09/16/17- M/V Kestrel- 10AM & 2PM

We had two trips on M/V Kestrel and both were fantastic!  One of the many benefits of the zodiac vessel is its speediness, so it will allow you to cover more ground in a shorter period of time.   

On our first trip we were the first boat to find a group of Bigg’s killer whales, which is always very exciting!  We got reports for whales around Stuart Island so we headed in that direction and actively looked as we traveled around.  We found the T123’s...

09/13/17- M/V Kestrel- 2PM

Our resident whales still seem to be sticking around!  We haven’t seen much of our resident whales this summer because of our record low salmon run, but today our guests were treated with the opportunity to see L pod. 

We headed down San Juan Channel and found the whales in Cattle pass.  When we first arrived we saw a few breaches and some other displays of social behavior.  The whales then shifted to a fast travel pattern while heading towards the...

09/04/17- M/V Kestrel- 10AM & 2PM

Today was by far one of the best days out on the water for me this season.  On our first trip we had a whale watching trifecta, which is when we see all three main species of whales that we watching this area; minke, humpback and orca.  On our second trip we got to see transients and our long missed resident whales, who were back in the area for the first time in 29 days.  Not only were the whales amazing, but we had enthusiastic and curious guests...

[09/08/2017- M/V Kestrel- Kelsey, Naturalist- 2:00PM]

Today brought some drizzle, fog, and cloud cover (which has brought the smoke down quite a bit, yay!), but by the afternoon we had some better visibility and could forge our way south to an orca whale report!

M/V Kestrel zipped down to Port Townsend, but not before stopping at a Tufted puffin in Cattle Pass! It’s very rare to be seeing these clownish birds in our range, much less on the south point of San Juan Island! It was so...

[Naturalist Erick D., M/V Kestrel, 8/28/17, 2:00PM]

            It was Captain Gabe and me again today, going out there to have a bunch of fun with folks aboard the Kestrel. We started on a longer than usual trip heading south, then west towards Victoria and Vancouver Island. We headed there and went further west, beyond Race Rocks – the furthest point south along Vancouver Island. We almost made it to Sooke when we saw the group of Transient (Bigg’s) Orcas that we were looking for...

[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...

[Lauren Fritz, M/V Kestrel, 08/16/17, 2:00 pm Tour]

This season has been a remarkable and unusual one in terms of killer whale sightings, for sure! We've been seeing whales venture into areas they've rarely been seen before. Today, we watched the T137's explore all the way up the shoreline of East Sound on Orcas Island! I've never heard of killer whales swimming through here before, although I'm sure it has occurred - it's just rare. M/V Kestrel was able to hang out with these...

[Naturalist Erick D., M/V Kestrel, 8/9/17, 2:00PM]

On our afternoon trip for the day, Gabe and I and all the lovely folks aboard started another exciting search for some cool marine wildlife. Our first stop was one of our favorites. We motored down to Whale Rocks. These two Islets emerge from the waves of Cattle Pass just southwest of Lopez Island. You can see them from the shores of both Lopez and San Juan, and when they are covered by our favorite pinnipeds you can definitely...

[Naturalist Erick D., M/V Kestrel, 8/9/17, 10:00AM]

On Wednesday, Captain Gabe and I started on the search for families (matrilines) of Transient (Bigg’s) Orcas. While in the Salish Sea this summer we have not seen the Southern Resident orcas much this summer, we have seen many of the Transient (Bigg’s) Orca matrilines. The main difference between these two distinct, non-interbreeding populations that swim through the Salish Sea is their diet. The Southern Residents eat only fish...