Western Prince Whale Watching

Western Prince Whale Watching 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.

July 18, 2024 AM – We left the dock and headed north. We had a rumor of whales up in the Canadian Gulf Islands. They wer...
08/16/2024

July 18, 2024 AM – We left the dock and headed north. We had a rumor of whales up in the Canadian Gulf Islands. They were a long ways away and going in the wrong direction, but, Captain Ivan always loves a challenge so off we went. We made a quick stop at Sentinel Rock to check out some Harbor Seals. They were hauled out on the rocks warming their bodies in the sun. After a beautiful run, we encountered the whales just past Active Pass and heading into Trincomali Channel. There was reported 8 plus Orcas that had spread out across the channel. It was really exciting to meet 2 new whales that I had never seen before, T75 – Kidney, an estimated 53 year old female and her 33 year old son Stone! He had a huge wavy dorsal fin with some fresh rake marks on it! We also had a nice pass by T46B2, 16 year old Akela and her young calf. After a great encounter it was time to head back to Friday Harbor. We managed to fit in one last stop to see a beautiful Bald Eagle perched in a tree just outside the harbor! What a day!

Check out the Whale Report Blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/killer-whales-in-the-canadian-gulf-islands/

Photographer and Naturalist: Alison Engle – Instagram: – Website: www.alisonengle.com

July 13, 2024 – It was a unique day in the San Juan Islands. We got an afternoon report of a large group of killer whale...
08/14/2024

July 13, 2024 – It was a unique day in the San Juan Islands. We got an afternoon report of a large group of killer whales that had been swimming in from the Strait of Juan De Fuca. It was many different families all traveling together. These groupings are affectionately known as “T Parties” after the animal’s alphanumeric designations. We headed south cruising along the Whidbey Island shoreline and were lucky to have a group of killer whales surfacing and playing in the gentle roll of the waves. Naturalist Alison was our stowaway guide and was able to identify T49C, T65A5, T38 C (the whale with the white freckle) and the T36As, traveling without 36 A1 and A1A. It was a beautiful day on the water with a unique groupings of animals!

Check out the Whale Report blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/killer-whale-party/

Photographer and Naturalist: Alison Engle – Instagram: – Website: www.alisonengle.com

July 10, 2024 – What a trip! We got off the dock and were just heading out of the harbor when we got a call from another...
08/12/2024

July 10, 2024 – What a trip! We got off the dock and were just heading out of the harbor when we got a call from another boat that there were whales just across the channel! We cruised over to check it out and were able to identify the group of five killer whales as a family known as the T109A2s. The mother of this family, T109A2 “Fuser” is only 19 years old and has already had four kids! They cruised right past Friday Harbor! We decided to leave them for a bit to explore and went to check out harbor seals and eagles up across Boundary Pass in Canada. We eventually met back up with the T109A2s as they were coming north in San Juan Channel and what incredible timing because as soon as we got back on scene, the kiddos started BREACHING! It was non-stop jumping, playing, rolling and surface activity for over 20 more minutes with this incredible family! There were several times when the two youngest whales breached completely out of the water! What an incredible encounter!

Check out the Whale Report Blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/baby-killer-whale-breaching/

Photographer and Naturalist: Bethany Shimasaki – Instagram .with.Bethany – Website: www.bethshim.com

Orcas in Friday HarborJuly 11, 2024 PM – Well some trips you have to travel an hour just to get to whales and some days ...
08/03/2024

Orcas in Friday Harbor
July 11, 2024 PM – Well some trips you have to travel an hour just to get to whales and some days they are just 10 minutes away. The later was what happened this afternoon. We left the harbor and within minutes we encountered 4 of the 6 members of the T36A family, and, they were traveling with the infamous “Indy”, 10 year old T65A5! They did a little bit of back and forth travel then headed south in San Juan Channel. I believe it was Indy that did a couple of belly up surfacings. The T 36A’s present included – Leland, who is the 34 year old mother of 5 offspring and 1 great offspring! Today she had Kailas, her 12 year old daughter, Storm, her 9 year old son, and her youngest at just 3 years old. After our lovely encounter with the whales we headed up to the Cactus Islands where we got our first glimpses of newly born harbor seal pups, one with a rare Ginger colored mother and a majestic Bald Eagle. From there we headed to the Turn Point Lighthouse where Captain JB lined us up for the perfect Lighthouse/Mt. Baker shot. Wow, just wow, another great afternoon on the water!

