Today we followed a similar route to yesterday’s trip. We headed north out of the San Juan Channel, past the west side of Waldron and out to Patos Island. About a half mile west of Patos we saw around 20 to 30 Harbor Porpoises milling in the rip tides. This appeared to be a great foraging area and it was very cool too see so many Harbor Porpoises together in one place. As we reached East Point we saw a similar set-up to yesterday with about 100 Harbor Seals hauled out on the left...

Today was amazing! Before the boat even left the slip, we saw a curious little harbor seal poke his head out of the water to check us out. Then, we actually left Friday Harbor and headed north towards Spieden Island where we saw mouflon sheep at the southern point. Along the island there was a group of sika deer right by the water's edge, and a couple of babies running along next to their mothers. At the end of Spieden there was a bald eagle perched at the top of the tallest tree...

The name of the game today was Harbor. Harbor Seals and Harbor Porpoises were everywhere in the Salish Sea today. We started by heading north out of Friday Harbor. Our first stop was Spieden Island, where we saw not only mouflon sheep and sika deer, but at least six bald eagles flying over the tree tops. Two of them left the island and flew straight over our boat! We also spotted harbor seals everywhere! They were hauled out on just about every rocky island. We then headed towards...

A day of adventure here in the San Juan Islands.  We departed on flat, calm water cruising north through the San Juan Channel when we heard reports of killer whales on the west side of the island near Kellet Bluff.  We found the whales 1.5 miles offshore from Lime Kiln Point (48°32.49’N, 123°10.71’W). 

The whales were members of J-Pod.  They were spread out, and cruising along the coast headed south.  A member of the L-Pod, L87 “Onyx”, was also seen among the J’s. ...

Today’s trip we began by heading west through the San Juan and Shaw Channels. As we passed between Lopez Island and San Juan Island we stopped at a rock that was covered on one half with Steller Sea Lions and the other half with Harbor Seals. There was also a lone Bald Eagle present, overlooking the rock. The passengers were thrilled!

We then looped around San Juan to the west side and were able to catch up with four individuals from J-Pod. There was one large male, a female, and two...

Today was one of those rare, perfect days to be out in the Salish Sea. First, all the conditions were in our favor; the weather was warm, sunny, and the seas were calm and almost windless. Second, the wildlife was abundant; we spotted a large group of six to seven transient killer whales identified as T18s just outside of Friday Harbor. The transients were more active than usual, tail slapping, rolling around, and spy hopping. After taking a good look at the whales we were able to...

With early news of orca spottings, today’s tour headed north towards the U.S./Canadian international border.  Once we reached Turn Point we saw a few boats in the area and began our search. Within a quick ten minutes we had spotted two members of J-pod, our southern residents, and were able to follow them, watching them mill around and rise above the water's surface.

After about twenty minutes we moved on with our search and headed back southwest. It only took a couple hundred yards...

Today we were lucky enough to see a variety of pinniped species. Just outside of Friday Harbor was an unusual sight. There was a California sea lion hauled out on a buoy! It was the first time I've seen a California sea lion since I started last year! After getting a good look, we made our way to Spieden Island where there was a large group of at least six Steller sea lions were relaxing on the rocks. Along Spieden we spotted mouflon sheep and sika deer, as well as a juvenile bald...

Another great day out on the water! Following a similar route around Spieden Island, through the Cactus Islands, and channel between Stewart and John’s Islands we saw a lot of great wildlife! Stellars were enjoying the sun, belly up in the water at Spieden point, and numerous Harbor Seals were catching the rays on any rock space available between Spieden and Mandarte. We also saw about 5 or so Bald Eagles along the tops of the tree line. Once we came around the northwestern point of...

Today was my first day back in the Salish Sea and it didn't disappoint! We started our trip heading north out of Friday Harbor. It was sunny and the seas were calm, which made for smooth sailing. We seemed to spot bald eagles everywhere, perched in trees and flying about. Along Spieden Island we came across a group of at least five huge Steller Sea Lions leisurely rolling around in the water. Further along in our journey we caught a long glimpse of harbor seals hauled out on a small...