Lauren Tschirhart | September 10th, 2026 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30 pm

What’s going on with the T035A’s? There has been a lot of buzz with this family lately, as the family has expanded, but no one is quite sure who the new calf belongs to. Did T035A/ Lester have her fifth calf? Or did T035A/ Opal have her first? Regardless of who the little tyke belongs to, this baby was bringing all those aboard the M/V Sea Lion an immense amount of joy. 

Our Classic Whale Watch & Wildlife Tour departed Friday...

Kelly | M/V Sea Lion | September 12th, 2026 | 12:30pm

We curled over the top of San Juan Island on our search for whales and other wildlife. First stop of the day was at Spieden island, the largest privately owned island in the San Juan’s. On this island we found ALL three non-native animals that call it home-mouflon sheep, fallow deer and sika deer. We were even treated to a few of those lovable harbor seals (aka rock sausages) lounging along the shoreline. We next set our sights on Henry Island...

Kelly | M/V Sea Lion | September 9th, 2026 | 12:30pm

We left the harbor and pointed right into San Juan Channel, staying steading south as we cruised into Cattle Pass. This narrow pass is an exceptionally rich food zone. As the water flows through at high speeds, it stirs up nutrients from the bottom of the ocean floor. As the nutrients flow upward, they mix with the sun- producing an abundance of phytoplankton. In this hotspot near Goose Island, we watched the cormorants both flying overhead and...

Kelly | M/V Sea Lion | September 8th, 2026 | 12:30pm

We departed Friday Harbor with haste, wasting not a moment as we set our sights far north into the Canadian gulf islands. Thankfully, the weather was nearly perfect, sunny skies and calm water accompanied us our entire journey. Guest’s and crew alike enjoyed the cool breeze as we made our way up San Juan Channel and eventually across the border. 

We began to slow our speed as we approached a group of Killer whales along Salt Spring island’s...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Sea Lion | August 22nd, 2026 | 5:30pm

As Summer slowly comes to an end, the sun is beginning to set earlier and earlier. Because of this, our Sunset Tours are not able to run into our Fall season. This trip just so happened to be our final Sunset Tour of the season! I absolutely love these tours, and was excited to be working this one to hopefully go out with a bang! We were fortunate enough to leave the dock with a whale report quite close by. A family of Bigg's Killer...

Abby | M/V Sea Lion | August 18th, 2026 | 12:30 pm

Today we departed from Roche Harbor on the north side of San Juan Island. It was a beautiful day to be on the water. We had a full boat, and a report just outside of the harbor. Other Pacific Whale Watch Association boats had already identified this group as the T049A's, a family of 6 Bigg's or Transient Killer Whales. 

• T049A/Nan — female, born in 1986
  • T049A3/Nat — male, born in 2011
  • T049A4/Neptune — male, born in 2014
  • T049A5/Nebula — female, born in...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | August 16th, 2026 | 5:30 pm

Sunsets are picturesque no matter what out here, but it’s especially special to see whales during this time! Our sunset tour departed Friday Harbor and traveled north up San Juan Channel. We had some exciting reports of Bigg’s Killer Whales in the Haro, so we wanted to get out to maximize our daylight time. Once we got through Spieden Channel we turned a bit south to follow along Henry Island. In the distance we began to see dorsal fins...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Sea Lion | August 15th, 2026 | 5:30pm

We left the dock feeling quite confident on this evening, as a legendary family of Bigg's Killer Whales were quite close to San Juan Island. They were coming down Eastsound near Orcas Island, and pointed towards us facing West. We had a short 20 minute ride to the whales from the dock, then were met with the beautiful sight of three black dorsal fins cutting through the water. It was the T19s, which is an adored family in this population...

Aly Liu | M/V Sea Lion | Sunday, August 9, 2026 | 5:30 pm 

Cruising through the San Juans during golden hour during the summer isn’t exactly a terrible experience. Especially when there are killer whales. The opportunity to spend time with these animals in the evening is a special experience, as the Salish Sea is quieting down and the evergreen trees blanketing the islands are a glimmering golden orange. 

We usually say that our first looks are never our best looks as approaching a wildlife scene...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Sea Lion | August 8th, 2026 | 5:30pm 

This tour left from Friday Harbor and decided to head East through the inner islands. We quickly were surrounded by many bird species including Rhinoceros Auklets, Common Murres, and Cormorants. We turned South and began moving down Lopez Sound towards a whale report. We exited the bottom of Lopez Sound and cruised to the bottom of Rosario Strait. The whales were just beginning to wrap around the bottom of Lopez Island and move North up...