Check out theWhale Report blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/orcas-in-friday-harbor/

Photographer and Naturalist: Alison Engle – Instagram: – Website: www.alisonengle.com

July 11, 2024 AM – It was one of those days with flat calm waters sunny skies and a boat full of excited anticipation! W...
08/01/2024

July 11, 2024 AM – It was one of those days with flat calm waters sunny skies and a boat full of excited anticipation! We headed east with a possible report of Orcas near Vendovi Island. After a beautiful run with stunning views of Mt. Baker we encountered the T65B’s along the Vendovi shoreline. We had a stunning backdrop of a Preservation Trust preserved Island with just the caretakers house on it. This great family group of 4 including T65B – Chunk, the 31 year old mother traveling with her 3 kiddos. Her oldest is T65B1 – Birdsall, T65B2 13 year old male who as a teenager is in what we call the sprouting phase of life as his dorsal fin will continue to grow taller and changes shape until reaching full maturity in his early 20’s, T65B2 – 5 year old Corvus and her youngest, T65B3, who is now about 1.5 years old. After cruising around the north side of Vendovi they took a right hand turn and went to check for seals at Mummy Rocks. After a very serious look they gave up and headed back to the south. It was time for us to leave and see what else we could find. The first stop was a red channel marker that had about a half dozen young Steller Sea Lions on it. They were all snoozing and soaking up the sun but then one got knocked off and then another. It was wonderful to watch the attempts to jump back up on the marker. Not all agreed which ones would be allowed! There were lots of cheers from the boat with the many attempts. Next it was on to the Pea Pods where we checked out a Bald Eagle and loads of Harbor Seals lounging on the rocks. Another great day on the water!

Check out the Whale Report blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/sunny-skies-and-killer-whales/

Photographer and Naturalist: Alison Engle – Instagram: – Website: www.alisonengle.com

July 8, 2024 – We ended up with a beautiful trip out to the Straits of Juan De Fuca to spend some time with a pair of ra...
07/30/2024

July 8, 2024 – We ended up with a beautiful trip out to the Straits of Juan De Fuca to spend some time with a pair of rare Bigg’s Killer Whales! This mom and adult son pair is more often seen in southeast Alaska so having them in our range was a treat! T75 “Kidney” is estimated to be born in 1971 or earlier, making her 53 years old! She travels with her adult son T75A “Stone” who is 33 years old this year. While this pair is a rare sighting here in the Salish Sea, her daughters T75B “Pebbles” and T77 “Asja” are much more common sightings here. T75A “Stone” had some interesting new rake marks on his fin and we got some great looks at his large and wavy dorsal fin throughout the encounter. The conditions were gorgeous, glassy calm with hardly any wind! We even had one beautiful pass with Mt. Baker in the background as the whales surfaced!

Check out the Whale Report blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/killer-whales-in-the-san-juans/

Photographer and Naturalist: Bethany Shimasaki – Instagram .with.Bethany – Website: www.bethshim.com

July 5, 2024 – It was another beautiful day spent exploring the Salish Sea! We had perfect conditions out in the Strait ...
07/28/2024

July 5, 2024 – It was another beautiful day spent exploring the Salish Sea! We had perfect conditions out in the Strait of Georgia for our encounter with two families of Bigg’s Killer Whales. We mainly spent time with the T36s but the T99s were also traveling close by. We got some great looks at T36B “Tattertip” and her youngest calf that was born only a few months ago! At one point, we watched the family porpoising at high speeds to catch up to the T99s only for them to turn around and head back the way they came! At some point, they probably made a kill because we got a beautiful spyhop from one of the whales and a beautiful pass with Mt. Baker in the backdrop!

