9/24/2017 – M/V Sea Lion—Noon

On this sunny Sunday afternoon the M/V Sea Lion departed Friday Harbor and headed north, exploring the east coast of San Juan Island. Continuing on, we ventured through Boundary Pass and into Canadian waters, but no passports were needed for our visit today! Motoring into the Trincomali Channel we passed by a number of the Southern Gulf Islands and there’s no better a backdrop for the exciting sighting of Southern Resident Killer Whales for which we were...

[Naturalist Sarah – 09/22/2017 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00pm]

September, September, September! There is a reason that this month is a staff favorite out on the water. Today was just another day that puts a smile on your face that stays through dinner. This afternoon we had a delightful encounter with members of our Southern Resident killer whales.

Today Captain Gabe, Naturalist Courtney, and I departed Friday Harbor with a boatful of curious and excited guests! Right off the bat, as we...

[Naturalist Sarah M. – 09/20/2017 – M/V Kestrel – 02:00pm]

Today was the embodiment of a perfect September day in the San Juan Islands. The clouds were high and we had periodic sun with some of the smoothest water I’ve ever seen in Haro Strait and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Sea Lions

Captain Mike and I were lucky to have a group of 16 wonderful guests out for our Adventure Whale Watch. Mike steered the boat south out of Friday Harbor, and we headed down San Juan Channel through...

Another one of our brother’s lives was cut all too short today via the jaws of our arch nemesis:  Bigg’s killer whales.  One moment onlookers were peacefully watching Phil gleefully dining upon a fish, and the next moment a froth of white water and maelstrom of orca bodies dulled his bulging eyes for eternity.  Although hopelessly outnumber and with no chance of escape, Phil battled the intimidating band for an impressive twenty-minutes before disappearing below the surface.  He was...

[Lauren Fritz, M/V Sea Lion, 09/02/17, 1:30 pm Tour]

Island life is paradise - especially here in the San Juan Islands during a summer like this one. There have been some truly incredible transient killer whale sightings in the last few weeks, and every single day brings new surprises! Naturalist Rachel and I couldn't have been more excited to set out with Captain Mike and our guests and explore the Salish Sea today. Word on the water was that there were several different groups of...

[Lauren Fritz, M/V Sea Lion, 08/27/17, 5:30 pm Tour - Final Sunset Tour of the Season]

It's that time of year - the sun is setting earlier and earlier, which means we are saying goodbye to our sunset tours for the season. Today was our last, and Naturalist Kelsey and I were excited to soak up every minute of it. Captain Mike took us out to see a group of Bigg's Killer Whales out in the Strait of Georgia. These were the T65A's, a group of five orcas. Mom is a beautiful 31-year-old...

[Naturalist Erick D., M/V Kestrel, 8/18/17, 2:00PM]

            For our second Friday trip, Captain Mike and I took a bunch of folks out. We started by going to see some of the Harbor Seals that like to hang out on the rocks and in the water around Flattop Island. Flattop Island is one of the smaller islands in the archipelago that is managed by the Bureau of Land Management or U.S. Fish and Wildlife that is preserved for wildlife and no humans are allowed on it. We saw at least...

[Naturalist Erick D., M/V Kestrel,  8/18/17, 10:00AM]

Finally Friday! On this day Captain Mike and I headed out on an wildlife adventure with just a few folks in the morning. One of the families (matrilines) of Orcas (Killer Whales) that we had been seeing the past few weeks was spotted pretty close from land. We zipped over to Harney Channel in between Orcas and Shaw Islands. There they were tranquilly swimming along the Shaw Island shoreline. This particular family of Orcas was...

[Naturalist Erick D., M/V Sea Lion, 8/17/17, 1:30PM]

The weather here in the San Juans has definitely changed for the better. A few days ago the wind shifted and blew the smoky haze away, it rained!, and the temperature cooled down again. On this beautiful, cool, and sunny day Captain Gabe, Rachel, and I all took a full boat on a search for some fun nature!

Bald Eagles

Today we took an inter-island route since there were some whale reports on the other side of the islands. We...

[Sarah M. – 07/31/2017 – M/V Kittiwake – 01:00pm Private Charter]

I’ve said once and I’ll say it another billion times, I love private charters on the M/V Kittiwake! I really enjoy getting to know an intimate group of guests and I love being able to design a trip based on their priorities. Sometimes we have guests who want to see the lighthouses of the San Juans or guests who really want to go find seabirds. With a private charter we have the flexibility to go out and look for...