Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

[Sarah C. 8/7/17 10am and 2pm Kestrel]

Humpback whales are probably most well-known for their impressive flukes, featuring complex patterns varying from all black to all white, and everything in between. Displayed on every deep dive, humpback whale flukes are used as their main identifier in the field. Each individual has a unique pattern displayed on the underside of their tail, making for a remarkably convenient built-in tracker. Thanks, nature!

Sometimes, though, these flukes...

[Sarah C. 8/6/17 5:30 Sea Lion]

Smoky skies continue to haunt the San Juans this week, giving us an eerie backdrop to our whale watches. Paired with the setting sun, the persistent smoke makes for an overwhelmingly orange-pink atmosphere that permeates the sea, sky, and wildlife. And while we hope for a prompt resolution to the forest fires in British Columbia, we can't help but observe in awe their effects on our daily sunset whale watches from Friday Harbor.

We left the dock today with hopes of...

[Lauren Fritz, M/V Kittiwake, 08/04/17, 5:30 pm Charter]

What an amazing day on the water! We had a charter this evening, and we were lucky enough to encounter an amazing humpback whale who was curious and playful - it swam right under us a few times! Check out my favorite photos from the trip. We are so lucky here in the Salish Sea to experience these encounters, there's nowhere else in the world quite like it!

Humpback whales in the Salish Sea have rebounded dramatically from a...

[8/7/17- Kelsey, Naturalist]

There is a vast expansion of seabird varieties here in the San Juan Islands that we can see on any given trip. We’ve got Common murres, Rhinoceros auklets, Pacific loons, Pelagic Cormorants, Glaucous-winged gulls… just to name a few! Some of the more rare birds are Marbled murrelets, Arctic terns, and on occasion- TUFTED PUFFINS.

There have been very few trips this season where puffins are spotted, but whenever we have had the rare chance to see one, we...

[Sarah M – 08/03/2017 – M/V Sea Lion – 01:30pm & 05:30pm]

Yesterday the M/V Sea Lion had another pair of great trips in the Salish Sea. Even though we are still experiencing smoky conditions, the wildlife sightings have been off the charts amazing and unaffected by the atmospheric conditions.

01:30pm Afternoon Classic Whale Watch

Wildlife

On our afternoon trip we left Friday Harbor and headed south towards Cattle Pass, encountering harbor porpoise and harbor seals as we cruised...

[Lauren Fritz, M/V Kittiwake, 07/03/17, 1:30 pm Charter Tour]

M/V Kittiwake had a private charter today, and Captain Gabe and I were stoked to hear that a pod of Transient killer whales were headed to the west side of San Juan Island. We had a wonderful family on board, and after briefing them on the plan for the day, we headed out of Friday Harbor and turned south to see what these whales were up to!

The weather has been a bit hazy these past few days due to some large wildfires up...

[8/2/17- M/V Kestrel- Kelsey, Naturalist- 10:00AM & 2:00PM]

Today presented a blanket of fog in the surrounding waters of San Juan Island, and smoke from wildfires burning up north in Canada was also thrown into the mix of fog. This meant that today’s visibility was less than clear or sunny, but that actually created some stunning whale watching! The grey paired with the smooth, glassy waters made for a mirror-like effect, and it was almost an ethereal feel as we glided effortlessly...

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[8/1/17 5:30 Sea Lion]

Yesterday morning a family group of transient killer whales was spotted on the east side of Cypress Island heading south towards Anacortes. Identified as the T37's, this group was tracked as they hunted and milled slowly...

[8/1/17- M/V Sea Lion- Kelsey, Naturalist- 1:30PM]

Ya know what days are the best? Days with orca whales and their babies breaching and feeding amongst calm seas with sunlight and warm weather and perfection… yes, it almost seems too good to be true. But, today was one of those days!

Coming up into Canadian waters, M/V Sea Lion and guests came up on the T37A family group of transient killer whales! A group of strong, independent sisters and mothers and a grandmother, this group of 8...

[Sarah M. – 07/31/2017 – M/V Kittiwake – 01:00pm Private Charter]

I’ve said once and I’ll say it another billion times, I love private charters on the M/V Kittiwake! I really enjoy getting to know an intimate group of guests and I love being able to design a trip based on their priorities. Sometimes we have guests who want to see the lighthouses of the San Juans or guests who really want to go find seabirds. With a private charter we have the flexibility to go out and look for...