Jordan | M/V Kestrel | 05/22/2021 10:00am

You could not have asked for a better trip than the one we had today! It started off as a classic gray Washington day as Captain Brian and I took the Kestrel out into the foggy waters.

We headed south down the San Juan Channel, past Cattle Point Lighthouse until we stopped at some Steller sealions! There was a few grouped together but one massive sealion was staring at all of us on board and showing off his massive size. It sure seemed like...

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 05/09/2021 |1:00pm

What a beautiful day!

Captain Pete and I headed out of Friday Harbor with all our new friends and headed north through the San Juan Channel. The sun was shining high in the sky, so it made everything look extra blue and gorgeous today. The water stood completely still and flat.

As we arrived at Waldron Island, we saw our first blow! The crystal-clear surface water broke as the first hump emerged. We found two humpback whales! In fact, it was...

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 05/08/2021 |1:00pm

What a fun day today!

Captain Pete and I excitedly hopped on board with our guests and boated out of the harbor and headed between Shaw and Lopez Island. Continuing on we went through Pevine Pass and out into the open waters of the Rosario Strait.

Here, we found orca whales! By looking at the unique patterns and shapes of their dorsal fins, we identified them as a transient pod of orcas (also known as Bigg’s Killer whales) named the T123s...

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 04/24/2021 |5:00pm

The clock strikes 5:00 o’clock and Captain Pete, our guests and I jump onto the boat and head out to semi-open sea. We turn right and head towards adventure.

We arrive at these rocks jutting out of the water in the middle of the channel and find that they’re covered with Steller sea lions! These males were massive creatures that threw their body weight around and practiced being as macho as possible. They clearly have been feeding well in...

Laura | M/V Kestrel | 4/24/2021 | 2:00PM

Today was a most adventurous day on M/V Kestrel!  The skies were quite cloudy with scattered showers, but the seas were glass calm.  Skies like these can increase the possibility of seeing whales, as the darker skies lift whale blows against a backdrop that really makes them pop!  Sometimes the glare from the sun can make it difficult to stare out looking for dorsal fins or exhalations so I was excited to start looking for whales today. ...

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 04/24/2021 |1:00pm

What a wonderful day!

As our wonderful guests hopped on our boat, Captain Pete and I headed out of Friday Harbor and south down the San Juan Channel. We boated until we reached the Southern point of San Juan Island where there was a gorgeous lighthouse called Cattle Point Lighthouse!

Around this area, there were huge rocks jutting out of the water that were completely covered with Sea Lions! These huge animals barked at each other, splashed...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | April 23rd, 2021 | 13:00

Kicking off the weekend, Captain Pete decided to start the trip by heading inner island through Upright Passage, eventually turning south into Lopez Sound. Just off Coleville Island, we spotted a large spout as it shot above the surface of the water. This spout belonged to a Gray Whale that was feeding in about 80 feet of water. This baleen whale feeds on about 2,400 pounds of food every day during the summer feeding months here in the...

Laura | M/V Sea Lion | 4/21/21 | 1:00PM

Even though I have lived in San Juan Island for a few years now, it still amazes me how often we are able to see orcas close to shore.  We left Friday Harbor with a report of Bigg’s killer whales near Green Point on the south side of Spieden Island!  We immediately headed north up San Juan Channel and by the time we were near the last report, this family of orcas went into Roche Harbor and into Mosquito Pass!  It’s amazing to know that there is...

Laura | M/V Sea Lion | 4/21/2021 | 1:00PM

It was a typical Tuesday in April as we headed out of Friday Harbor without a known whale report.  This is very common as most vessels head out of the marina around the same time and we all start communicating our charted plan for the day.  As soon as M/V Sea Lion headed out of Friday Harbor, there was a bald eagle resting perfectly perched near the Friday Harbor Marine Lab trails.  We took a quick look and then headed through Upright Channel...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | April 19th, 2021 | 13:00

Shortly after departing the dock, we received word of some Killer Whale reports northeast of Orcas Island. We immediately started heading that way north around the islands, passing lots of wildlife along the way such as harlequin ducks, rhinoceros auklets, pigeon guillemots, cormorants, Harbor Seals, and swimming Steller’s Sea Lions. About halfway between Barnes and Matia Islands, we started to see three spouts of Bigg’s Killer Whales...