Olivia | August 17th, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 1:30pm

If any of you have been reading my blogs, you know I have said this many times. The thing is, I’ve always meant it. It holds true to say- today was my favorite trip of the season. Yes, we all know wildlife is enchanting. You never know what you’re going to see, how active they will be, what the weather is doing, or even how your fellow passengers will respond. Today, however, hit the jackpot as Captain Erick, Co-Naturalist Laura and...

Guests aboard M/V Sea Lion along with naturalist Jordan, Captain Gabe and I were ready to get out on the water on this beautiful September day! After a smokey August, September was starting out pleasantly- sunny and warm days. After around three weeks of not seeing the southern residents in our waters, they had finally came back in. Gosh! We missed them! 

There were reports of a subgroup of L-pod around- the L12s not too far away from the harbor. The rest of the residents were...

Today was a fairytale, a pure, Salish Sea, fairytale! Although weather conditions down south were a little bit iffy, with two foot chop and white caps through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and up Haro as well, M/V Sea Lion was headed north, where nothing could stop us! We had flat, calm seas, beautifully reflecting the clear skies above. The most exciting part was the favorable reports of resident orcas on the west side of the island, moving north. As we cruised up San Juan Channel on...

Oh, I do love a good family get together. Orcas, being the incredibly social animals that they are, are often seen hanging out with their families, traveling throughout the Salish Sea and frequently foraging for salmon. But what's life without a little fun? You can't just spend your whole day searching for fish! These animals certainly need their play time, especially the families with young calves. Just like any baby mammal, calves seem to be full of endless energy, freuqently seen...

It's the magic of the San Juans - we know that every day is different out here cruising with San Juan Safaris. That's why we call it a safari - we never know what we're going to see, and it's always an adventure! M/V Kestrel cruised away from Friday Harbor with high hopes for a day full of exciting whale watching, and we were not disappointed. It was one of those days that took our breath away, each and every one of us in awe of how much diversity we are able to see out here in this...

K-pod today! We identified K-21, Cappuccino. Cappuccino was born in 1986 and is a male. He was traveling with a female known as Deadhead, K-27. K-pod has 19 individuals and is the smallest of the three pods that make up the Southern Resident Community of killer whales.

The Southern Resident Killer Whales are a significant population in the Pacific Northwest. SRKW’s have been listed as an Endangered species in both the US and Canada. These resident orcas are often in the San Juan...