Lauren | M/V Kestrel | September 21st, 2024 | 2:00 pm

The T049 matriline owned the inter-island zone today. Reports were coming in with members from this famous family along multiple sides of Lopez Island. T049C was headed north in San Juan Channel, T049A1 was heading south in Rosario Strait and the rest of the T049A1’s (minus T049A2/Jude) were hanging out in Thatcher Pass! Captain Eric and I were excited to get on the water for this T049 family affair, but where to begin? T049C/Nielson made that...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | 4.6.2022 | 12:30 PM

M/V Sea Lion left the dock with only a rumor to work off this afternoon. There was hearsay that someone saw killer whales heading southeast off South Beach around 8:30 am this morning. San Juan Safaris is part of the Pacific Whale Watch Association, and when there are no firm whale reports, the PWWA whale watching vessels will work together to divide and conquer. Captain Brian knew of another whale watching vessel that was headed to the...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 07/28/2021 | 2:00pm

    Kestrel zoomed out of Friday Harbor and began racing towards the mainland, wrapping up and over Lopez and down and around between Blakey and Decatur Islands. It has been a week or two since I’ve been on Kestrel and I’ve forgotten how fast this vessel can fly! Within 40 minutes we were slowed down and already approaching a group of Bigg’s Killer Whales that were making their way southbound along Whidbey Island. 

By the time we arrived...

Olivia | M/V Osprey | June 18th, 2021 | 12:30pm

It was an exploratory day circumnavigating Lopez Island! We set off inner island through Upright Passage and eventually crept between Blakely and Decatur to reach the larger body of water known as Rosario Strait. Just west of Burrows Bay, we began seeing multiple black dorsal fins piercing the water. Slowly making our way on scene, we were able to count 12 individual Bigg’s Killer Whales!

While this ecotype typically travels in small...

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 07/22/19 | 1:30pm

What an adventure!

Today, Captain Pete, Naturalist Erin and I headed out of Friday Harbor with no reports of whales!

We searched and searched the surrounding area. We boated up through the channel between Shaw and Lopez and down under Decatur Island and through the Lopez Passage. We headed across the Rosario Strait, all the while looking for any signs of wildlife.

We made it all the way to Whidbey Island and here we found a blow really...

Captain Mike seemed antsy to board our guests and depart on the day’s safari.  The skies were dark and brooding, but there wasn’t a puff of wind and the channel outside of Friday Harbor was calm.  By the time we left the dock, the wind had cranked up and white caps busted against the bow, blurring the line between sea and surface as sheets of salt spray soaked the aft deck. 

Fortunately another captain in the whale watching fleet had sighted killer whales near Lopez Island and we...

It was a double round-trip for those guests coming from Anacortes today. We loaded them on the boat in Friday Harbor and then motored through Upright Channel and Thatcher Pass to get to Rosario Strait right outside of Anacortes. There was some fog again today, but it was well inland and offered a nice soft background for viewing the orcas. And orcas there were.

J pod was all there travelling in two tight family groups down the strait. The four big boys, both calves with their...