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(Rachel A & Sarah M - 07/08/17 – M/V Sea Lion - 01:30 PM & 05:30 PM)
We had an absolutely beautiful day out on the M/V Sea Lion today! Our first trip was filled with sunshine and a beautiful sea breeze and our second trip had an amazing sunset, and of course the whales were amazing as well. On our first and second trip...
Lauren Fritz, 07/06/17, M/V Sea Lion, 1:30 pm and 5:30 pm Tours
What a day! Passengers on both of our tours were able to watch Transient orcas cruising through the Salish Sea. On our first trip, Captain Mike, Naturalist Sarah, and I decided to head over to a family of Tranisents that were hanging out near Salt Spring Island. What a beautiful journey it was! I hadn't been out this way yet this year, and I always love checking out the Canadian Gulf Islands. The San Juans are beautiful...
[7/5/17 ~ 2pm KL ~ Naturalist Sarah C ]
Transient killer whale sightings have been off the hook this season! And because their food source (harbor seals, porpoises, sea lions, and other whales) are so abundant and widespread here in the Salish Sea, these whales are also widespread and common. Sightings of transient orcas have taken us to almost every channel, strait, and pass in the San Juans, giving us beautiful and varying scenery along with excellent success in finding whales!
Tod...
7/3/17 - Sea Lion 1:30 & 5:30 PM Departure
Our pre-fourth of July celebration was exceptional! The T49A’s hanging out Northwest of San Juan Island. The T49A’s are made up of four whales, the matriarch and her three offspring. We were lucky enough to see the whales feeding on both our afternoon and sunset tour. The whales seemed rather relaxed throughout the day while continuing to feed, on what we would assume to be harbor seals. Harbor seals make up about 60% of the diet of...
[7/4/17 ~ 1:30SL ~ Naturalist Sarah C ]
Happy Fourth of July! A huge event in Friday Harbor, the fourth is celebrated with parades, live music, barbecues, fireworks, and, of course, orcas! To make a beautiful sunny day even more perfect, our whale watch left the dock with multiple reports of orcas in the area, leaving us with a few spots to choose from. What a treat!
With our full boat of excited passengers decked out in their best red, white, and blue apparel, the Sea Lion set forth...
07/02/17, Lauren Fritz, M/V Sea Lion, San Juan Safaris, 1:30 and 5:30 pm Tours
What a magical day of Bigg's Killer Whales! We encountered several different family pods on the east side of Orcas Island today, over in Rosario Strait. We enjoyed some breathtaking views of the T36's and a number of other Transients. My favorite part? Seeing the massive males rise up above the surface with their huge wavering dorsal fins. It's absolutely humbling.
The whales were busy hunting and traveling on our...
[07/01/2017 – M/V Sea Lion – 1:30pm & 5:30pm]
We had a magical day on the M/V Sea Lion that again taught us about the importance of not worrying if there is no report of orcas as we leave the dock. Killer whales can travel 100 miles a day at speeds over 35 miles per hour. This means that reports literally change minute by minute and you can never write off a day based on the reports leaving the dock.
Since we had no reports we left Friday Harbor on our 1:30 trip with the...
(6/29/17 - Sea Lion 1:30 PM Departure)
You couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day to be out on the water here in the San Juan’s. We left the dock with reports of Southern Resident Killer Whales on the south side of San Juan Island, near False Bay. We headed straight toward that report of whales and decided to look for other wildlife on the way back. After a nice leisurely ride we made it to the whales. Our guests were very enthusiastic about seeing the whales and getting...
Yesterday, our little heat wave finally broke so we are back in the safety of 60˚-70˚F. Captain Pete, Kelsey, and I headed out south to go find some wildlife. The Salish Sea is a mix and a crossroads of some many different things constantly changing with the seasons so every day is so different. The Salish Sea is a intersection of the Pacific Ocean, large rivers running from snowcapped mountains, and the land. The ingredients along with seasonal weather changes mix differently...
[6/25/17 - M/V Sea Lion - 1:30PM] The Residents are back! Parts of J pod and L pod were both spotted and heard (on the hydrophones) this morning. This is exciting! The San Juan Islands are best known for the salmon eating Southern Residents and it’s great to hear that they are back at least if only for a little while. Captain Gabe, Rachel, and I set out with a great crew to go find them. When they are around they usually have a few distinct paths that they like as they search for the...