Jordan | M/V Kestrel | 07/05/2021 2:00pm

Perfect day out today!

Captain Pete and I jumped on the boat and headed north through the San Juan Channel. Heading up near Canada, we stopped by Flattop Island and checked out a whole group of Harbor Seals lounging in the water. Their beady little eyes stared up at us from the surface as they sleepily enjoyed the warm day.

Then, we saw 4 bald eagles! They all perched high in the treetops as they surveyed their surroundings in search for their...

Olivia | M/V Kestrel | July 4th, 2021 | 14:00

We left the dock as quickly as possible today knowing that the Bigg’s Killer Whales we saw at the very end of our first trip were aiming for Canada. With Covid-19 restrictions still in place, this means we would be unable to view once they crossed that border. We aimed straight for Battleship Island, finding 13 orcas playing around together in U.S. waters. These families included the T034’s, T037’s, and T065A’s. 

These mammal-eating...

Haleigh | M/V Osprey | June 26, 2021 | 5:30pm

The Salish Sea supports an abundant, diverse ecosystem full of lengthy kelp beds, speckled phytoplankton, small schooling fish, and our larger marine mammals! Using our knowledge of the environment, we can predict where certain animals will congregate or where they’ll be moving. Combining this knowledge, we are further directed by visual sightings reporting cetaceans or pinnipeds to the Pacific Whale Watch Association. By sharing...

Olivia | M/V Osprey | June 25th, 2021 | 12:30pm

With the sunshine on our side, we immediately decided to make the decision to head north around the top of San Juan Island with some rumors of a baleen whale lurking in the air. This brought us all the way towards County Park, just north of Lime Kiln Lighthouse. Coming on scene, we quickly discovered that this baleen was none other than a Humpback Whale! 

This filter feeding ocean giant was slow traveling north along the westside...

Jordan Higgins | M/V Sea lion | 06/20/21 |2:00pm

Today was one of my favorite trips of the season! Thank you so much to all my guests for being wonderful human beings with inquisitive minds and great questions.

The day began with sunshine and a wonderful, warm summer’s breeze. We gathered on the boat and were all so excited to begin our adventure. We headed out of Friday Harbor and boated down south. It only took a few minutes before we found orcas! Just past Mitchell Bay, we found a...

Jordan Higgins | M/V Sea lion | 06/19/21 |12:30pm

It was a gorgeous sunny day out in the San Juan Islands.

We began in Roche Harbor as Captain Pete and I jumped on Sea Lion and headed out of Roche Harbor. We boated straight up towards Stuart Island and boated towards Turn Point Lighthouse.

Just around the corner, we found orcas whales! We were very close to the boarder so we could see Canada just a few miles away. The whales cruised along the northern shore of Stuart Island exploring...

Olivia | M/V Osprey | June 10th, 2021 | 12:30pm

The day shifted from a cloudy, rainy morning into a beautiful sunny afternoon- just in time for our adventure trip on the zodiac. After getting everyone geared up in their exposure suits and a brief tutorial on spotting wildlife, we were off the dock and in search mode heading north! It was a quick trip up to speed, because we were fortunate enough to have reports of Bigg’s Killer Whales IN San Juan Channel when we left the dock. Since...

Olivia | M/V Osprey | June 9th, 2021 | 12:30pm 

Heading south through San Juan Channel, we started our whale watching adventure by checking in on a whale rumor in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. By the time we passed Cattle Point Lighthouse, we caught sight of black dorsal fins on the southwest side of San Juan Island. This was a delighted sight since the initial reports were far south in an area called Hein Bank, a shallow bank in the big waters if the strait. Bigg’s Killer Whales and...

Big Mama is my hero. 

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 06/02/2021 | 2:00

Today was a classic example of how spontaneous and serendipitous whale watching here in the San Juan Islands can be. We left the harbor without a concrete plan: whales hadn’t been spotted in US waters, or if they had, they had only just hopped the border and disappeared into Canada. 

With the guidance of Captain Brian, we turned north, heading up the San Juan Channel towards Boundary Pass. 

We stopped at Spieden...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | May 27th, 2021 | 13:00 

Leaving the dock today, we had one of the lowest tides I have ever seen with the Super [Blood] moon in full effect this week. With mud flats extending below the pier and lots of crabs and critters making their debut, we set out in search of whales and wildlife. We also had the pleasure of leaving he dock with some reported orcas in the area. To give our guests the best chances of seeing these whales, we immediately started heading south...