San Juan Excursions

02/28/2023

This energetic Bigg's killer whale is T123D "Darcy", named for D'Arcy Shoals off the southeast coast of Vancouver Island. Born in 2018, she's the youngest calf of T123 "Sidney" and little sister to T123A "Stanley" (born in 2000) and T123C "Lucky" (born in 2012).

📷: Brittany Hendricks, San Juan Excursions

12/17/2022

All of us at San Juan Excursions are saddened by the loss of a true pioneer and advocate for the Southern Resident Killer Whales. He will be missed but his legacy will continue. Thank you Ken Balcomb for your decades of dedication. ❤️

The family of Ken Balcomb has the solemn responsibility to inform all who knew or cared about Ken that he passed away this morning, 12/15/22. The illness that ended his remarkable journey through life was known to him and his family well in advance, and his last days and final breath were drawn in peace and comfort, with professional care, surrounded by his loving family, at the Center for Whale Research’s Big Salmon Ranch above the Elwha River.
We ask that if you are so moved, to perhaps light a candle or meditate on your remembrance of Ken, or your most memorable moments with the orcas he so loved and honored by devoting his
life to learning about and sharing his understanding with all of us; and to renew your commitment to take action for the salmon and orcas, to carry on his legacy.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Center for Whale Research, whaleresearch.com.
At this time the family asks for privacy, more information will follow when the time is appropriate.
Howard Garrett (brother)
Kelley Balcomb-Bartok (son)
Susan Berta (sister-in-law)

10/15/2022

It's Southern Resident ! The task of recovering an endangered population can seem daunting, but here are 10 simple things you can do to help Southern Resident orcas. 🌱🐟♻️

10/10/2022

Yes it's true, occasionally we encounter Sea Otters near the San Juan Islands! You never know what you'll find when you embark on a Whale & Wildlife Excursion aboard the . It's not too late to join us out on the water for our 2022 season!

www.watchwhales.com

09/16/2022

Sometimes we wonder who is watching who?

09/14/2022

Happy Hump(back) Whale Day! The other day aboard the we had a great encounter with Fallen Knight BCX0915. Fallen Knight earned her nickname from her distinctively shaped fluke as you can see here in the photos taken by our naturalists.

09/10/2022

Hopping into the weekend like… T19B Galiano doing a big Spyhop yesterday during our encounter aboard the . T19B Galiano often delights onlookers by Spyhopping when hunting.

09/07/2022

Check out T49A6 with their cute little underbite smile! Born just earlier this year in 2022, this orca calf is one of the newest additions to the population of West Coast Bigg’s (Transient) orcas.
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📸: photo taken by naturalist Melisa San Juan Orcas aboard the on 8/30/22.

07/29/2022

Welcome aboard the Built in 1941 this converted U.S. Navy search and rescue vessel welcomes you aboard to experience her class and comfort as you cruise the Salish Sea. She is 65' long and is a U.S. Coast Guard certified and inspected vessel. The M/V Odyssey has great walk around decks on two levels with padded seating. You will cruise in complete comfort with great visibility from all areas.

Each whale and wildlife cruise is joined by two certified marine naturalists who will provide an informative and entertaining experience.

You'll learn about what the whales eat, where they travel, how many there are, how their families stick together, how they communicate (when conditions are right you can hear the sound of the whales via our hydrophone), how to identify the orcas, and much more.

Learn more about us and book your excursion at www.watch whales.com

We hope to see you out on the water soon!

07/24/2022

Check out these fluking awesome photos taken by our naturalists aboard the of these Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea during our 2022 season.

07/14/2022

Happy !

Check out some of our orca highlights from our 2022 season so far!

07/08/2022

It's officially seal pup season here in the San Juans! These adorable little harbor seal pups are only around 25 lbs. at birth but double in size in just 4 short weeks of nursing thanks to mom's high calorie milk which is over 40% fat! Having healthy harbor seal populations is not only good news for us to see them in the wild, but it is also good news for our Biggs Orca (transient killer whales) who feed on marine mammals.

07/07/2022

We had an epic Minke Whale encounter on July 4th just off the southern end of San Juan Island. There were at least 5 different minke whales foraging and doing some lunge feeding! Check out these amazing photos taken by naturalist Melisa. Zoom in to check out the baleen and forage fish flying as the minke whales lunged through a bait ball!

📸: photo taken by naturalist Melisa Juan Orcas

06/28/2022

This afternoon aboard the M/V Odyssey we encountered tons of wildlife including a Sea Otter, Minke Whales, and even a Gray Whale!

06/09/2022

Happy World Oceans Day from all of us at San Juan Excursions!

05/27/2022

Three Steller sea lions orchestrating an impressive synchronized spyhop.
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All photos taken with telephoto lens and cropped for detail.