Check out the Whale Report blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/killer-whales-and-mount-baker/

Photographer and Naturalist: Bethany Shimasaki – Instagram .with.Bethany – Website: www.bethshim.com

July 4, 2024 PM – Today we lucked with having Orcas just outside of Friday Harbor! The family group of Bigg’s Killer Wha...
07/26/2024

July 4, 2024 PM – Today we lucked with having Orcas just outside of Friday Harbor! The family group of Bigg’s Killer Whales we encountered is known as the T65B’s. The group is made up of T65B – Chunk, the 31 year old mother traveling with her 3 offspring. Her oldest is T65B1 – Birdsall, a 13 year old male who as a teenager is in what we call the sprouting phase of life as his dorsal fin will continue to grow taller and changes shape until reaching full maturity in his early 20’s, T65B2 – 5 year old Nettle/Corvus and her youngest, T65B3, who is now about 1.5 years old. They were in a slow travel mode heading north at first then switching back to south again. After our encounter with the whales we head up to the Cactus Islands. It is so beautiful in that area and abundant in wildlife. We saw a few Pigeon Guillemots, some Seals swimming in the Kelp and couple of Bald Eagles perched in the trees. Next it was on to White Rock, which is one of 84 wildlife refuges set aside by the federal government. There we found loads of Harbor Seals. The pupping season usually starts around July 1st, but we did not see any today. From there is was back to Friday Harbor after another great day on the water.

Check out the Whale Report blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/killer-whales-in-friday-harbor/

Photographer and Naturalist: Alison Engle – Instagram: – Website: www.alisonengle.com

July 4, 2024 AM – We started our day at White Rock checking out the Harbor Seals, then headed over to the Cactus Islands...
07/24/2024

July 4, 2024 AM – We started our day at White Rock checking out the Harbor Seals, then headed over to the Cactus Islands. It is so beautiful in that area and abundant in wildlife. This morning we were treated to several Pigeon Guillemots flying around, diving for fish around the Bull kelp beds and perching on the rocks. We also saw a few Harbor Seals and a majestic Bald Eagle, which landed in a tree just above us. From there we headed for Spieden Channel and encountered a family group of Bigg’s Killer Whales known at the T65B’s. The group was made up of T65B – Chunk, the 31 year old mother traveling with her 3 kiddos. Her oldest is T65B1 – Birdsall, T65B2 13 year old male who as a teenager is in what we call the sprouting phase of life as his dorsal fin will continue to grow taller and changes shape until reaching full maturity in his early 20’s, T65B2 – 5 year old Nettle/Corvus and her youngest, T65B3, who is now about 1.5 years old. They were in a slow travel mode and eventually made their way into San Juan Channel. After our encounter with the whales we headed up into Boundary Pass to see what else we could find. It was such a gorgeous day we could not resist a stop at the Turn Point Lighthouse before heading back to Friday Harbor.

Check out the Whale Report Blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/fourth-of-july-killer-whales/

Photographer and Naturalist: Alison Engle – Instagram: – Website: www.alisonengle.com

June 30, 2024 – We headed off towards Rosario Strait and followed up on a report of a group of Bigg’s Killer Whales that...
07/22/2024

June 30, 2024 – We headed off towards Rosario Strait and followed up on a report of a group of Bigg’s Killer Whales that were coming around the north end of Orcas Island. This group turned out to be a family known as the T46Bs! This family of seven has three generations of whales traveling together with the matriarch of the family being T46B “Raksha”. Her four youngest children travel with her as well as her second daughter T46B2 “Akela” who had a calf just last year! The family was traveling tightly together and we got some lovely looks at the two young calves in the group. We also got to check out a bunch of Steller Sea Lions hanging out on a reef marker. Another whale watching vessel spotted a humpback whale and her calf only a few miles away so off we went! It was BCX1416 “Phi” and her calf! As soon as we got on scene, the calf started breaching! It was incredible to see this young whale having the best time, half-breaching out of the water and rolling around. We even got to see some fun little pectoral fins and belly as the baby kept rolling and throwing its tail! What an incredible trip with two different species of whales and a very active baby humpback!

