August 31, 2018

Windy and Wavy Orca Sighting| 8/31/18| 2:00PM

Guests aboard Kestrel along with Cpt. Mike and I were excited to get on the water with a report of transient orcas already moving East from us. About an hour travel time for us to get on scene with these whales, Mike and I were eager to get everyone on the boat and ready to pick up speed. As of...Read more

August 29, 2018

Transient Orcas Near Canada

August 19- M/V Kestrel- 10:00 am We left Friday Harbor and headed South West towards Canada where there was a report of some transient orcas. On our way down to Victoria we got to see some harbor seals and some Steller’s sea lions. Steller’s sea lions spend the majority of the summer on the coast...Read more

August 22, 2017

We Love Humpback Whale Appearances in the San Juans!

[08/22/17- M/V Sea Lion- Kelsey, Naturalist- 1:30PM] Up until about 2002, there hadn’t been any humpback whales seen in the Salish Sea for over 60 years, because they were hunted until they were close to extinction. Since being put on the endangered species list, they have made quite the comeback,...Read more

April 26, 2017

Transient Orcas south of San Juan Island

We left Friday Harbor with reports of transient orcas headed to the South side of San Juan Island. On our way to the area where the killer whales were seen we saw a variety of wildlife that resides here in the Salish Sea. We saw quite a few bald eagles both perched and in flight. We also saw a pod...Read more
Orca's

June 23, 2016

A Big Day for the Bigg's!

Did you know that our transient killer whales are also known as Bigg's killer whales? Dr. Michael Bigg was instrumental in pioneering killer whale identification research throughout the 1970's and 1980's, revealing the very distinct populations of orcas and also bringing to light the realization...Read more

October 26, 2015

October Wildlife Bonanza!-October 24th, 2015

Today Captain Brian and I left the dock under perfectly Pacific Northwest cloudy skies with a boat full of passengers who, as usual, were excited to see the wildlife of the Salish Sea. Captain Brian and I were particularly excited as well because we had heard reports of something that has been...Read more

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