(06/11/2017 - Kestrel 2pm Departure)

One of the best things about wildlife watching is that you never know what is going to happen.  Every day is different and the day before doesn’t necessarily give you any indication of what the next day will be like.  Yesterday there were orcas just outside of Friday Harbor, today we had to travel about 35 miles one way in order to catch a glimpse of these magnificent animals.  It was an absolutely beautiful day, the sun was shining and the water...

(06/10/2017 - Kestrel 2pm Departure)

Yesterday I said that our trip was a once in a lifetime experience and one for the books.  Well today’s trip was a repeat!  We had an amazing day out on the water full of some of the best wildlife viewing in my time out on the water.  We were lucky enough to have a day where there were transient orcas right outside of Friday Harbor.  We left our dock and watched the T2C’S looking for food for about 30 minutes.  The T2C’s are a pod of 5 whales...

(06/09/2017 - Kestrel 2pm Departure)

Today was one of those once in a lifetime experiences out on the water. We headed North West towards Swanson Channel where there were reports of a large group of transient orcas.  On our way to look for the orcas we stopped to see some of their favorite food, harbor seals!  We looked at those adorable rock sausages for a bit and then ventured on.  We got into the area where the orcas were located and saw them moving rather erratically.  They were...

[06/07/2017 – M/V Kestrel – 2:00pm]

Today’s M/V Kestrel trip was arguably one of my favorites of the season so far. We had an amazing time with two species of cetaceans and the plentiful other wildlife of the Salish Sea. Leaving Friday Harbor we took a right, heading south, through San Juan Channel towards Cattle Pass to check out some seals and sea lions before continuing on into Haro Strait. The water was glassy and we had multiple reports of whales in the area.

[May 31, 2017 -- M/V Kestrel -- 2:00pm Charter]

One of my favorite things about M/V Kestrel is that with its speed our trip gains flexibility in wildlife viewing. Yesterday we left the dock with favorable reports of killer whales, but, because of the boat we were on, we got to see so much more.

We first cruised north through San Juan Channel towards Flattop Island. In circumnavigating the small wildlife refuge we got awesome looks at Pacific Harbor Seals hauled out on the rocks...

Something magical happens when two very different worlds collide and are able to coexist with each other in harmony, even if just for an hour. The human world aboard M/V Kestrel had a chance to link up with the mesmerizing orca world of the Transient killer whales today off of Green Point on Saturna Island. I've always loved orcas, and have always appreciated their cunning, intelligence, and constant ability to keep us whale-watching humans guessing. But before today, I'd never seen...

Today was a great day on the M/V Kestrel, full of fun learning experiences for both the guests and myself.  We had reports of humpback whales just off of East Point in the Strait of Georgia.  We sped up that way in a quick effort to get to the sighting.  We quickly reached the whales and watched as a humpback mom and juvenile pair surfaced slowly in, what appeared to be, no directional pattern.  We continued to watch as the pair went through dive sequences and showed off their tail...

Yesterday the Kestrel left the dock heading West towards the city of Sydney, which is located on Vancouver Island.  That’s right, we were headed for Canada!  A lot of guests ask about whether or not we are able to travel into Canadian waters for whale watching and the answer is yes!  As long as we do not dock our boat we are welcome to motor into the Canadian Gulf Islands.  Captain Brian had reports of transient orcas traveling North next to the city of Sydney.  We watched as 4 orcas...