[Naturalist Sarah – 11/18/2017 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00]

November whale watching in the San Juan Islands is exciting. When we leave the dock we have no idea what we might find. Typically this time of year I expect to see amazing bird activity, harbor seals, Steller’s sea lions, humpback whales, Bigg’s killer whales, minke whales, and many other amazing species. Every now and again we get a sighting surprise.

Preparing for the Trip...

As I was getting the boat ready for our trip, our...

[Naturalist Erick, Friday 10/27/17, M/V Sea Lion, 12:00]

All of western Washington’s coastline has jumped headlong into fall this week. We have been basking in the warm autumn sunshine and cool fall breezes that mark some of the best days for wildlife watching in San Juan Islands.

Migration Station

On Friday, we started our adventure by traveling north. Autumn means southward migration for both birds and some whale species. The past few weeks we have been seeing Humpback Whales...

(October 28, 2017)  Autumn is the best season to experience the San Juan Islands.  The crowds of visitors have thinned dramatically, weather is often epic, and wildlife is more abundant than in the summer.  This fall has been exceptional.  Bobbing out upon the Salish Sea under crystal clear skies, my eyes have been busy drinking in the vibrant golds and rusty hues of maple, oak, willow, and cherry burrowed into the deep green canvas of Pacific Northwest firs.  Competing for my...

[Naturalist Sarah –  10/25/2017 –  M/V Sea Lion –  12:00pm]

Is this July? Is this the summer? Well, the weather didn’t seem right today, but the sighting sure did… more orcas! Usually we expect to see most of our orcas May-September, with a 90% success rate. In the spring and fall, our orca sightings are usually fifty, fifty, as most of the Chinook salmon that our Southern Resident killer whales feed on has diminished in the inland waters. This fall we have been seeing a lot of our...

[Naturalist Sarah – 10/24/2017 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00]

Today felt more like a summer day than a late October departure! With clear blue skies and a great group of guests Captain Brian and I were excited to explore the Salish Sea on the search for whales.

Leaving the harbor we elected to head north towards the Canadian Gulf Islands. Unusually for this time of year we had a report of killer whales before leaving the dock. There had been vocalizations on the hydrophone reported in the...

[Naturalist Sarah – 10/23/2017 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00pm]

Some days on the water are just surreal. From perfect weather to a beautiful sighting with awesome whales, Monday was amazing… one of those days that is perfect.

We left Friday Harbor with no reports of whales, not a problem for this time of year, and, actually, pretty normal. Usually we communicate with the other whale watch boats in the area to form a search pattern, covering as much water as possible between the boats. On...

[Naturalist Sarah – 10/15/2017 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00pm]

This time of year leaving the dock we don’t often have reports of whales or other wildlife when we leave the dock. Sunday was not one of those days! Just as we untied the boat, we received a report of killer whales on the west side of San Juan Island! We quickly transited north and around the north end of San Juan, and then down along the west side of the island.

We encountered the orcas just off of County Park. Usually during...

[Naturalist Sarah – 10/08/2017 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00pm]

Today’s whale watch was a picture perfect October day, and certainly not a typical what-to-expect day this time of year. Captain Mike, Naturalist Piper, and I left Friday Harbor under sunny blue skies with no reports of whales. We elected to head south through San Juan Channel towards Whale Rocks to see what we could find in the wide-open waters south of San Juan Island.

Sea Lions

At Whale Rocks we had the opportunity to view a...

10/4/17- M/V Sea Lion- 12PM

One common topic of conversation during our whale watching trips is Spieden Island, previously known as Safari Island. 

Spieden Island is the largest privately owned island in the San Juans.  It is roughly two miles long, so it is pretty substantial to say the least.  There are many rumors of who currently and previously have owned this island but one story in particular is best known.  Back in the 60’s three brothers, who were taxidermists, purchased the...

10/3/17- M/V Sea lion- 12PM

We left Friday Harbor and headed towards Haro Strait, towards reports of Bigg’s killer whales in the area.  We had barely made it out of the harbor when a humpback surprised us near the shoreline of San Juan Island.  We quickly turned around to follow the animal as it traveled South East.  We watched as the humpback whale did a few diving sequences, showing us its beautiful 15ft wide tail.  We decided to keep going and head towards the orca reports. 

On...