Laura C. | 6-21-2019 | M/V Kestrel | 11:00am

Today was a gorgeous day aboard M/V Kestrel with Captain Gabe leading our voyage!  We headed south and were lucky right off the bat, finding harbor seals, Steller’s sea lions and a pair of bald eagles all sharing some small rocky islands right near San Juan Island.  We all were able to appreciate the sheer size of a hefty male sea lion as he shimmied his way towards the edge of the rocks, surrounded by basking females.  The harbor seals...

Piper | Thursday, June 20, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 11:00 AM

This morning when Captain Gabe and I arrived at the docks a ferry came into the marina here in Friday Harbor and reported seeing orcas just outside the town! While I got everyone fitted in exposure suits, he jumped on the boat and took it out to locate those orcas for us. Once he’d spotted them and we were ready to go, he brought Kestrel back and we all hopped on! We headed north into San Juan Channel to go check out this group...

Olivia | June 17, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 11:00am

This chilly day on the water turned out to be awfully spectacular.  We received word about a possible Killer Whale sighting near Waldron Island that was heading north. On route to follow this hint, we stopped near Spieden Island and saw 4 Bald Eagles and continued through John’s Pass to view heaps of Harbor Seals. Being a very low tide today, there were plenty of small, rocky islands for these tiny Pinnipeds to roost on while they laid...

Olivia | June 16, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 11:00am / 3:00pm 

What an incredible adventure Captain Gabe and I had out on the water today! For our 11:00am tour we headed north around Spieden Island where we viewed many Harbor Seals and Bald Eagles. We didn’t hang out too long, as we wanted to continue towards our whale sightings. As we traveled through Swanson Channel near Moresby Island, we caught our first glimpse of a lone male Bigg’s Killer Whale known as T77A who is often seen...

Jordan | M/V Kestrel | 06/15/19 | 10:30 and 3:00pm

Today was such a gorgeous day out on the water! The sky was completely cloudless as the sun shone bright overhead, making guests hesitant to put on our giant exposure suits. But, they quickly figured out that even with the sun, it was cold out on the water! Captain Gabe and I and our new friends jumped on the Kestrel and sped off towards adventure.

We headed north through the San Juan Channel, immediately on the lookout for any...

Piper | Thursday, June 13, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 11:00 AM

It was Captain Gabe and I on the Kestrel again today, but the crazy heat from yesterday had faded some, making the exposure suits we provide for guests extra helpful on the water. We had an awesome group of people today and we left the marina in Friday Harbor and headed north along San Juan Island. We stopped at White Rock near Waldron Island where we spotted a pair of bald eagles atop the rocks, which were also littered with h...

Piper | Wednesday, June 12, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 11:00 AM

Today was another wonderfully sunny and warm day in the San Juans and as we were getting suited up to get on the colder waters off-island, a report of Bigg’s killer whales came through the radio! So Captain Gabe and I loaded up on Kestrel with some awesome folks and headed north in San Juan Channel! Right off the bat we saw an awesome bald eagle resting on the trees outside the marina, scanning the waters for food! We stopped...

Erin | M/V Kestrel | Tuesday, June 11, 2019 | 11:00 AM

Today was a stunning day out in the Salish Sea. We left Friday Harbor and travelled north toward some orca reports. As we got closer to Spieden Island, we got some amazing looks at a bald eagle perched in the treetops. It had its white plumage, which means it was an adult. We continued along the coast of the island and saw some Mouflon sheep! They were down by the water's edge eating algae off of the rocks. There were about...

Olivia | June 10, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 11:00am

Today was incredibly gorgeous; sunny and 70! We received word of whale sightings south of San Juan Island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, so we decided to head down there, admiring Cattle Point Lighthouse as we entered the large body of water. Not far south of San Juan we slowed down when we were suddenly surrounded by Harbor Porpoises! I love stumbling along big feeding frenzies when they are primarily solitary animals. This was in a...

Jordan| M/V Kestrel | 06/09/19 | 11:00

As we got everyone suited up, excitement filled the air. Eventually everyone headed down and met with Captain Gabe by the Kestrel and we headed out of Friday Harbor. We heard reports coming from Canadian waters so we sped down the San Juan Channel and towards Cattle Pass.

Here we stopped by a huge rock jutting out of the water where we spotted some Steller sealions! These 12 foot long and 2400 pound animals lumbered around and barked at each...