Olivia Esqueda | April 28th, 2025 | M/V Osprey | 2:00pm

Despite the PNW spring rain, today’s trip turned out to be so much fun! We were able to spot many birds as we traveled down San Juan Channel into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, admiring Cattle Point Lighthouse along the way. After searching through the misty backdrop, we spotted the T065B’s- a matriline of Bigg’s Killer Whales. 

This ecotype of orca feeds on marine mammals and is commonly found in the greater Salish Sea area. We are very...

Lauren | M/V Osprey | Saturday, April 26th | 12:30 PM

Today’s tour was a testament of how much can change in an instant in the world of watching whales. Out here we are at the will of the wildlife, and although we prefer it that way, the whales have a funny way of humbling us humans and our plans.

We left the dock with a report of two Bigg’s Killer Whales by Moresby Island. Moresby Island is a Canadian Island located just northwest of Turn Point Lighthouse on Stuart Island. Turn Point is famously...

Olivia Esqueda | April 21st, 2025 | M/V Osprey | 2:00pm 

What a fun day out on the water with Bigg’s Killer Whales! We headed north through San Juan Channel until we reached the area where San Juan Channel and Spieden Island meet. This is where we first spotted the T065B’s milling around the lush, nutrient filled waters. T065B [Chunk, female born in 1993] is a marine mammal eating orca traveling around with her three calves, T065B1 [Birdsall, male born in 2011], T065B2 [Nettle/Corvis, born in...

Olivia Esqueda | April 14th, 2025 | M/V Osprey | 2:00pm

We love sunny days with calm seas and whales nearby- which is exactly what this afternoon brought! We started off our trip heading north through San Juan Channel until we came upon Spieden Island. This privately owned island has the largest bloom of pink flowers (invasive and a part of the geranium family) that we have seen in years and, contrasted with the green shoreline and the mouflon sheep lambs prancing around, it engulfs the...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | Friday, April 11th | 12:30 pm 

Today’s Classic Whale Watch and Wildlife Tour was filled with diverse wildlife, seeing many different species during our 4-hour tour. Immediately as we exited Friday Harbor we were greeted by a group of foraging Dall’s Porpoise! Although not rare, we are not greeted by the presence of Dall’s all that often, making it an extra special tour every time we have an encounter. Dall’s Porpoise are often dubbed, the second coolest black and white...

Lauren | M/V Osprey | Wednesday, April 9th | 2:00 pm

Today was our first tour aboard the M/V Osprey, our largest vessel in the fleet. A fully booked tour on our largest vessel can mean only one thing… Summer is coming! We boarded our eager passengers and headed out of Friday Harbor. We had a report of an animal south of Lopez Island, but with the report being pretty far away, we had no time for prior stops. We cruised south in San Juan Channel and through Cattle Pass, taking looks at the Olympic...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | Monday, April 7th | 12:30 pm

Our Classic Whale Watch & Wildlife tour left the dock and headed north in San Juan Channel. Rain was in the forecast, so we prepared for a wet ride, but thus far the skies above looked clear. Our first stop was to the Cactus Islands to view some hauled-out harbor seals. We love seeing harbor seals out here. Their thriving population is a product of the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act. Before 1972, many pinnipeds were killed for their pelts...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | April, 5 2025 | 12:30 pm

The spring equinox is always welcomed here in the Pacific Northwest. The long winter nights spent dreaming of daylight, warmer days and clearer skies are suddenly behind us. This year, the equinox brought us something even dreamier than a season change, it brought us a baby whale. On March 20th, 2025 the T046B’s were seen travelling in eastern Juan de Fuca Strait with a new calf in tow. In every encounter, the calf was seen surfacing in the...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | March 29, 2025 | 12:30 pm

Our Saturday, March 29th Classic Whale Watch and Wildlife tour was a success before even leaving the dock. That’s because 10 minutes before our tour departed, killer whales were found right outside of Friday Harbor! We left the dock and alerted our guests that luck was on their side and instructed them to look for dorsal fins in the distance. Sure enough, not even 15 minutes into our trip we were on scene with 7 Bigg’s Killer Whales. The whales we...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | April 2nd, 2025 | 12:30 pm 

Friday Harbor was booming with life this Wednesday afternoon. The town was filled with families and friends on Spring Break! Spring Break is our awakening. It’s our first busy weekend of the year. A sign that sleepy San Juan winter is behind us, and that summer is on the horizon. Captain Eric and I loaded our passengers abord the M/V Sea Lion and cruised out of Friday Harbor. We were excited to find out that a fellow Pacific Whale Watch...