Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

[M/V Sea Lion- 7/31/18 5:30 Sunset Trip Naturalist Alexandria]

What a beautiful day we had on the water today!

Our guests eagerly boarded M/V Sea Lion for Wildlife and Whale Watching trip!  Naturalist Mariana and myself, along with Captain Mike were very excited about what the day might hold!

As we got on the water Captain Mike received report of orcas in Haro Strait.  We excitedly headed in that direction as we kept our eyes peeled for more wildlife in our area!

As we got into Haro...

[M/V Kestrel 7/30] 10AM

What a beautiful day we had on the water today!

Our guests eagerly boarded M/V Kestrel for Wildlife and Whale Watching trip!  Captain Mike ad I were very excited about what the day might hold!

As we got on the water Captain Mike received report of orcas within our reach.  We excitedly headed in that direction as we kept our eyes peeled for more wildlife in our area!

After heading north for a bit we were amazed to see orcas all around us!  Views on M/V Kestrel...

Jordan | July 27, 2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 10:00 & 2:00 trips

Today was another long and but successful day out on the water with our whales!

On our first trip, there were multiple reports of whales around the San Juan Island. Captain Gabe and I set out of Friday Harbor to find some wildlife! We headed south through the San Juan Channel, through Cattle Pass. We found the Southern Resident whales off the southeast side of San Juan Island. Here we found the J17s and J19s who were perusing...

Jordan | July 26, 2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 5:30 trip

As the sun started setting in the sky, it cast shadows everywhere making everything look even more beautiful. Captain Pete, Naturalist Rachel and I set off on our vessel towards reports of whales on the other side of the island! So, we set off.

Out of Friday Harbor, we headed south down the San Juan channel, through Cattle Pass and Cattle Point lighthouse. We rounded the corner and headed straight up the west side of San Juan through...

Jordan | July 26, 2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 1:30 trip

The sun was out and shining as Captain Pete, Mariana and I headed out on our Sea Lion vessel towards the promise of a great whale day. We headed south through the San Juan Channel and passed through Cattle Pass. Here we stopped briefly to watch some harbor seals playing in the waves and bounding between huge stalks of kelp. A few were flopping about on the rocky Whale Rocks while others idly watched. They were super cute.

Then we...

Leaving the harbor with a full boat Captain Gabe and I were looking forward to see what Southern Residents were out on the water today. With a full boat and excited guests to get out on the water we took off South to see what we could find. There had been reports of Resident orca pods coming up the Southern tip of Lopez Island and very spread out. We headed down the San Juan Channel in hopes of encountering these animals somewhere on the south end.

As we crossed Cattle Pass, we...

Jordan | July 24, 2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 5:30 trip

What a fantastic day out on the water! As the sun went down, the hot day cooled off a bit and made our ride incredibly pleasant as the sun cast picturesque shadows across the landscape. Captain Pete and I heard reports of whales down on the southwest side of San Juan Island.

So, we headed south through the San Juan Channel, past Cattle Point lighthouse and headed into the Salmon Bank where we found a small group of Southern Resident...

Aboard Kestrel, Captain Gabe, myself and a full boat of excited guests, headed out for our second trip of the day! We had reports of Transients orcas down south and were curious to see what group of whales were present. We had been with a group of Southern Resident Orca earlier that morning and now were hoping to encounter some other killer whales! It’s crazy to think that in just one day, we can see two different ecotypes of killer whales in the inland waters!!

We headed down the...

M/V Sea Lion was all boarded and ready to go along with Captain Pete, naturalist Jordan and myself. The sunset trip was sounding like a good one already with a report of southern resident orca within our range. The only problem was, we didn’t know whether to head south or north to get around to the West side of the island from Friday Harbor. We were hesitant that if we went one way versus the other, they would keep moving the opposite way and away making it harder for us to catch up...

Jordan | July 22, 2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 5:30 trip

Today was one of the warmest days of the summer which made the trip all the more enjoyable as the cool sea air made our boat perfectly pleasant. Captain Gabe and I heard reports of whales toward the north end of San Juan Island heading south through the Haro Strait.

So, we set out south down the San Juan Channel and through Cattle Pass, past Cattle Point lighthouse and up the west side of San Juan Island. But, before we reached the...