Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

What a beautiful day we had on the water!  As Sea Lion departed from Friday Harbor we knew  it would be a beautiful day.  It was a perfect fall afternoon- the air was crisp, the sun was out, and the guests aboard M/V Sea Lion were ready to start out trip!

After boarding and getting off the dock, Captain Mike and myself headed out towards East Bank.  We had reports of Transient Orcas- or Bigg’s Killer Whales- that had been seen in that vicinity.

As we approached we quickly discovered...

What an absolutely beautiful day it was out on the water today!  We began out trip this afternoon aboard M/V Sea Lion collecting as a group onbaord and talking about some of the Wildlife we were hoping to see in the area.  Captain Pete and myself were very excited because we had a report of a Humpback up north!  As we got on the water and headed up San Juan Channel we saw a few harbor seals swimming around- just like a grey volley with two eyes swimming by.  

Once we made our way up...

Guests aboard M/V Sea Lion were treated to the most perfect afternoon!  As we departed and headed north up San Juan Channel we had reports of 3 Biggs Killer Whales (also known as Transient Orcas) around Spieden and Stuart Island. It turned out to be T65A2 and T65A4 as well as T049A2.  This group of juvenile orcas had been hanging out in the area for a few hours, playing swimming, and milling about.

As we approached we noticed that they really weren’t traveling in any one specific...

What a great day we had today!  Captain Mike and I started out the afternoon with reports of orcas off Discovery Island over by Victoria, B.C.  After boarding we headed south down San Juan Channel and passed by Cattle Point Lighthouse.  As we headed northwest up Haro Strait we approached Discovery Island.  We could see dorsal fins in the distance and were very excited as we approached. 

WIthin a few moments it was clear that we were with Biggs Killer Whales- more specifically the...

Today on this sunny trip we got to see some awesome pinnipeds!  We started our day off by getting to see celebrity Harbor Seal, Popeye,  before we even left the docks of Friday Harbor!  As we headed out we were treated to even more adorable "rock sausages" as we passed through the cactus islands.  Harbor seals are about 5 feet long and 200 pounds.  This area is at carrying capacity in terms of our Harbor Seal population- this means that our ecosystem can not support any more of these...

October 8- M/V Sea Lion- 12 PM

Today we left Friday Harbor with no reports of wildlife in our area.  So we headed out and started searching North of San Juan Island.  We saw a lot of harbor porpoise while in transient.  Thankfully we spotted a spout off in the distance.  Captain Mike headed that way and we found out it was a humpback whale cruising around.   We watched as it circled around just South of Patos Island.  This whale was most likely feeding under the water and getting...

[Sunday, 10/7/18, Noon - M/V Kestrel - Erick]

This Sunday was another classic Pacific Northwest fall day. The water was glassy calm, the rain came down in a calm almost imperceptible drizzle, and the evergreen forest canopy scraped the low hanging clouds. Capt. Brian and I headed out with a great group from all over the world on M/V Kestrel to find some amazing animals out in the Salish Sea! We headed north and very soon found a group of Orcas around Green Point off of Spieden Island...

October 7- M/V Sea Lion- 12 PM

Right before we left the dock we got a report that one of our kayak guides, Clai, had found whales in Spieden Channel.  We headed that way and came across a group of whales looking for food.  We got to see them make a quick kill.  They were traveling at about 9 knots, which is a pretty fast travel pace for our orcas.  The water was so calm, it was so nice to see the whales break the surface of the water.  We headed back towards some of the other island...

[Saturday, 10/6/18 - M/V Sea Lion - Erick]

This Saturday, Captain Mike, Rachel, and I took a full crew of passengers out on M/V Sea Lion on a beautiful fall day! We headed out on this sunny afternoon and started going south. We made our first stop at Turn Rocks just on the other side of Turn Island. Here we saw our first marine mammals, some Harbor Seals! There was a bunch of them sunning themselves on the rocks. These little rock sausages are so adorable and sleepily looked back...

What a great trip we had on board M/V Kestrel!  Captain Brian (complete with the adorable Co-Captain Aurelia AKA Capt. Brian Jr.) and myself along with a great group headed out to the West Side to see what we could find!

We stopped by some Stellar Sea Lions on Whale Rocks and then continued past Cattle Point over to the West Side.  We were lucky enough to have the privilege of hanging out with three different groups of Transient, or Biggs Killer Whales, all within a mile or so. 

It...