05/27/2022

"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water." ~Loren Eiseley

We had picturesque encounter with this little Gray Whale off the South end of San Juan Island earlier this week with the Cattle Point lighthouse and Cascade Mountains providing a stunning backdrop to the gray whale's blows as it traveled along.

After some beautiful views of the gray whale, we also encountered a pod of Bigg's Orcas and got to spend some time with the T123's. The T123's include a mother orca named "Sidney" T123 b.~1985, and her 3 offspring: "Stanley" T123A b.2000, "Lucky" T123C b.2012, and "Darcy" T123D b.2018.

It was another magical day here in the Salish Sea!

05/20/2022

Today is . The Salish Sea has witnessed some remarkable recoveries - bald eagles, Steller's sea lions, and humpback whales to name a few - but the iconic Southern Resident killer whales remain endangered due to a variety of compounding threats, most especially the declines in abundance and size of their primary food source, Chinook salmon . You're far more likely to see Bigg's (mammal-eating) orcas in the region nowadays, but it's important to continue sharing the story of Southern Residents, even in their absence, in the hope of inspiring meaningful change.

June is Orca Action Month, and the team at Orca Month has launched a site sharing actions you can take to help the Southern Residents no matter where in the world you live. The best part is you don't have to wait until June to start - you can take action now! https://www.orcamonth.com/

Photo: J16 "Slick" and her calf J50 "Scarlet" in May 2017. Scarlet sadly passed away in September 2018 at just 3 years of age. 💔

05/20/2022

It's not everyday you get to see your company logo played out in real life with nature!

05/14/2022

We had an epic encounter with Big Mamma BCY0324 and her calf earlier this week! Big Mamma the humpback is practically Salish Sea royalty around here, and we hope this little one of hers lives a long and happy life.

04/22/2022

It’s been a wild week here in the Salish Sea! We’ve had encounters with Bigg’s Killer Whales from the T65A & T65B matrilines, Humpback Whale “Valiant”, and tons of other wildlife too including Steller Sea Lions, Bald Eagles, and more.

What will you see on your excursion?

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04/15/2022

Bring on the Biggs! We got to hang out with the T34s and T37s the other day aboard the M/V Odyssey during our daily whale & wildlife excursion. T34 Grace was born ≤1969! And T37 has such a uniquely shaped dorsal fin that she has earned the nickname Pizza Fin! Look for her tall, triangular dorsal fin in the video to test your orca ID skills.
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All footage taken responsibly with telephoto lens, and cropped for detail
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01/25/2022

09/21/2021

T18 “Esperanza” born est. ≤1955 doing a big Spyhop!
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Photo taken aboard the during our whale & wildlife excursion on 09/16/21. Photos taken with telephoto lens and cropped for detail. All images taken while following responsible wildlife viewing laws/guidelines.
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09/13/2021

The other day while out on our daily Whale & Wildlife excursion we spotted this Steller sea lion eating a skate! Look closely to see if you can spot the Sabine's gull amongst the feeding frenzy!

09/09/2021

We’ve had a marvelous time with these mysterious little Minke whales here in the Salish Sea lately!

08/19/2021

There is so much wildlife to see here in the Salish Sea.
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08/07/2021

It’s not everyday you see two groups of orcas!

Yesterday we set off the dock for our daily Whale & Wildlife Excursion and were en-route towards a group of Bigg’s Killer Whales that had been reported north of San Juan Island. But a few minutes after we left the dock, yet another group of Bigg’s Killer Whales were spotted right outside of Friday Harbor! We changed course and met up with the T34s and T37s passing by the entrance to Friday Harbor as they travelled northbound through San Juan Channel. We then departed from the orcas to view other wildlife on Spieden Island including Bald Eagles, Mouflon Sheep, and Pigeon Guillemots. As we rounded the north side of Spieden we then were lucky enough to catch up with the original group of Bigg’s Killer Whales who we were initially heading towards earlier in the trip. It turned out to be a goofy trio of young male orcas, brothers T77C & T77D, and their companion T49A2. These three males are all in their young teens, and were rolling around in the kelp and being highly social and playful.

You never know what you’ll see when you embark on a wildlife excursion, but that’s all part of the thrill of viewing wild animals. Every encounter is different and exciting in its own way.

What will you see on your excursion?

08/03/2021

We had a killer day on the water hanging out with the T37A family of Bigg’s Orcas as they made a kill. You can see the blood in the water, and the gulls swooping in looking for scraps. It was wild!
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📸 All photos taken with telephoto zoom lens, and cropped for detail. Photos taken on 07/23/21 aboard the
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07/08/2021

Minke Whale madness! We have had some pretty epic Minke whale encounters lately with Minkes lunge feeding off the southern end of San Juan Island. We even have gotten some rare glimpses of the Minke’s flukes and pectoral fins!
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