Kelly | M/V Osprey | Saturday, May 17th 2025 | 12:30pm

Peak season is officially here! Whales are showing up all over the Salish Sea. We took a quick left out of Friday Harbor and motored up San Juan Channel to investigate a report of killer whales in Canadian water. On our route to Canada we slipped over the top of San Juan Island and into the Haro Straight. This bigger body of water gave us a few quick looks at some harbor porpoise, swiftly surfacing off our starboard side. 

Not long after...

Lauren | M/V Kestrel | Sunday, May 17th | 2:00 PM

Today’s Adventure Whale Watch & Wildlife Tour was about as poetic as they come. The fan-favorite Bigg’s Killer Whale family the T123’s were found swimming near the islands that two of them were named after! The matriarch of the family T123 is named “Sidney” after Sidney  Island. Sidney Island is a Canadian island located in northwest Haro Strait. T123’s youngest daughter T123D/Darcy, is named after D’Arcy Island (a small island right below Sidney)...

Lauren | M/V Kestrel | Friday, May 9th | 2:00 PM

Today we had a special encounter with Humpback Whale BCX1057, also known as Divot. Divot is a 22-year-old female North Pacific Humpback from the Maui breeding population. Divot is the first (presumed) calf of the legendary BCY0324 “Big Mama.” Big Mama has been observed in the Salish Sea for the past 20 years. Big Mama was one of the first humpbacks that reclaimed this region as viable for migration and feeding post whaling era. Commercial Whaling...

Kelly | M/V Osprey | Monday, May 5th 2025 | 2pm

The harbor was heating up in the mid-day sun as we waited to depart on the M/V Osprey. I Certainty appreciated the the cool breeze as we picked up speed and headed north up San Juan Channel. Without wasting any time we b-lined it to a reported location of 11 Bigg's killer whales. We met up with these whales in Boundary Pass, just south of the Canadian border. This group was made up of multiple families including:

T65B's

• T65B Chunk 1993 F
• T65B1 Birdsall...

Kelly | M/V Sea Lion | April 1st, 2025 | 12:30pm

We left Friday harbor with nothing but a loose shore-based report of killer whales far up north which was now unfortunately now 2 hours old…Yikes! I stayed hopeful that something would be discovered either by us or the other whales watching vessel’s searching during our 3-4 hour tour. Something was found indeed! 5 Bigg’s killer whales were reported in Sansum Narrows, the passage between mainland Vancouver Island and Saltspring Island. This location...

Kelly | M/V Sea Lion | March 30th, 2025 | 12:30pm

Everyone on board the M/V Sea Lion on this lovely Sunday afternoon had a hopeful and excited attitude as we left the harbor. I received so many thoughtful questions about the environment and all the impressive species that occupy it. 

After taking a left out of Friday Harbor and heading up and out of San Juan Channel, our first stop was White Rock. White Rock is a hot spot for what we lovingly call our “Rock Sausages” aka harbor seals. We were...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | April 2nd, 2025 | 12:30 pm 

Friday Harbor was booming with life this Wednesday afternoon. The town was filled with families and friends on Spring Break! Spring Break is our awakening. It’s our first busy weekend of the year. A sign that sleepy San Juan winter is behind us, and that summer is on the horizon. Captain Eric and I loaded our passengers abord the M/V Sea Lion and cruised out of Friday Harbor. We were excited to find out that a fellow Pacific Whale Watch...

Kelly | M/V Sea Lion | March 10th, 2025 | 12:30pm
 

Excitement was in the air as we left the harbor on our first tour of the 2025 season! The sky was an overcast grey but at least the forecasted rain was holding off. No whale reports just yet…so we were fully in scanning mode. Our first wildlife encounter was almost instantaneous. A bald eagle soaring overhead suddenly took a nosedive entrapping an unlucky fish in its talons. Gulls swarmed around the commotion as the massive raptor flew off and...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | September 29th, 2024 | 2:00 pm

Today was the perfect afternoon as Captain Vaun and I headed out on our last trip of the season together. We left Friday Harbor and began traveling north up San Juan Channel to follow up on some reports of whales near Sidney, BC. As we passed Spieden Island, we stopped to look at a few harbor seals hanging out on some small islands before continuing to the Haro Strait. Once we were nearing the Canadian Border, we suddenly saw the dorsal...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | September 23rd, 2024 | 12:30 pm

Happy Monday from the M/V Sea Lion! We began our afternoon by heading south, excited to explore San Juan Channel and search for wildlife. Our first stop was at Goose Island near Cattle Point on the southeast side of San Juan Island. We got great looks at one of my favorite marine mammals, the harbor seal, as well as lots of cormorants and other sea birds along the rocks. It’s always a great sign to see this kind of activity in our...