Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | June 11th, 2026 | 2:00pm

We left the dock feeling quite confident this afternoon, as it seemed like there were Bigg's Killer Whales all over the San Juan Islands! Plus, the weather was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! We began with a short transit to the top of San Juan Island to catch up with the T100s in Spieden Channel. This family is led by 47 year old matriarch "Hutchins". She was accompanied by her son "Laurel" and her youngest offspring "Estrella". Hutchins has two...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | June 8th, 2026 | 1:00pm

This tour left Friday Harbor in some rainy conditions, but braving the elements certainly paid off for this group! We saw a plethora of wildlife throughout this trip, and the excitement began just minutes after leaving the harbor. After we began traveling East, we quickly spotted a Bald Eagle perched on the top of a small rocky island. Conveniently, there was a Humpback Whale surfacing nearby which made our next transit very short. "Gretzky"...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | June 7th, 2026 | 2:00 pm

We had an epic adventure today as our search for whales took us all the way towards Whidbey Island, one of my furthest trips so far this season! We left the dock prepared for some winds and waves, but ended up in beautiful conditions throughout all of our travels. Our trek started by heading towards Lopez Island and following the coastline into Lopez Sound. All of these small island channels are great spots for possible whales and other...

Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | June 5th, 2026 | 2:00 pm 

Always trust your gut and follow your intuition, especially when it comes to predicting where whales will be in the Salish Sea (and choosing to come out on an adventure tour with San Juan Safaris). 

After departing the dock at Friday Harbor, we made our way down south through San Juan Channel and into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, when two massive splashes off our starboard caught our eyes…it was Split Fin and Strike, two humpback whales! “Split Fin”...

Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | June 2nd, 2026 | 2:00 pm 

The word around town is that the Salish Sea is one of the most productive and biologically abundant bodies of water on Earth, and today we got to experience this firsthand out on our speediest vessel, Kestrel. We cruised our way down south out of Friday Harbor through Cattle Pass and found ourselves just West of Whidbey Island. The glossy conditions made the dorsal fins, flukes, and massive exhalations in the distance of two whales stick out like...

Lauren Tschirhart | May 28th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm

The M/V Kestrel departed the dock for our 2:00 pm Adventure Tour and headed north in San Juan Channel. We had an exciting first stop in mind… A few days ago a dead Steller’s Sea Lion washed up on the south side of Spieden Island. Getting out in nature and going whale watching gives you the rare opportunity to view the circle of life, live and direct. This dead pinniped has been serving as nourishment for several birds of prey. After...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | May 29th, 2026 | 2:00pm

This trip truly put the word “adventure” in our Adventure Tour! We took the M/V Kestrel up San Juan Channel and headed West while wrapping around the top of San Juan Island. Our first stop was to view a group of Bald Eagles and Turkey Vultures feeding on a Steller’s Sea Lion carcass located on Speiden Island. This is not a common sight, and the Bald Eagles were especially active throughout this! We then crossed Haro Strait in rather windy...

Lauren Tschirhart | May 22nd, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm

Today was my first tour of the season aboard the M/V Kestrel. Our Adventure Whale Watch & Wildlife tour began by exiting Friday Harbor and heading north into San Juan Channel. We cruised into New Channel, on the northeast side of Spieden Island, and scanned for wildlife, but did not spot any critters. We continued on, crossing into Canadian waters, making our first official stop at Mandarte Island. Mandarte Island is home to the largest...

Abby | M/V Kestrel | May 24th, 2026 | 2:00pm

We left our dock today in Friday Harbor with a full boat, and reports of whales within our range. Today we headed interisland through Upright Channel, between Shaw and Lopez Island. We then cruised through Peavine Pass between Obstruction Island and Blakely Island. Once we exited that small passage, we saw some harbor seals hauled out on Spindle Rock. Not far away from Spindle Rock was a buoy with a pair of Steller's Sea Lions. It wasn't just any...

Abby | M/V Kestrel | May 17th, 2026 | 2:00pm

It was an incredible day to be on the water! Absolutely beautiful! We headed north in San Juan Channel, but did not have many reports, so we had our eyes peeled for anything. We continued traveling north until we reached White Rocks, near Waldron Island. We wanted to see if we could find some harbor seals. Sure enough, we saw many individuals hauled out just above the water line, and there was also some swimming in the water too! Not only did we see...