Lauren Tschirhart | August 4th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm

From a sea otter at Turn Rock, to mating harbor porpoise in Salmon Bank, to a Great Blue Heron at Shark Reef… Today’s Adventure Tour was filled with incredible wildlife sightings! Our trip began by heading south in San Juan Channel and cruising over to the kelp beds of Turn Rock. There we spotted an adorable sea otter grooming itself while rolling around in the kelp forest. We didn’t stay with this otter long, as Captain Vaun and I...

Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | Sunday, August 2, 2026 | 2:00 pm 

Every day, every trip, and even every hour is different out there on the water, as our Captain Gabe loves to say. This morning M/V Ketrel went south down San Juan Channel, but this afternoon, we cruised the opposite direction after reports of two entirely different families of Bigg’s killer whales. Just north of President’s Channel, the massive dorsal fins of T037A2/Inky (male, born in 2009) and his mother T037A/Volker (female, born in...

Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | Sunday, August 2, 2026 | 10:00 am

Today we got a closer look at what we mean when we say that the Salish Sea is one of the most biologically productive bodies of water in the world. At Goose Rock south of Friday Harbor, double-crested and pelagic cormorants welcomed us to Cattle Pass. Moments later, we said hello to the Steller sea lions at Whale Rocks. From there, we followed reports south into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, where we joined a spread out family of four Bigg’s...

Kelly | M/V Kestrel | August 3rd, 2026 | 2pm

We made our way down San Juan Channel and into Cattle Pass, stopping for a quick look at Steller sea lions as we entered the Strait of Juan De Fuca. As we crossed the channel, we enjoyed views of various sea birds in the flat calm water. We began to slow the boat as we approached Hein Bank, a known hotspot for bait fish. We scanned here for wildlife that might be opportunistically feeding. In the distance, a long grey body appeared, followed by a...

Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | Friday, July 31, 2026 | 2:00 pm 

Today was certainly among my top 3 favorite tours of the season so far. Let me tell you why.

The first stop of the day at Goose Rock in Cattle Pass did not disappoint; the rock was blanketed in pelagic and double-crested cormorants towards the top, and rock sausages (Harbor seals) on the bottom, all with Cattle Point Lighthouse in the backdrop.

Then, M/V Kestrel headed southeast towards Smith Island to reports of four Bigg’s killer whales...

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

We had some out-of-town visitors in the Salish Sea today! Members of the CA027 matriline (aka the T135’s) were found traveling with a group of Coastal Transients. All in all, we witnessed 11 killer whales, from four different matrilines, enjoying the waters of Fidalgo Bay. Seeing California Transients in the San Juan Islands is a pretty rare occurrence. There is only one species of killer whale, but they are divided into different...

Kelly | M/V Kestrel | July 30th, 2026 | 2pm

Absolutely perfect summer day here in the San Juan’s as we departed Friday harbor and pointed east across San Jaun Channel. Tracing the ferry route up Presidents Channel and deep interisland, eventually spilling into the Rosario Strait. We began to slow the boat as we approached Sinclair Island, noticing many dorsal fins in the distance! This was a group of 8 Killer whales identified as the T36’s and the T37a’s made up of: 

• T036/Flapjack — female, born...

Lauren Tschirhart | July 24th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm

Our 2:00 pm Adventure Tour began by cruising south towards Turn Rock to see if we could spot our otter friend. There has been a sea otter hanging out in one of the kelp forests just outside of Friday Harbor for most of the summer. This otter was indeed all cozied up, wrapped in the kelp bed at Turn Rock. We got great looks at this cute critter, and also noticed a bald eagle perched on the top of a green navigational marker. Next we...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | July 27th, 2026 | 2:00 pm

Humpbacks, Killer Whales, Seals, Sea Lions, Porpoise, and a Sea Otter in one afternoon… Wow! It’s always amazing when we get to see any of the marine mammal species in our ecosystem, but extra special when we see most of them in one trip! We knew of a few whale reports before leaving the harbor, so we began heading towards the one furthest away from us with the plan to work backwards from there. Kestrel’s speed gives us so many opportunities...

Lauren Tschirhart | July 24th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 10:00 am 

Bigg’s Killer Whale matriline the T100’s is a family that frequents the inter-islands of the Salish Sea. For whatever reason, they have been spending an insane amount of time in Boundary Pass this summer. There is clearly something appealing about the waters around Waldron Island. Boundary Pass is the large body of water just south of Saturna Island. There are several different channels and passageways that intersect at Boundary...