Kelly Klein | M/V Sea lion | June 13th, 2026 | 12:30pm

The heat is here! We left Roche harbor as the sun was blazing, all of us on board appreciating the gentle breeze as the boat motored out of the harbor. We set our sights for Canadian water and made our way to Moresby Island. We soon spotted blows in the distance! 6 orcas identified as both the T124a’s and T86A’s including:

T086A/Eider — female, born in 1988

• T086A4/Akia — female, born in 2016

• T086A5/Siku — male, born in 2024

  T124A/Kittiwake —...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | June 6th, 2026 | 5:30 pm

We went the distance this evening for my first sunset tour of the season! When we departed Roche Harbor, we did not have any specific sightings we were heading in the direction of. Based on water conditions and where boats had previously searched, we decided to head north and scan the outer San Juans and boundary waters. We hoped that some of the whales that had been north the night before were still sneaking around somewhere that way, and I...

Kelly Klein | M/V Sea Lion | June 3nd, 2026 | 2:30pm

What a lovely opportunity for an extended trip on the water! Todays 7 hour private charter proved that more time does often mean more whales. We started our trip with killer whales just a 10 minute ride from our departure location, Roche Harbor. This family was identified as the T99's consisting of:

T099/Bella — female, born around 1984

• T099B/Holly — female, born in 2007
• T099C/Barakat — male, born in 2009
• T099D/Puck — male, born in 2015

• T099E/Qwiin...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Sea Lion | June 2nd, 2026 | 12:30pm

 

This tour was immediately welcomed with some beautiful weather as we departed from Friday Harbor. We turned right and headed south, and traveled down San Juan Channel and passed by Cattle Point Lighthouse which is located at the southernmost point of San Juan Island. At about the same time, we checked out a group of Steller’s Sea Lions located on a small island called Whale Rocks. There were some absolutely massive males in this group...

Aly Liu | May 27th, 2026 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30 pm

Today, we departed Friday Harbor with a boat packed to the brim and hearts full of anticipation for the awesome afternoon ahead. We began our long journey north through San Juan Channel and President’s Channel with spectacular looks of Mt. Constitution and Turtleback Mountain on Orcas. Koma Kulshan, also known as Mount Baker, was as stunning as ever in the distance. 

As we cruised northwest towards the boundary waters between Patos Island and...

Olivia Esqueda | May 26th, 2026 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30pm

Today was genuinely such a beautiful day on the water, especially after a rainy morning! The sun came out as we headed north through San Juan Channel and made a brief stop at Spieden Island to check out some Steller’s Sea Lions. After watching these giant Pinnipeds roll around in the water, we continued on into Canadian waters following up on a report of orcas. 

Transiting past Moresby Island and ending up northwest of Sidney, near Salt...

Kelly Klein | May 20th, 2026 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30pm 

The whales decided to be Canadian today, so that's the direction we pointed on the M/V Sea Lion! We made our way south down San Juan Channel and into Cattle Pass, stopping briefly at Goose Island for looks at both harbor seals and a lone female elephant seal! Elephant seals are an extremely rare sight here in the San Juan's, I've personally only spotted them a handful of times in my 5 seasons on the water. We hastily passed the lighthouse and...

Lauren Tschirhart | May 15th, 2026 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30 pm

Our Classic Whale Watch & Wildlife Tour aboard the M/V Sea Lion started off strong as there were killer whales found just outside of the harbor. We took a left out of San Juan Channel and headed north. We cruised up the San Juan Island coastline and made our way near Reuben Tarte, where there was a group of seven Bigg’s killer whales. This group was made up of two different families, the T090s as well as the T0124A4’s. We watched as...

Olivia Ellman | May 14th, 2026 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30pm We departed Friday Harbor today with hopes of sunshine and finding whales, and at least the whales came through for us! We traveled north up San Juan Channel, stopping at Green Point to see the Stellar's Sea Lions resting on the shoreline. Continuing into New Channel, we also viewed mouflon sheep along the hillside as well. We encountered some rain and winds, but nothing could deter us in our search. As we rounded the western side of...

Olivia Esqueda | May 6th, 2026 | M/V Sea Lion | 8:00am

 

Today we were excited to have UW Students joining us on the water as a part of their marine biology course. This is something we do a few times in the spring and the fall as an interactive way for them to learn out in the field. On our way to pick them up from UW Labs, we spotted Bigg’s Killer Whales right outside of Friday Harbor! We popped over to see what direction they were heading, picked up the students and their professors, and headed...