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(Rachel A & Sarah M - 07/08/17 – M/V Sea Lion - 01:30 PM & 05:30 PM)
We had an absolutely beautiful day out on the M/V Sea Lion today! Our first trip was filled with sunshine and a beautiful sea breeze and our second trip had an amazing sunset, and of course the whales were amazing as well. On our first and second trip...
7/7/17 - Kestrel 2:00 PM Departure
Today we left Friday Harbor at 2pm and couldn’t ask for better reports to start our trip with. We headed just a bit North inside San Juan channel and came across ‘Divot’, a humpback whale commonly seen in this area. We watched as he surfaced regularly and displayed consistent dive times. He also had exceptionally good fluke out dives, with the underside of the tail fully visible.
We then made our way to the North side of Shaw Island and hung out...
Lauren Fritz, 07/06/17, M/V Sea Lion, 1:30 pm and 5:30 pm Tours
What a day! Passengers on both of our tours were able to watch Transient orcas cruising through the Salish Sea. On our first trip, Captain Mike, Naturalist Sarah, and I decided to head over to a family of Tranisents that were hanging out near Salt Spring Island. What a beautiful journey it was! I hadn't been out this way yet this year, and I always love checking out the Canadian Gulf Islands. The San Juans are beautiful...
[7/6/17- M/V Kittiwake- 11:00AM Charter]
If you’re reading this and have already been out to the San Juan Islands, then I might be stating the obvious, but this area is STUNNING. And, today was no exception! Sunny and 75, we chugged out of Friday Harbor from San Juan Island to see what we could see.
The trip was off to a great start as we approached Speiden Island and saw some bald eagles. There was a single individual who was perched on a treetop, but behind it in the sky were about...
[7/5/17 ~ 2pm KL ~ Naturalist Sarah C ]
Transient killer whale sightings have been off the hook this season! And because their food source (harbor seals, porpoises, sea lions, and other whales) are so abundant and widespread here in the Salish Sea, these whales are also widespread and common. Sightings of transient orcas have taken us to almost every channel, strait, and pass in the San Juans, giving us beautiful and varying scenery along with excellent success in finding whales!
Tod...
7/3/17 - Sea Lion 1:30 & 5:30 PM Departure
Our pre-fourth of July celebration was exceptional! The T49A’s hanging out Northwest of San Juan Island. The T49A’s are made up of four whales, the matriarch and her three offspring. We were lucky enough to see the whales feeding on both our afternoon and sunset tour. The whales seemed rather relaxed throughout the day while continuing to feed, on what we would assume to be harbor seals. Harbor seals make up about 60% of the diet of...
[7/4/17 ~ 1:30SL ~ Naturalist Sarah C ]
Happy Fourth of July! A huge event in Friday Harbor, the fourth is celebrated with parades, live music, barbecues, fireworks, and, of course, orcas! To make a beautiful sunny day even more perfect, our whale watch left the dock with multiple reports of orcas in the area, leaving us with a few spots to choose from. What a treat!
With our full boat of excited passengers decked out in their best red, white, and blue apparel, the Sea Lion set forth...
[7/4/17- M/V Kestrel- 2:00PM]
Happy Fourth of July, folks! The day started with a huge parade going down the main street of Friday Harbor, and then afterwards, a whale watch!
It was a scorcher today as M/V Kestrel darted out of the busy harbor in search of killer whales. Just to the north end of Lopez island, a short boat trek from San Juan Island, we immediately stopped for two bald eagles and their nest with a chick present. It was such an appropriate and patriotic way to start our...
[7/3/17 - M/V Kestrel - 2:00PM] On July 3rd Captain Mike and I headed out with a full boat of great passengers aboard the M/V Kestrel to go look for some exciting wildlife! We headed south through San Juan Channel and first stopped at Shark Reef along the shore of Lopez Island to look at some hauled out Harbor Seals. Going in between Shark Reef and Lopez Island is going through a pretty skinny but ultimately pretty deep channel but it’s a cool experience seeing people hiking on...
07/02/17, Lauren Fritz, M/V Sea Lion, San Juan Safaris, 1:30 and 5:30 pm Tours
What a magical day of Bigg's Killer Whales! We encountered several different family pods on the east side of Orcas Island today, over in Rosario Strait. We enjoyed some breathtaking views of the T36's and a number of other Transients. My favorite part? Seeing the massive males rise up above the surface with their huge wavering dorsal fins. It's absolutely humbling.
The whales were busy hunting and traveling on our...