Check out the Whale Report Blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/baby-humpback-and-killer-whales/

Photographer and Naturalist: Bethany Shimasaki – Instagram .with.Bethany – Website: www.bethshim.com

June 28, 2024 – It was such a beautiful day on the water and we decided to head north once we left the harbor. We ended ...
07/20/2024

June 28, 2024 – It was such a beautiful day on the water and we decided to head north once we left the harbor. We ended up north of Patos Island and found a humpback whale that turned out to be one of the most iconic humpback whales in the Salish Sea, BCY0324 “Big Mama”. This whale was the first humpback whale to return to the Salish Sea in over a hundred years, having been spotted in 1997 and having been seen returning every year since 2003. She’s had seven calves in her lifetime so far and is a favorite amongst the community. Time and time again, she proves to be the best and today, she reminded us of why everyone loves her so much! We got a full breach from her plus several tail slaps, peduncle throws and too many pectoral slaps to count! It was incredible to see her in action and how loud all these percussive behaviors were! What an incredible trip and a memorable encounter with such an iconic Salish Sea Humpback!

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

Photographer and Naturalist: Bethany Shimasaki – Instagram .with.Bethany – Website: www.bethshim.com

June 27, 2024 PM – When we left the dock the wind was starting to pick up. As we headed north we got a little bit of spr...
07/18/2024

June 27, 2024 PM – When we left the dock the wind was starting to pick up. As we headed north we got a little bit of spray and then the seas calmed down. We were excited to check out the same big group of Orcas that we had seen on our morning trip. They had continued to south and were now off of Sidney Island, BC. We headed west around the top of San Juan Island and were soon encountered 11 Bigg’s Killer Whales on the east side of the island. This group was made up of Orcas from 3 different matrilines: T49A – Nan, a 38 year old female traveling with 5 of her 6 offspring. We had Noah, her oldest son at 23 years of age, Nat, her 3rd oldest at 13, Neptune at 10, Nebula, her only daughter at 7 and little “Smoosh Face,” with the cute underbite, who was born in 2022; T46B1- Tread, a 21 year old female and her 2 offspring ages 9 and 2; T36A1- Tierna, a 19 year old female with her 2 year old calf. They continued south searching among the rocky islets look for seals. The few seals we saw on the rocks were on high alert and staying put was their best chance of not becoming a meal for the orcas. As we approached Darcy Island the seas started to get lumpy so we decided, after a nice long encounter, we would go look for other wildlife. We crossed back over to the US, went through John’s pass and out into Boundary pass. We scanned for Humpbacks, but did not see any so we headed to White Rock to check out the Harbor Seals that were snoozing on the rocks. We had one last stop at Flat Top Island were we spotted a majestic Bald Eagle then headed for home.

Check out the Whale Watch report for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/killer-whale-watching/

Photographer and Naturalist: Alison Engle – Instagram: – Website: www.alisonengle.com

June 27, 2024 AM - We left the dock and headed north on a nice gray overcast day.  Our first stop was the Cactus Islands...
07/16/2024

June 27, 2024 AM - We left the dock and headed north on a nice gray overcast day. Our first stop was the Cactus Islands. There we found lots of Pigeon Guillemots, a few Harbor Seals swimming in the kelp and a Bald Eagle. From there we headed into Boundary Pass and soon enough we were in Canada and on scene with a youngish Humpback whale! The whale was zigzagging, but we got a couple of nice passes with beautiful fluke up dives. While were there Captain JB got work that a large group of Bigg’s Killer Whales had been found farther north. We knew it would be a stretch to get there and may only have 15 minutes with the whales, but everyone was game and off we went. We encountered this group of 11 Bigg’s Killer Whales near Otter Bay on North Pender Island. This group was made of of Orcas from 3 different matrilines: T49A - Nan, a 38 year old female traveling with 5 of her 6 offspring. We had Noah, her oldest son at 23 years of age, Nat, her 3rd oldest at 13, Neptune at 10, Nebula, her only daughter at 7 and little “Smoosh Face” who was born in 2022; T46B1- Tread, a 21 year old female and her 2 offspring ages 9 and 2; T36A1- Tierna, a 19 year old female with her 2 year old calf. It was a brief but beautiful encounter and everyone was delighted!

