at our website here https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/whales-and-ferries/

Photographer and Naturalist: Bethany Shimasaki - Instagram: - Website: www.BethShim.com - Instagram:

Address

1 Spring Street Suite A
Friday Harbor, WA
98250

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm
Sunday	9am - 5pm

Website

https://orcawhalewatch.com/

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