[Friday, 3/2/18 - 12:00 - M/V Sea Lion - Naturalist Erick]

A Steller Start

            Here at San Juan Safaris we are having a great time since starting one-a-day tours on March 1st. This Friday, Captain Mike and I took out a small group of folks to look for wildlife on a quintessential Pacific Northwest weather day. There was no rain but all around you could see the tree tops scraping the clouds and creating the undulating mist that often surrounds the islands this time of year...

[Sunday, 2/25/2018, 12:00, M/V Sea Lion, Naturalist Erick]

The Steller Sweet Life       

This Sunday, Captain Mike and I headed out to search for some amazing wildlife on another sunny day in the Salish Sea. It was pretty blustery on the west side of the islands, but we managed to stay in the sheltered waters in the middle and northern side of our little archipelago. We headed first to Green Point on Spieden Island and spotted a little bit of splashing around one of the rocky outcroppings. It was...

[Naturalist Sarah – 02/24/2018 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00pm]

Yesterday was not what I would call an average trip in the Salish Sea… Definitely not normal mid-February, not even a normal for our peak season! The trip started out average enough, with no reports of wildlife as we left the dock. This time of year we rarely receive early reports from our spotting network, as the wildlife and boats are fewer and farther between. Captain Mike decided to steer the M/V Sea Lion east from Friday Harbor into...

[Monday 2/19/2018, M/V Sea Lion 12:00, Naturalist Erick]

It seems winter is here again and bringing with it some mildly cold weather. Luckily, though, when the mercury drops here it also brings bright sunny days. So, on this sunny Presidents’ Day Captain Mike and I took a small crew out to go find some spectacular wildlife in the Salish Sea. We headed south to go search through San Juan Channel and eventually the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Our first stop was at Whale Rocks just...

[Sunday 02/11/2018, M/V Sea Lion 12:00, Naturalist Erick]

     On Sunday, we were lucky enough to get another bright, sunny, brisk day. We started our whale and wildlife search headed north through San Juan Channel toward the outer islands. We stopped first at the Cactus Islands. Most folks don’t associate cacti with the Pacific Northwest, but the San Juan Islands are in a rainshadow area created by our coastal mountains and Vancouver Island. Our climate is a little more arid than...

[Saturday 02/10/2018, M/V Sea Lion 12:00, Naturalist Erick]

     And…we’re back! Saturday was San Juan Safaris’ first public trip of 2018! A high pressure system has moved into the San Juan Islands so this weekend has been sunny, calm, and a little brisk. Most folks come to see whales in the summer months for many reasons. The weather is nice, kids are off from school, and that is when we usually see the Southern Resident Killer Whales – the famous J, K, and L pods. Unbeknownst to...

[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 – 10/26/2017 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00pm]

Today was a great example of why we never stop scanning the water as we travel through the Salish Sea. After a whirlwind adventure north into the Canadian Gulf Islands, our persistence was rewarded by an encounter with a pair of humpback whales.

The Plan

Leaving Friday Harbor we headed north on the M/V Sea Lion. Captain Mike and I decided to head up into waters that hadn’t been covered by any whale watchers today. There had...