Levi Vandebunte | M/V Sea Lion | June 28th, 2026 | 5:30pm

This tour left the dock a few minutes early, which worked out perfectly because two Killer Whales had just passed by Friday Harbor! We left the dock with the sun shining and had a short ten minutes transit down San Juan Channel. We entered Griffin Bay which resides on the East shore of San Juan Island and were met with a lovely sight, two huge black dorsal fins! These fins belonged to a pair of presumed brothers; T128 "Flotsam" and T125A...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | June 27th, 2026 | 5:30 pm 

Tonight was a magical evening in glassy waters watching killer whales, what a dream! We departed Friday Harbor and went north to follow up on a few reports near Spieden and the surrounding boundary waters, and were not disappointed in what we found! We cruised past Spieden and continued towards Flattop where we soon saw some black dorsal fins along the rocky shoreline. I was excited to find the T49A family traveling here, a group I haven’t...

Lauren Tschirhart | June 21st, 2026 | M/V Sea Lion | 5:30 pm

Our Roche Harbor departure aboard the M/V Sea Lion began with us departing the dock and heading northwest over the top of Henry Island. We cruised across the Haro Strait, eventually making our way into British Columbia. After crossing the Canadian border, we started to see several dorsal fins in the distance. These dorsal fins belonged to members of the Bigg’s Killer Whale family the T100’s. Although there are other whales in this...

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...