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

Photographer and Naturalist: Alison Engle – Instagram: – Website: www.alisonengle.com

Our final "Meet the Crew" Monday is reserved for the one and only Ivan. Ivan is the owner of Western Prince and captain ...
07/15/2024

Our final "Meet the Crew" Monday is reserved for the one and only Ivan.

Ivan is the owner of Western Prince and captain on the Western Explorer. He bought the business in 2003 and has turned this little operation into a home that no one wants to leave, whether by design or happy happenstance.

Ivan is known for his keen eyes for spotting critters and enjoys the puzzle each day being on the water brings. He likely missed his calling as a CIA analyst or a triage doctor, where his mindset for problem solving would be put to (better?) use. Ivan consistently offers “fun runs” taking crew and friends on after-work adventures, because what’s the point of working on the water in such a beautiful place if you can’t share it? Not only is he the boss, but he’s also a remarkable friend, captain and mentor, never failing to show up for his crew and making sure to create an environment where we can thrive. All of us at Western Prince feel incredibly lucky to work for, and with, such a loyal, hardworking and caring individual. Western Prince would not be the company and family it is without our steadfast and fearless leader!

June 24, 2024 – We headed out of Friday Harbor to the south and did not get far before we found a lone male killer whale...
07/14/2024

June 24, 2024 – We headed out of Friday Harbor to the south and did not get far before we found a lone male killer whale traveling through Cattle Pass. The male turned out to be Bigg’s Killer Whale T49C “Nielson”. This 26 year-old male often travels alone, now that his mother has died. Sometimes he travels with his older sister’s families or his nephews but on this day, he was cruising through Griffin Bay solo. We got some great looks at him before continuing into the Strait of Juan De Fuca where we found two different baleen whales on Hein Bank! We got some quick glimpses of a Minke Whale as it surfaced to our left and a small juvenile humpback whale on our right! Not every day that we get three different species of whales in one trip!

Check out the Whale Report blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/orcas-minkes-and-humpbacks/

Photographer and Naturalist: Bethany Shimasaki – Instagram .with.Bethany – Website: www.bethshim.com

Western Prince Whale Watching has just received the Tripadvisor Traveler’s Choice Award for 2024 and is ranked among the...
07/12/2024

Western Prince Whale Watching has just received the Tripadvisor Traveler’s Choice Award for 2024 and is ranked among the top 10% of things to do in the WORLD!

We want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has joined us for a trip this year and shared their experience with others through Tripadvisor, referrals and other reviews. As a small, family-run business located in Friday Harbor, we are so appreciative of the support and love we have received over the years. We are proud to be a part of the vibrant community in the San Juan Islands and will continue doing our best to provide educational, ethical, and personal adventures exploring this wonderful place we call home.

June 23, 2024 – We started off the trip by checking out the Cactus Islands where we spotted a group of six river otters ...
07/11/2024

June 23, 2024 – We started off the trip by checking out the Cactus Islands where we spotted a group of six river otters patrolling the shoreline together! Seeing river otters on a trip is very rare! They’re elusive but getting to see this large group was a treat! We headed north, turning the trip international as we searched up into Canadian Waters. We always tell people that we never know when or where wildlife is going to pop up and regardless of how far into a trip or what we have already seen, we are always searching. That saying really did come into play when we got a report of a group of Bigg’s Killer Whales with only an hour left in our trip and found roughly 28 nautical miles away. We decided to extend the trip, be late back to the dock and go for the report. It was the right decision and we are so glad we did! We got to spend a full encounter with three families of Bigg’s Killer Whales as they traveled together in Rosario Strait! There were 10 total whales, including several youngsters and one of the most iconic males in the population and crowd favorite, T123A “Stanley”. We had some gorgeous looks as the whales socialized and traveled together with beautiful island backdrops and sunny conditions.

