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...

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...

Piper | Sunday, May 26, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 11:00 AM & 3:00 PM

What a difference a day can make when it comes to weather in the Salish Sea! Today it was sunny as can be and I was out on the M/V Kestrel with Captain Gabe and two great groups of guests! On both tours we headed north out of Friday Harbor and up into Boundary Pass! We spied some harbor seals and harbor porpoises along the way, but once in Canadian waters we came across a humpback whale! We were able to identify this...

Olivia | May 25th, 2019 | M/V Seal Lion | 12:00pm 

The weather forecast called for rain, and the Pacific Northwest did not disappoint! With nearly a full boat, most of our passengers (Captain Pete and co- natty, Piper, included) were all dressed up in their rain slickers ready to brave the weather. The great thing about these marine mammals, is they don’t care if its sunny and 75 or pouring rain, they will be just as active. We made sure everyone was warm and cozy with many blankets...

Olivia E. | May 24th, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

Despite the gray skies, the tour did not disappoint; what an amazing day on the water! We started off by getting everyone geared up in their very trendy, yellow rain slickers and (of course) warm, cozy blankets. Starting off, everyone was having great conversation which was a fun way to interact as a group and connect for the next 3-4 hours. The boat was very excited to see the Steller Sea Lions relatively quickly, as they are...

Piper | Wednesday, May 22, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00 PM

This lovely Wednesday morning the M/V Sea Lion was crewed by Captain Gabe and I, and we carried a great group of people north into San Juan Channel to scan the waters for whales. We made our way into Boundary Pass and across the border into Canadian waters where a report of humpback whales came through! We arrived at Saturna Island and Java Islets and we spotted the blows of two humpbacks surfacing next to each other! We...

Erick | Friday, May 17, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 11:00AM

Captain Gabe and I had an early trip on this day. It started out as cloudy, but you could see some blue skies poking out up there as well. We left with a full boat and headed north to see what we could find. We made our first stop at Flattop Island to look at a bunch of Harbor Seals sunning themselves on the rocky shoreline. They were all huddled on the eastern side since it seems seals hate to be in the wind, so they avoid it at...

Sarah | 05/09/2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

Today we had an awesome day on the Salish Sea. We were graced with just incredible spring weather, so much sunshine and smooth water. With an early morning report of gray whales to our southeast, Captain Pete and I decided to point that way! As we traveled south through San Juan Channel and then out into confluence of Haro Strait and the Strait of Juan de Fuca we were treated to awesome views of our surrounding mountains, including Mt...