Jordan | M/V Kestrel | 09/05/19 | 11:00am

The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, random dogs were barking in the distance; it was looking like a great start to our whale watch!

Captain Gabe and I took our new friends out of Friday Harbor on the Kestrel. We headed down south through the San Juan Channel towards Cattle Point.

Along the way we stopped to watch a big bait ball! Swarms of birds were pecking at the surface of the water and diving down to catch fish that were balled...

Laura C. | M/V Sea Lion | 8/31/2019 | 1:30 pm

Today was a marvelous day aboard M/V Sea Lion!  With several reports of whales in the area, we headed northbound through San Juan Channel full of excitement and anticipation of our upcoming wildlife sightings!  As we rounded San Juan Island into the Haro straight we found harbor porpoises cruising through the area in search of some fish!  These animals prefer areas with strong upwelling and current changes providing more prey availability...

Jordan | M/V Kittiwake | 08/30/19 | 3:00pm

What a lovely day! Captain Gabe and I sped down through the San Juan Channel, out of Friday Harbor, and past Cattle Point lighthouse, towards the open waters of hope.

The sun had finally come out and the water looked dazzling as it shimmered in the sunlight. We boated and boated following the coast of San Juan and further out towards the Olympic Peninsula.

Then, we found orcas! But, not just any orcas, the southern resident orca whales! This...

Piper | Friday, August 30, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 1:30 AM

The day started out very foggy but as the sun rose higher the fog burned off and cloudy blue skies prevailed! We had reports of Southern Resident killer whales near False Bay on the west side of San Juan Island, so Captain Erick, Naturalist Laura, and I headed south through San Juan Channel with our awesome group of folks. Just as we left the marina and got to Turn Island we spotted some harbor porpoises surfacing in the strong...

Laura C. / M/V Sea Lion / 8/18/2019 / 1:30 pm

Today was an awesome trip aboard M/V Sea Lion!  The windy atmosphere produced a bustling Salish Sea, filled with waves and wildlife!  We headed towards Middle Bank and found J 16s moving southwest at about 7-8 knots!  The J16s are a three-generation matriline apart of J Pod, consisting of 6 matrilines!  Today, was watched this family of four cruising with the rolling seas!  We saw J26, aka “Mike”, sporting his tall dorsal fin and towering...

Piper | Sunday, August 18, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 11:00 AM

Leaving the docks today, Captain Gabe and I felt very lucky to be taking a group of guests on the water because the Southern Resident Killer Whales were still here! We began our trip by heading north in San Juan Channel, but before we could even hit full speed we slowed because a very majestic bald eagle was perched in a tree overlooking the water.

We stopped to get some nice photos before continuing toward Spieden Channel...

Olivia | August 17th, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 1:30pm

If any of you have been reading my blogs, you know I have said this many times. The thing is, I’ve always meant it. It holds true to say- today was my favorite trip of the season. Yes, we all know wildlife is enchanting. You never know what you’re going to see, how active they will be, what the weather is doing, or even how your fellow passengers will respond. Today, however, hit the jackpot as Captain Erick, Co-Naturalist Laura and...

Erin | M/V Sea Lion | Thursday, August 15, 2019 | 5:30 PM

This evening was the greatest trip of all time. We began our trip heading south out of Friday Harbor. We went through some upwelling zones near Cattle Point lighthouse, which were bringing food to the water's surface and causing birds to gather around us. Cattle Point lighthouse marks the southernmost point of San Juan Island, and it is a gorgeous beacon. We entered into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and headed toward False Bay...

Olivia | August 15th, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 11:00am

My favorite trip thus far.

I cannot express the realm of emotions myself, Captain Gabe, and our 19 passengers went through on our 11:00am Adventure Tour. We heard reports early in the morning that our Southern Resident Killer Whales (J Pod) had returned to Haro Strait per Lime Kiln recording their dialect through the hydrophone. With a thick bank of fog south and west of San Juan Island, we decided to head around the northern side to...

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 07/06/19 | 5:30pm

What an exciting day out on the water! It all started as Captain Erick, Naturalist Piper and I set out of Friday Harbor down the San Juan Channel towards reports of whales down off the south side of San Juan.

We boated south and passed Cattle Point lighthouse as beautiful shadows started to cast down through the clouds. The calm water turned rough as we entered the Salmon Bank and out into the Haro Strait. Brave people road the bow like a...