We pushed off from the dock today with a full boat, feeling chilly but hopeful. It wasn’t long before we got reports of humpbacks in Active Pass within the Southern Gulf Islands in Canada, so we headed north out of Friday Harbor hoping to get a look.

On our way out of San Juan Channel, we got some quick looks at some harbor seals and an adult bald eagle before we crossed into Canadian waters and heard some more good news – the pair of humpbacks we were approaching were Big Mama and...

Yesterday we were greeted by the happy news that there is yet another new calf in the endangered Southern Resident community of orcas, and the sixth born into the familial grouping known as J Pod.

NOAA scientists first observed a new calf travelling between J14 Samish and J37 Hy’Shqa on January 18th and confirmed the sighting yesterday. Right now there is no confirmation on which female is the mother, but that is not unusual as all females within a family will take an active role in...

Last night we were greeted with a happy confirmation from the Center from Whale Research, that our core staff here at San Juan Safaris had been hoping for since a staff jaunt out to San Juan Channel on December 1st.... A NEW CALF FOR J28 POLARIS!!

On December 1, with a report of whales right outside of the harbor, we quickly left the office and our post-season projects, jumped into the car, made our way down to the M/V Sea Lion, cut the lines, and were off! A group of J Pod whales...

Today October was showing it's true colors over the Salish Sea in the form of an incredibly serene mist that hung in the form of clouds over hilltops and muted all the normally seen colors. Not a breath of wind was felt on this classic Pacific Northwest morning in Friday Harbor, and Captain Mike and I were looking forward to taking our passengers out on the Sea Lion for this unique experience.

As we left the dock with a boat full of passengers ready to embrace the mystique of the...

A good day on the water is full of tough but ultimately great choices to make. Which whales to see? Southern Residents, Transients, maybe a Humpback Whale? Leaving port with Captain Mike at the helm, our weekend guests were excited for nature on the water.

Working our way North through President's Channel, we had the looming forested slopes of Turtleback to our Starboard and the slanting cliffs of Waldron to our left. It was another gorgeous day on the water, which Pacific...

Each day we leave the harbor with hopes of seeing the amazing black and white creatures we call orcas. Of course, ideally we also want harbor seals, sea lions, eagles, porpoises, and other whales sprinkled in the mix. But alas, wildlife is wild. Hopes and wishes aside, the wildlife of the San Juans will do what it pleases, which is one of the reasons we love to experience it in this setting. Now ... based on this introduction, you probably are guessing we didn't see orcas today...