Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

Leaving the harbor aboard M/V sea lion with captain Pete and naturalist Piper, we were headed East today to check out some transient orcas! Although a bit smokey out, the visibility was good and the sun was still shining. On the bright side, the sunlight through the smoke gives the water a beautiful orange tint making whale sightings even more epic. Headed inter island towards the north side of Cone islands, we were excited to see our summer transient orca residents- the T65As whom...

Leaving the harbor aboard M/V Sea Lion Captain Gabe, naturalist Eric and myself were excited to get out on the water and see some orcas! We had been hanging around a humpback earlier that day and there were now reports of transient orcas up north. Although pretty far out, we were hopeful we’d be able to catch up to them and get a chance to see them on this afternoon trip! The orcas were far out by Point Roberts well into the Strait of Georgia, but Captain Gabe decided to go for it...

Jordan | August 11, 2018 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 trip

This afternoon trip was incredibly lovely as the bright blue skies mingled with beautiful wispy clouds. Captain Mike and I jumped on the Kestrel and booked it north through the San Juan Channel in our speedy vessel.

We went around the north side of Spieden Island and checked out a beautiful bald eagle perching perfectly in a tree! At three feet tall and seven pounds, this massive bird surveyed the land and the sea for any food as we...

Piper | 7/21/18 | M/V Kestrel | 10:00 AM

Captain Gabe, myself, and an awesome group of guests left the dock in Friday Harbor this morning headed toward a report of a humpback whale near Cypress Island. We made our way over the top of Lopez Island, right through the heart of the San Juans and in no time at all we’d arrived at our destination. The humpback surfaced in the distance, giving us an idea of where we should look, and as we finished our slow approach we were shocked to see...

Jordan | August 11, 2018 | M/V Kestrel | 10:00 trip

The early morning clouds burned away as the sun rose higher in the sky. We knew right away it was going to be a great day as we received reports of whales along the west side of San Juan Island! Captain Mike and I sped off on our Kestrel vessel and headed south through the San Juan Channel and through Cattle Pass.

We passed by Whale Rocks and took the opportunity to check out the harbor seals and Steller sea lions that were lounging...

Leaving the harbor aboard M/V Sea Lion Captain Pete, naturalist Alexandria and myself were excited to get out on the water and see what orcas were hanging around East Point! We had received a report of transient orcas up that way earlier and I️ was eager to see them after about two weeks of focusing on the resident orca pods. We decided to head up the San Juan Channel and into Boundary Pass getting the beautiful views of the Canadian Gulf Islands on one side and the Northern islands...

[Thursday, 8/9/18, 5:30PM, M/V Sea Lion]

 

On our sunset tour on Thursday we left with a smaller group to go find some wonderful wildlife later in the day. We headed out during my favorite time during the summer. A few hours before sunset when the sky is turning all golden and orange. M/V Sea Lion took us south through San Juan Channel through Cattle Pass. We took a quick stop to see some Harbor Seals on Whale Rocks. These blubbery friends are the most common marine mammals in the...

Jordan | August 8, 2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 1:30 trip

What a wonderful day out on the water! The skies were clear and blue and the water was especially gorgeous. Captain Pete, Mariana and I headed out of Friday Harbor with reports of a whale up in Canada!

So, we headed up through the San Juan Channel and boated along the east side of Stuart Island and past Turn Point, the most northwestern point in the continental U.S.! Then we traveled across Boundary Pass and into Canadian waters up...

Jordan | August 7, 2018 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 trip

Today the sun was out and shining and the water seemed especially calm as we headed out of Friday Harbor in our search to find whales! We headed south down through the San Juan Channel and through Cattle Pass past the southern point of San Juan Island.

We then spotted some Steller sealions on the Whale Rocks! These massive creatures lumbered around this tiny island barking at each other and rolling around, trying to get as much sun as...

Jordan | August 5, 2018 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 trip

Today was such a great day out on the water! The Kestrel headed out from Friday Harbor and traveled south down through the San Juan Channel. Then, Captain Mike and I traveled west towards the Canadian border and towards Vancouver Island. As we grew closer to the city of Victoria we found our whales!

In fact, we saw a fantastic pod of Bigg’s (transient) whales, the T18s, who were in the process of hunting a harbor seal! Within this family group were...