Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

Laura / M/V Sea Lion / 3/25/2022 / 12:30PM

            I love the days that I walk off the boat thinking “that was just such a cool whale watch!” And today was one of those afternoons.  Our vessel headed all the way towards Port Angeles near Dungeness Spit, a long journey south.  There was a Bigg’s killer whale report in that area, and as we were keeping tabs on their travel patterns from vessels to the south of us, everyone was hoping the whales weren’t going to continue out of our...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | 3.24.2022 | 12:30 PM 

As M/V Sea Lion headed out of Friday Harbor and into San Juan Channel, we were immediately greeted by four Steller’s sea lions swimming near the coast of Friday Harbor Labs. This “stellar” encounter set the mood for the rest of the trip. If having a wildlife encounter within the first 5 minutes of leaving the dock isn’t a good sign, then I don’t know what is!

As we headed north, we stopped in Rocky Bay and got some good looks at a handful...

Kelly | M/V Sea Lion | 3/22/22 | 12:30PM 

It was a quintessential pacific northwest day as we left Friday Harbor this morning, overcast and foggy. As we puttered through Friday Harbor on our way to San Juan Channel, a guest noticed something moving in the water. A lone Steller Sea Lion was swimming right at the mouth of the Harbor! Quickly we realized that this large Pinniped was not alone, 3 other Steller’s and a stoic bald eagle sitting in the evergreens were spotted nearby.

First...

Lauren | March 21st, 2022 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30 PM

We were off to a gloomy start this Monday morning, with constant rain showers and no reports of whales within our reach. As we began boarding, our luck started to turn around, the rain started to slow, and the mood brightened up. M/V Sea Lion was full of inquisitive and excited kiddos today, and we were eager to show them The Salish Sea! Captain Eric heard there were some Bigg’s Killer Whales up near Prevost Island, but the report...

Laura /  M/V Sea Lion /  3/30/2022  / 12:30PM

“We are going to follow the naval nuclear submarine home today”, was a sentence I may never say again on a whale watch excursion, but it made everyone on the boat smile.  And seeing an escorted submarine was just icing on the cake for today’s trip.  M/V Sea Lion held 22 passengers onboard and left Friday Harbor with gusto at 12:30PM.  Captain Brian had not heard of a firm whale report yet, but we had his years of experience of finding...

Kelly | M/V Sea Lion | March 19th, 2022 | 12:30pm

Just as we were puttering out of Friday Harbor, we received one vague whale report. The land-based report stated four killer whales heading south in upright channel, just outside Friday Harbor! It seemed suspiciously convenient…almost too good to be true. Excited, we zoomed over to the mouth of upright channel and scanned the water in the hopes of spotting some black and white dolphins. We scanned and scanned, but no sign of Killer...

Olivia | March 18th, 2022 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30pm

Today’s trip was so unexpected for March here in the Salish Sea. We were lucky enough to leave the dock with some reports of Bigg’s Killer Whales in Rosario Strait! With these whales moving south and being a bit further away, we headed inner island and down through Lopez Sound in hopes of seeing something black and white.

Slowly coming on scene, we spotted their black dorsal fins and misty spouts moving northwest of us about a half...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | March 16th, 2022 | 12:30pm

If I would have known leaving the dock today what I know now, there is no way I would believe it. We headed out just like any other spring day; a cold breeze guiding us towards the flirting sun in search of any Salish Sea wildlife. On M/V Sea Lion, we often start our trips with a tutorial on how to spot wildlife with each season and tips on what to look for. I prefaced with the fact that these shoulder seasons are often the most...

Laura / M/V Sea Lion / 3/12/2022 / 12:30 PM

Today was an adventurous day out on the water!  The spring air was quite chilly, but the overcast skies made excellent viewing conditions to seek out exhalations.  M/V Sea Lion headed northbound out of Friday Harbor and spotted a bald eagle right around Pt. Caution at the harbor’s entrance.  We continued to Spieden Island and had an awesome sea lion encounter by Green Point!  Steller sea lions were diving near the kelp beds, and we saw five...

Laura / M/V Sea Lion / 3/11/2022 / 12:30PM

What a way to kick off the season!  As it was my first day out on the water this year, I was thrilled to leave the dock with a Bigg’s killer whale report near McArthur Bank!  M/V Sea Lion had 11 enthusiastic and hopeful passengers on board, and Captain Eric made sure we left the dock in a hurry to give us all as much whale time as possible. 

We headed south in San Juan Channel and rounded the south side of Lopez Island towards Whidbey Island...