Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | September 10th, 2024 | 12:30 pm

Today’s afternoon trip was yet again another beautiful, whale filled day in the Salish Sea! We left Friday Harbor with some reports of Bigg’s Killer Whales far north in Canada, though we were unsure if we would be able to catch up with them if they continued moving north and out of our range. We traveled straight up San Juan Channel, crossed the border into Canada, and continued northwest in between Saturna and Pender Islands, getting...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | September 9th, 2024 | 12:30 pm

Today was a happy Monday aboard the M/V Sea Lion as we set out from Friday Harbor on our Classic Whale Watch. We had reports of a group of whales far in the north, so we headed in that direction up San Juan Channel to reach them. We traveled up the western side of Orcas Island, traveled a bit east, and then north between Sucia and Matia Islands. After a bit more travel north into the Strait of Georgia, we finally reached the scene of...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | September 8th, 2024 | 12:30 pm

Our Sunday afternoon Classic Whale Watch left Friday Harbor already hearing reports of whales close by in San Juan Channel, so we wasted no time heading in that direction. We traveled south in the channel, but didn’t have to go too far before we reached a group of Bigg’s/Transient Killer Whales. As we approached this group of eight individuals, we realized there were actually two different matrilines traveling together making this a T...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | September 7th, 2024 | 2:00 pm

Our afternoon adventure whale watch set out from Friday Harbor under hazy skies in search of wildlife. We began by heading north up San Juan Channel and were excited about some rumors of whales ahead of us. Soon enough, as we neared Waldron Island, we could see some blows in the distance along with some large black dorsal fins! This ended up being a group of three male Bigg’s or Transient Killer Whales, and they were slowly traveling...

Maxx | M/V Sea Lion | September 6th 2024 | 12:30pm

Today’s whale watch was nothing short of spectacular: two families of Bigg’s Killer Whales were actively making their way down the San Juan Channel as we began our tour so we made our way up to them in no time. Both the T018s and T049As have taken a liking to the region lately and are without a doubt my most frequently spotted whales of the 2024 season.

From our understanding, these families are unrelated, yet they traveled in this moment as one...

Maxx | M/V Kestrel | September 5th 2024 | 2:00pm

September is without a doubt my favorite month to transit through the Salish sea; the lighting is perfect, town has mellowed out a bit, and certain frequent flier whales make their way back to the region for a visit. 

The T018s seem to love the shoulder season here. With a range anywhere from SE Alaska straight down to Northern California, Bigg’s killer whales could theoretically be seen all throughout the year in this region. However, they don’t...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | September 5th, 2024 | 12:30 pm

With a boat full of excited passengers, our afternoon trip aboard the M/V Sea Lion left the heat of Friday Harbor in search of a cool breeze and lots of wildlife! We began by heading east, loosely following the ferry route towards Anacortes in pursuit of some rumors of whale activity. We traveled interisland and got some quick looks at some harbor porpoises along the way. As we passed in between Blakely and Decatur Islands, we slowed...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | September 4th, 2024 | 12:30 pm

Our Classic Whale Watch departed Friday Harbor today ready to search for some wildlife! We had great conditions as we set off into San Juan Channel, following up on some reports of whale activity to the north. Along the way we stopped at White Rocks to get some looks at a bunch of harbor seals relaxing in the sun! This was a great way to talk more about our ecosystem and see why the Salish Sea has such abundant wildlife. We continued...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | September 2nd, 2024 | 12:30 pm

Our whale filled holiday weekend continued today with another great trip on the M/V Osprey! We left Friday Harbor with some reports of killer whales to the north, so that’s where we began our search. We took a left out of the harbor and headed up San Juan Channel towards Spieden Island. We stopped nearby Spieden to look at some adorable harbor seals hauled out on a small island, getting great looks at the many different colors of each...

Maxx | M/V Kestrel | August 31st 2024 | 10:00am

A loose rumor of whales ignited our tour today- s share based report as we left the harbor claimed a small family had been spotted over Salmon bank, south of San Juan Island. We have a heading. 

Kestrel flew south through the San Juan Channel, stopping only briefly at Goose Island to admire a small haul out of Harbor seals and of course all the incredible pelagic birds that call this tiny island home. Double Crested cormorants sunned themselves atop...