[Sarah C. 8/7/17 10am and 2pm Kestrel]

Humpback whales are probably most well-known for their impressive flukes, featuring complex patterns varying from all black to all white, and everything in between. Displayed on every deep dive, humpback whale flukes are used as their main identifier in the field. Each individual has a unique pattern displayed on the underside of their tail, making for a remarkably convenient built-in tracker. Thanks, nature!

Sometimes, though, these flukes...

[8/2/17- M/V Kestrel- Kelsey, Naturalist- 10:00AM & 2:00PM]

Today presented a blanket of fog in the surrounding waters of San Juan Island, and smoke from wildfires burning up north in Canada was also thrown into the mix of fog. This meant that today’s visibility was less than clear or sunny, but that actually created some stunning whale watching! The grey paired with the smooth, glassy waters made for a mirror-like effect, and it was almost an ethereal feel as we glided effortlessly...

[7/31/17 2pm Kestrel]

Today's whale watch on the M/V Kestrel took us all the way out to Anacortes, where a group of killer whales had been reported before we left the dock. We pushed off the dock and motored out of Friday Harbor with 75 degree weather and clear, sunny skies. Our route took us through small, scenic inter-island passageways, where we had the opportunity to observe a whole host of non-whale wildlife along the way.

Our first stop was at the north end of Lopez Island, where a bald...

[Naturalist Erick D., M/V Kestrel, 7/26/17, 2:00PM]

On Wednesday, Captain Gabe and I took a full boat of excited folks along on the M/V Kestrel to go look for some marine wildlife.  That day it was a bit windy down south so we headed north to go look in Boundary Pass, Haro Strait and in between the southernmost of the Southern Gulf Islands just across the border in British Columbia.

Our First stop was to look at some Bald Eagles around Sentinel Island. There was one perched...

(7/28/17- M/V Kestrel- 10AM)

Today we left Friday Harbor with no reports of whales in the area, not an uncommon occurrence out on the water.  We cruised around and looked at some wildlife at Flattop Island, including a few bald eagles and a number of harbor seals with their pups.  We then got a report of a humpback whale on the south side of Vancouver Island so we headed that way! 

We got to the area of the whale sighting and watched as the humpback did a large number of shallow...

[7/21/17- M/V Kestrel- 10AM & 2PM]

 J pod is still here!  We left Friday Harbor and headed East towards Rosario Strait, where the whales were hanging out pretty much all day.  On our way we stopped at a beautiful eagle’s nest on the northern tip of Lopez Island.  Eagle’s nests can get about 6 feet deep and ten wide wide and can weigh over 2,000 pounds. 

Once we got some good eagle looks we continued East towards Anacortes were we encounter J pod!  Most of our viewing was of the J38...

[7/21/17- M/V Kestrel- 10AM & 2PM]

We left Friday Harbor with the plans of heading South toward Puget Sound.  We got reports of transient killer whales towards that area and decided to look for some additional wildlife on our way down. 

We made one of our common wildlife stops, the whale rocks, where we found some harbor seals as well as a lone Steller’s sea lion.  Most of the Steller’s sea lions have all gone North to the beaches of Alaska for their breeding season.  However, some...

1. [Naturalist Erick D., M/V Kestrel, 7/24/17, 2:00PM]

Yesterday, Captain Mike and I took a great group of folks from Friday Harbor to search for whales and other wildlife! We first went south towards Cattle Pass and Whale Rocks. Whale Rocks are a collection of rocks south of Lopez Island. They are called such because they appear like whales rising from the waves not due to the presence of whales, but it is a super beautiful place! As the tidal flow ripped around the rocks we saw a...

Lauren Fritz, M/V Kestrel, 07/19/17, 2:00 pm Tour

Wow! We had quite the epic journey on M/V Kestrel today. Cruising across the bluest seas at our quick speeds really allowed us to make the most of the day. Humpbacks reported down south of Victoria in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 25 miles away? No problem for the Kestrel! Captain Gabe and I decided to head straight down San Juan Channel and out into the Strait, stopping near Whale Rocks to check out harbor seals, beautiful bull kelp...

Lauren Fritz, M/V Kestrel, 7/17/17, 2:00 pm Tour

M/V Kestrel had a smooth, eventful tour today. The weather was perfect, light breeze, glassy seas. We were in high spirits as we pulled off the dock in Friday Harbor, ready to search for whatever wildlife nature wanted to show us. In such a biodiverse area as the Salish Sea, almost anything is possible. We had barely picked up speed before we spotted our first bald eagle! I took it as a good sign for the rest of our trip - and wow, we were not...