Whales, whales, whales...we have a marvelously diverse marine ecosystem out here, but of course, sometimes we get to encounter the biggest marine mammals of all. Humpbacks, minkes, killer whales, gray whales...each day brings new sightings and new experiences! Sea Lion was up and running, ready for her two trips on this wonderful Saturday afternoon. Pulling out of Friday Harbor with the breeze tugging at our hair and sleeves, there was a feeling of anticipation and the taste of...

Today was another super day in the San Juan Islands. We had perfect summer weather of flat calm water and baby blue skies, and for the third day in a row the Southern Residents were here! They haven’t been around that much since their main food source, Chinook Salmon has been very low this year, but we encountered them around Turn Point on Stuart Island! It was all of J pod together! The J16’s passed and the J2’s passed and we saw some of the males, Onyx and Blackberry swim past as...

Hello, It’s me... again, and yes I’m sorry but not sorry I’m going to talk about salmon and their connection to Southern Resident Orcas again. Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) eat fish and 80% of their diet is one species of fish: Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), and yes before you ask they definitely tell the difference. It’s probably not because of their refined palate, but perhaps, it’s more likely due to their incredible echolocation abilities to determine between...

We all like to eat, let's be real. Mammals need food. Sometimes lots of it, especially if you're a 15,000 pound killer whale who sometimes swims over 100 miles a day. You're burning calories nonstop, and life is a constant search for food. So, you're hungry, and you're a Southern Resident orca - what do you do next? 

Well, since you've got a refined palate, you're going to be on the hunt for some King Salmon, also called Chinook. And where would you find such a fish? If it's the...

Sometimes when we watch these super intelligent and social creatures we forget that they are predators as well. Orcas exist at the very top of the food chain, even larger sharks steer clear of them due to their ability to outthink and out maneuver even Great White Sharks. Even the majority of indigenous peoples that whaled for food respected the orcas power and intelligence and refrained from even trying to catch them. Out of the two ecotypes of Orcas that are often seen around here...

We had a beautiful, full day of whale watching on the M/V Sea Lion yesterday. With three trips planned, we had the opportunity to spend the day all around the islands in search of our marine mammal friends. On our morning trip, we made a turn down south, basking in the views of Griffin Bay, Cattle Point, Cape San Juan, and American Camp before arriving near Eagle Point. Surprise, surprise...Spirit and Solstice were in the area! This mom and adult son pair have been foraging for...

Yesterday we enjoyed yet another stunning July day on the water around San Juan Island.  Naturalist Erick, Captain Mike and I were excited to be able to share some of our famous, critically endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKWs) with our guests on the 1:30 departure from Friday Harbor. The water was glassy and as we cruised the air was just the right level of chilly over the water. It was a perfect day to watch some whales.

We were lucky enough to encounter some of L-pod...

Yesterday was amazing! The past few days the residents have come back into the Salish Sea and have been traveling up an down the islands foraging for salmon, and we hope they find plenty of them! A great place to find the Southern Residents in the islands is on the west side of San Juan Island which is part of the Haro Strait. The salmon migrate from the Pacific Ocean through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and start to head north, most of them are heading towards the largest river around...

There's definitely a fever of excitement rippling through the Salish Sea right now. J Pod is still hanging around! With sightings of these orcas few and far between this season, it's wonderful that these animals have been around for the past few days. Hopefully they've been finding plenty of salmon in the area - their wellbeing depends on it. 

M/V Sea Lion cruised away from Friday Harbor with warm, sunny skies above and sparkling green seas below. After pausing off of Turn Island to...

Yesterday, the skies cleared to reveal a wonderfully blue sky with wispy, white clouds. The last few days we have been lucky here. This year has been marked as a historically low salmon year, and for this reason we have not seen the Resident Orcas (whose main food source is salmon) very much in the Salish Sea. This past week J pod of the Residents Orcas has been in and around the islands hunting for salmon. On Sunday, we headed south to arrive on the southern side of the islands to...