Check out the Whale Report blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/killer-whales-in-the-9th-inning/

Photographer and Naturalist: Bethany Shimasaki – Instagram .with.Bethany – Website: www.bethshim.com

June 21, 2024 – WHAT A DAY! Not only was the weather beautiful and sunny but we had an incredible trip with several diff...
07/09/2024

June 21, 2024 – WHAT A DAY! Not only was the weather beautiful and sunny but we had an incredible trip with several different families of Bigg’s Killer Whales! We started off the trip with a quick encounter with a lone male killer whale known as T51 “Roswell”. This male has not been seen in this part of the Salish Sea in several years and was named after the infamous town in New Mexico where a UFO reportedly crashed in 1947! It was a treat to see him as he is a bucket list whale for Naturalist Bethany. Then we continued north where we found a group of nine whales! This group consisted of three moms and their kiddos! Included were T65B “Chunk” and her three boys, T36A1 “Tierna” and her young calf, and T46B2 “Tread” and her two kids. It was a killer whale calf party and we were lucky enough to watch as kids from all three families frolicked, rolled, breached, and played together. There were four toddler whales all under the age of five in this group and the spunky calf energy was high! Such a delight to watch these three families having a blast together.

Check out the Whale Report blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/killer-whale-calf-playing/

Photographer and Naturalist: Bethany Shimasaki – Instagram .with.Bethany – Website: www.bethshim.com

This week’s “Meet the Crew” monday is highlighting Chris! Chris is Western Prince’s longest running employee! This marks...
07/08/2024

This week’s “Meet the Crew” monday is highlighting Chris!

Chris is Western Prince’s longest running employee! This marks her 20th season on the water here in the San Juans. She moved to the island in 2000 and saw orcas from shore on her very first day! It was love at first sight and that love of whales and the Salish Sea has just grown stronger over the years! Chris is our office manager and a fantastic naturalist. If you’ve called our office over the years, you’ve probably heard her charming voice over the phone! She’s always ready to answer any question she gets with a smile on her face and joyful charisma that seems to just bubble out of her! Some of her favorite days on the boat are when we have wind in the forecast and we can surf the waves! While others may shy away from the more adventurous condition days, Chris is excited and ready to get out into the wind and waves!

From scheduling staff, to organizing the office, to hosting cookouts, Chris is the glue that hold this whole operation together. Her enthusiasm and curiosity brings energy and warmth to Western Prince and we are so incredibly grateful for everything she does for us!

June 18, 2024 – Today we got to see a family of “exotic” killer whales, the T23s! This family of five whales consists of...
07/06/2024

June 18, 2024 – Today we got to see a family of “exotic” killer whales, the T23s! This family of five whales consists of mom T23 and her younger daughter, T23D and three grandchildren. This killer whale matriarch was born roughly around 1964, making her roughly 60 years old this year! This family does not visit the San Juan Islands very often so it was a treat to get to see them. They were traveling along when suddenly, they stalled out and started doing alternating deep dives in one location. Usually what this means is that they found something, most likely a harbor seal and have it pinned to the bottom. This continued for about 20 minutes before they seemingly gave up and continued moving. Super interesting to watch that behavior!

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

Photographer and Naturalist: Bethany Shimasaki – Instagram .with.Bethany – Website: www.bethshim.com

June 17, 2024 - We had a beautiful trip up to one of our favorite backdrops to watch whales with, the north side of Mt. ...
07/05/2024

June 17, 2024 - We had a beautiful trip up to one of our favorite backdrops to watch whales with, the north side of Mt. Constitution on Orcas Island! We had a beautiful encounter with a group of five Bigg’s Killer Whales. The family known as the T99s, was traveling along the shoreline when suddenly, they started hunting! They must have caught something because we did get to see several quick lunges and milling behavior for most of the encounter before they moved on. We got two beautiful spyhops as well, where the whale surfaces straight up into the air. We got some great looks at the eye patches with a gorgeous green backdrop! We continued on to spot several harbor seals and eagles throughout the trip as well!

