Sept 19, 2025 – After leaving Friday Harbor we headed south with the hopes to see a humpback whale to the south. In the end we saw two different humpbacks. One had been reported eastbound off South Beach, San Juan Island, and we met this whale east of Salmon Bank headed for MacArthur Bank. We recognized this individual because of a barnacle on the top of the dorsal fin. We saw this whale on June 27th outside Friday Harbor after it circumnavigated San Juan Island. According to HappyWhale.com the ID number is HW-MN0510839 or MERS-BCYuk2024#15. It was great to see this whale again. We pushed south on MacArthur with a second blow to the south. This humpback whale was BCZ0345 “Victory”. She has been in this area foraging for over a month now. Returned by way of Whale Rocks to see the Steller sea lions, Deadman Island to see harbor seals, and Turn Rock to see the sea otter.
Humpback whale HW-MN0510839 or MERS-BCYuk2024#15
Bald eagle
Harbor seals hauled out
Great blue heron flying by
Double-Crested Cormorants, Goose Island
Tip of Goose Island and Cattle Pt Lighthouse
Cormorants, Goose Island
Pelagic cormorants
Common murre
Humpback whale HW-MN0510839 or MERS-BCYuk2024#15
Humpback whale HW-MN0510839 or MERS-BCYuk2024#15
Humpback whale HW-MN0510839 or MERS-BCYuk2024#15
Humpback whale HW-MN0510839 or MERS-BCYuk2024#15
Humpback whale HW-MN0510839 or MERS-BCYuk2024#15
Humpback whale HW-MN0510839 or MERS-BCYuk2024#15
Humpback whale HW-MN0510839 or MERS-BCYuk2024#15
Humpback whale HW-MN0510839 or MERS-BCYuk2024#15
Humpback whale HW-MN0510839 or MERS-BCYuk2024#15
Humpback whale BCZ0345 “Victory”
Humpback whale BCZ0345 “Victory”
Humpback whale BCZ0345 “Victory”
Humpback whale BCZ0345 “Victory”
Humpback whale BCZ0345 “Victory” with Mt Baker
Common murres
Common murres
Large bait ball with gulls and diving birds
Rhinoceros auklet
Heermanns gulls
Brandts cormorants
Steller sea lions at Whale Rocks
Steller sea lions at Whale Rocks
Steller sea lions at Whale Rocks
Scratching an itch
Small sea lion pup at Whale Rocks
Snuggling Steller sea lions
Branded Steller sea lion “526Y” at Whale Rocks
Harbor seals, Deadman Island
Great blue heron
Sea otter, San Juan Islands
Route map 9/19/25