Olivia Esqueda | Monday, June 2nd | M/V Osprey | 2:00pm 

Wow. This was a truly incredible day out on the water, and definitely one of my favorites all season! We started the trip by heading south through San Juan Channel, passing Goose Island with all the birds and Harbor Seals hanging out on its shores. We didn’t spend too much time before passing Cattle Point Lighthouse and beginning our transit to south Hein Bank. We were receiving reports of not one, but two Humpback Whales feeding and...

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...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | October 13, 2024 | 12:30 pm

October weather can be tricky out here in the Salish Sea. Luckily for our Classic Whale Watch & Wildlife Tour last Sunday, we were granted calm seas and sunny skies. Although the elements can sometimes prove tricky, Fall is a spectacular time to come whale watching in the San Juan Islands. Not only do we still regularly see killer whales, but we start to get a massive influx of migrating humpbacks as well. By October, most of the humpback whales...

Maxx K. | M/v Osprey | August 28th, 2024 | 12:20pm 

Bigg’s Killer whales have a typical range from SE Alaska, straight down the coasts of Washington and Oregon to Northern California. However, they don’t seem to follow a typical “migration” in the ways our Humpback visitors do. Different families seem to pass through at different times of year. Were still learning about how they move and with all the incredible data collection that happens in this region, we may begin to further understand...

Haleigh | M/V Sea Lion | October 7, 2022 | 12:30 pm 

As we set off for our Classic Whale Watching tour today, we ventured south in search of wildlife. We made our way through San Juan Channel through feeding Harbor Porpoises and flocks of birds. After we travelled through Cattle Pass, we heard the roars of Steller’s Sea Lions hauled out on Whale Rocks. Some of the large sea lions were thrashing in the water while others were posed atop the rocks with heads regally pointed high...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 008/15/2022 | 12:30pm
Today was a stunner! My goodness was it beautiful out- the sun was out and proud, Baker, Reiner and the Olympics stood boldly over the Juan de Fuca and seas were as calm as could be (we LOVE that). Kestrel carefully meandered out of Friday Harbor and zipped south through the San Juan Channel. It didn’t take too long for us to make our first stop at a haul out of Harbor Seals.
We most often see these pinnipeds hauled out on rocky...

Haleigh | M/V Osprey | July 2, 2022 | 5:30 pm

Today was a beautiful day out in the Salish Sea. We felt the winds as we passed through the chunky waters of Cattle Pass. We crossed the Strait of Juan de Fuca heading towards a report of a Humpback Whale that had spent its day feeding south of Lopez Island. We all felt the rolls of the boat, giving us the impression that we were out in open waters! It’s incredible to feel the power of the wind mixed with a high flood. As we slowly...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | April 28th, 2022 | 12:30pm

Leaving the dock today, we were elated with the weeklong streak of sunny weather. Cool winds and warm skies guided us inner island towards Rosario Strait, passing heaps of bait balls and feeding Rhinoceros Auklets. Kissing the southern end of Lummi Island, we spotted black dorsal fins seemingly hugging the shoreline.

In my opinion, Lummi Island is one of the most breathtaking islands within the San Juan’s. The lush green, cliffy...

Haleigh | M/V Sea Lion | October 11, 2021 | 12:00 pm

Humpback whales have been sighted almost every day somewhere in the Salish Sea this fall. As we made our way south today, we were scanning for the large blows out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Continuing in a southwest direction, we were hoping to follow up on some reported Humpbacks. Sure enough, we made it far enough to see the blows in the distance, just southeast of Victoria, BC. Multiple blows caught our passengers' eyes...

Haleigh | M/V Kestrel | October 3, 2021 | 2:00 pm

Through the summer in the Salish Sea, we have the opportunity to spend time with Humpback Whales. Humpback Whales migrate to colder, nutrient-rich waters to take advantage of the abundance of food -- Sand Lances, Herring, and Krill. It’s important for these animals to stock up during these summer months before they begin their migration towards Hawaii. As we are entering our fall season, more Humpbacks are making their way through...