Check out the Whale Report Blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/killer-whales-at-orcas-island/

Photographer and Naturalist: Bethany Shimasaki – Instagram .with.Bethany – Website: www.bethshim.com

Happy 4th of July! ❤️🤍💙 Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, the crew at Western Prince wishes you a safe and festiv...
07/04/2024

Happy 4th of July! ❤️🤍💙
Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, the crew at Western Prince wishes you a safe and festive holiday!

BCX1251 "Orion" breaching! Photo by Naturalist Bethany

Next up for "Meet the Crew" Monday is Bethany!Bethany is Western Prince's youngest crew member (our resident Gen Z/mille...
07/01/2024

Next up for "Meet the Crew" Monday is Bethany!

Bethany is Western Prince's youngest crew member (our resident Gen Z/millennial cusper). She is in her 8th season working in the San Juan Islands now. Bethany grew up on Crane Island, a non-ferry serviced island and commutes to work by boat every day. Rain or shine, she wouldn't trade her commute for anything!

Although she has a deep love for all the whales and wildlife, she is a humpback fan through and through. She followed them to their breeding grounds in Hawaii for two seasons and even has one tattooed on her arm (shout out to Big Mama!). Not only is Bethany our social media guru, office staff, and naturalist but she is also in training to be our newest captain! Bethany can always be counted on to let you know "you're doing great" if you're in a bad mood. She lives for the opportunity to talk about any and everything Salish Sea, this wonderful place she's called home all her life.

June 13, 2024 – PM It was a beautiful day with sunny skies and no wind! Yay!  We had a couple of possible reports with o...
06/25/2024

June 13, 2024 – PM It was a beautiful day with sunny skies and no wind! Yay! We had a couple of possible reports with one being up in Canada so off we went. Our first stop was in Spieden Channel where we encountered 2 Humpback Whales. One of them had been identified as Stitch. They were traveling close to the San Juan Island Shoreline and Stitch did one beautiful fluke up dive while we were there. From there we headed into the Gulf Islands of British Columbia. We stopped in an area between Coal and Morseby Islands were we encountered the T75B’s, a family group of Bigg’s (marine mammal eating) Killer Whales. The group is made up of the 29 year old mother, T75B, also known as Pebbles and her 3 offspring. Jasper – T75B2 is 9 years old, Rubble – T75B3 is 7 and the youngest, who has not been named yet, is T75B4 who is 3. They were zigging and zagging round or the hour that we watched them. Sometimes they would pop up farther away than we expected and other times closer than we expected. On the way home, we all enjoyed the stunning scenery and stopped to see a few exotic deer and a Bald Eagle on Spieden Island.

Check out the Whale Report Blog for this trip at https://orcawhalewatch.com/blog/orcas-and-humpbacks-in-the-beautiful-pnw/

Photographer and Naturalist: Alison Engle – Instagram: – Website: www.alisonengle.com

It's "Meet the Crew" Monday again and this week's feature is Katie!Katie has worked in the San Juan Islands as a natural...
06/24/2024

It's "Meet the Crew" Monday again and this week's feature is Katie!

Katie has worked in the San Juan Islands as a naturalist since 2001 with additional experience working as a naturalist in Mexico and Alaska! Katie is also heavily involved in research and operations with the Center for Whale Research and has even participated in humpback whale research in Hawaii! From whales, to birds, to bears, to anything in between, Katie has a wealth of knowledge and experience to draw upon. Under all that experience is an incredibly inspiring heart for sharing and educating about the natural world, and a fiercely dedicated love of the whales we see.

In addition to the truly impressive background of experience, Katie is a fantastic photographer with an eye for whimsical detail, whether it's photos of whales, clouds, landscapes or pets! When Katie isn't talking about whales on the boat, they can be found snuggling with their adorable cat Mo, drawing whales, or watching the neighborhood critters visiting in the backyard!

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

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