Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 06/02/19 | 5:30pm

As the sun sank lower in the sky, Captain Pete and I took off out of Friday Harbor to start our sunset cruise adventure. We headed north through the San Juan Channel towards Speiden Channel.

Then we heard whispers on the whale watcher’s radio that there were orcas headed past Victoria, around the southern tip of Vancouver Island and up into the Haro Strait! They were swimming towards San Juan Island, so we all got really excited at the...

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 06/02/19 | 12:00

Today Captain Erick and I took the Sea Lion out of Friday Harbor for a wonderful cruise around the islands. We, first, headed north through the San Juan Channel and passed the eastern tip of Speiden Island.

Then, we made a pitstop at Flattop Island! This beautiful national wildlife reserve hosted various birds flying overhead and a few harbor seals laying on the protected rocks. There was even one seal swimming gracefully through the water...

Olivia | June 2nd, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 11:00am

Warm, sunny day in the San Juan Islands! I accompanied co-Naturalist Alexandria and Captain Gabe as we set out on our adventure tour. We headed north through the San Juan Channel past Shaw and Orcas Islands, and straight up to the Strait of Georgia where our whale sightings were being reported for the day. On route out there, near Jones Island, we found a group of Harbor Seals lounging about it the sun. These seals are currently at...

Jordan | M/V Kestrel | 06/01/19 | 3:00 pm

As we set out of Friday Harbor on our second trip of the day, everyone was really excited and ready for an amazing adventure to come. Captain Gabe and I took the Kestrel and sped off towards the north and right to Speiden Island.

Right away we saw a gorgeous bald eagle! It was beautiful perching high in the trees close to the shoreline.

But then as we continued, we found more animals! The adorable harbor seals! One of them was hilarious as he...

Jordan | M/V Kestresl | 06/01/19 | 11:00am

Today was basically the most magical day. And no, I’m not being dramatic. It’s true. It started with our first trip leaving Friday Harbor at around 11:30am. And although it was a tad later than usual, it was definitely worth the wait!

Captain Gabe and I sped out of the harbor and headed north through the San Juan Channel up towards Speiden Island. Here we stopped to check out some floppy seals! There were a bunch of harbor seals close to the...

Olivia | May 30th, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

Not only did we have an amazing group of people on the boat today, it was gorgeous outside! With a smaller number of people, it was just Captain Gabe and me. We started off the trip heading north through the San Juan Channel past Shaw and Orcas Islands. We wound around Waldron Island through Presidents Channel where we were able to see many Harbor Porpoises. Did you know that these porpoises have a broad range frequency from around 40...

Olivia | May 29th, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

Today was one of the best encounters I have had this season. Captain Gabe, Co- Naturalist Jordan, and I decided it was best to head south through the San Juan Channel between San Juan and Lopez Islands. On route the find whales we stumbled across Harbor Seals! They are the world’s second smallest seal and so cute. They are Pinnipeds much like the Seal Lions, however, they cannot rotate their pelvis or hind flippers. Because of this...

Olivia | May 28th, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

Today started off beautifully for Captain Gabe and me. It was such a small group of people that all decided they wanted to sit at the bow together, which allowed us to chat and hang out as our own family group. We started our route traveling past Waldron Island through Presidents Channel and saw Harbor Porpoises! This was very exciting since this is a wee bit of a hot spot for them in the shallow waters where there is an influx in...

Erin | Monday, May 27, 2019 | M/V Sea Hawk | 12:00 PM

Today we had some students from the University of Minnesota come out on our boat! They were studying at the Friday Harbor Labs to learn more about Marine Biology field study, and they came out with us to see some Salish Sea wildlife. It was a lovely, sunny day out on the water. We left from Roche Harbor and headed north towards Canadian waters. On our way to some reports, we saw some harbor porpoises! They were coming up to the...

Olivia | May 27th, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

What a gorgeous day in the Salish Sea! We traveled to the farthest edge of our range, making a four- hour trip, in order to find the Bigg’s Killer Whales. On route there, we had the most amazing warm weather, I don’t think we handed out one blanket! We were lucky enough to have many kiddos on the boat, one of which was the designated spotter right at the bow- a future Marine Biologist, he told me! We had a great time spotting the Stell...