Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

Jordan | M/V Kestrel | 05/29/2022 2:00pm

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Today was such a special day out in the Salish Sea.

Captain Eric and I greeted out guests and headed out of Friday Harbor towards the north. We cruised past Orcas Island and Waldron Island then across into Canadian waters.

As we saw the city of Vancouver in the distance, we spotted the Orca whales! Swimming speedily through the deep green waters, 9 Transient (Bigg’s) orca whales seemed to be headed towards Saturna...

Haleigh | M/V Sea Lion | May 29, 2022 | 12:30 pm

The island has been filling up with visitors as Memorial Day rings in the start of the summer season! Our classic whale watch was no disappointment for those coming to view some of the stand-out species found in our waters. 

Early reports had us off the dock headed straight towards the outer islands (Patos, Sucia, Matia, Clark and Barne). With gusts of winds up to 12 knots, our vessel trudged through wavy waters spraying the port...

Haleigh | M/V Kestrel | May 28, 2022 | 2:00 pm

One of our mantras for each of our tours is that every day is different, and every hour is different, meaning you can find wildlife anywhere and at any time. For today’s tour, this held up to be true given we had multiple families of Bigg’s Killer Whales traveling through San Juan Channel. 

The first was a family of four, the T123’s. The matriarch, Sidney, was followed along by her three offspring, T123A Stanley, T123C Lucky, and...

Haleigh | M/V Kestrel | May 27, 2022 | 2:00 pm

Humpback Whale season is in full swing with many of these migratory animals returning to the Salish Sea! For our Friday Morning trip, we departed the harbor heading northbound in search of a Humpback sighting. We stopped along the way at a haul out of Steller’s Sea Lions. These enormous males were some of the largest I have seen around here. With each weighing approximately 2000 lbs, we watched them brawling along the rocky shoreline...

Haleigh | M/V Sea Lion | May 24, 2022 | 2:00 pm

Today was a classically gray Pacific NorthWest day for our Classic Whale Watch and Wildlife tour. We left the harbor excited, knowing a Humpback Whale was spotted just North of Friday Harbor. As we approached the scene, guests on our vessel had their heads on a swivel in search of the cetacean on a long dive. Eventually we heard blows off the starboard side of the vessel and had our first looks at the massive hump making its way...

Haleigh | M/V Sea Lion | May 23, 2022 | 12:30 pm

Humpback Whales are the largest whales regularly seen in the Salish Sea. Their migratory path leads them to Hawaiian waters for the winter months where many females will breed with males or give birth to full-grown fetuses. After a few months in those breed grounds, they begin their migration towards feed grounds along the coastlines of Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska. 

Having whales migrate to the Salish Sea is not...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | May 23rd, 2022 | 12:30pm

The Pacific Northwest decided to pull one of her most cliché moves by raining on a day that didn’t call for it; but off we went with happy faces ready for whatever the day brought. Heading north, we stopped at Flattop Island admiring heaps of Pigeon Guillemots with their red feet bold against the green water. Nearby we found several Harbor Seals swimming along the basalt rock as well as an adult Bald Eagle stoically looking across the...

Haleigh | M/V Kestrel | May 22, 2022 | 2:00 pm

After a long winter away from the Salish Sea, I was extremely excited to depart on my first tour of the season! With no expectations, I was thrilled to be back on the water with a group of giddy guests for our Adventure tour. We departed from Friday Harbor heading South through San Juan Channel towards Cattle Pass. Along the starboard side of the vessel, we stopped to check out a haul out of Harbor Seals basking in the sun. Continuing...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 05/21/2022 | 2:00pm

    Today was pretty perfect! The sun was out, the sea was glass and guests were stoked. We swiftly left Friday Harbor and rounded up north through the San Juan Channel where we then stopped at Flattop Island. We sat there spinning for several minutes in the upwelling, admiring the island that poked itself out of the water. 

    Suddenly a blow! A Humpback whale appeared off our bow surfacing every few minutes to take a deep, fresh breath...

Laura / M/V Sea Lion / 5/20/2022 / 12:30PM

This afternoon was the first hint of summer in the Salish Sea!  We headed northbound on M/V Sea Lion and had our first bald eagle encounter of the day near the Cactus Islands.  We slowly cruised through this area soaking up the blue skies and sunshine and calm green water.  The channels were all combining in this area, creating a whirlpool effect.  Our harbor seals moved in and out of the kelp beds and hoisted their bodies on nearby rocks to...