Lauren | M/V Kestrel | Saturday, May 3rd | 2:00 PM

Today was our season opener aboard the M/V Kestrel, also known as our adventure tour! This zodiac is the fastest vessel in our fleet, and a crew favorite. The M/V Kestrel is double the speed of our other boats, expanding our range 20+ miles, allowing for a wider range of trip itineraries. Today we went the furthest northwest I’ve ever been on one of our boats! Taking a trip through the iconic Sansum Narrows. This passageway between Vancouver...

Olivia Esqueda | March 25th, 2025 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30pm

Today was truly such a fun time out on the water, despite the rain! We had nearly a full boat of passengers all ready to go out and see what the day brings. Starting out our travels, we headed northwest through Spieden Channel and eventually crossing the Haro Strait into Sidney Channel. Right as the rain started to pick up, we spotted two groups of two orcas, all part of the same family, the T069’s. This matriline of Bigg’s Killer Whales...

Olivia Esqueda | Friday, March 14th, 2025 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30pm

This was the first tour of the year for both me and Captain Gabe, and it was definitely an exciting one! We started off the trip by heading north through San Juan Channel, where there has been an increase of whale activity over the past few days. Right away we were spotting many different birds including Pelagic Cormorants, Common Murres, Harlequin Ducks, Rhinoceros Auklets, and many, many more! Most notably, we saw at least a...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | October 25, 2024 | 12:30 pm

One of my favorite things about San Juan Island at this time of year is the crisp fall air and the occasional crystal-clear skies. Yesterday was one of those days, where even Mount Rainer was shining as far as the eye could see. The morning whale reports were abundant… everywhere BUT in the inland waters around Friday Harbor. Captain Eric and I prepared the M/V Sea Lion for our long voyage ahead and set sail. We took a right out of Friday Harbor...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | September 13th, 2024 | 12:30 pm

Our afternoon trip left Friday Harbor in a bit of overcast weather, but still determined to find some whales in the region. The nearest reports we had as we were leaving were close to Victoria, BC so we began by heading south down San Juan Channel. We made a stop in Cattle Pass to look at a group of harbor seals hauled out on Goose Island as well as the many seabirds in the area. This was a great starting point to learn about our...

Lauren | M/V Kestrel | August 30th, 2024 | 10:00am

As many of our 10:00 am Kestrel tours start, we left the dock without a firm report of whales. Luckily, we are a part of the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA), which is a private sightings network that includes professional whale watchers, researchers and biologists. In the morning, PWWA members will divide and conquer the different water ways and report our sightings. None of the whales we see out here are tagged, and we don’t use any kind...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | August 29th, 2024 | 12:30pm

Happy Friday from the M/V Osprey! Our afternoon trip began by heading south out of Friday Harbor, following San Juan channel down to Cattle Pass. We stopped near Cattle Point for some looks at a group of harbor seals relaxing in the sun, and even saw a Stellar’s Sea Lion swimming by! We continued past Cattle Point Lighthouse and turned west, and as we traveled across Salmon Bank we spotted a Minke Whale! This elusive baleen whale, lovingly...

Olivia Esqueda | M/V Kestrel | August 28th, 2024 | 2:00pm

Today was an amazing day out on the water with the family of Bigg’s Killer Whales known as the T049A’s. We first started our tour off by traveling from San Juan Channel into New Channel, just north of Spieden Island, where we saw Bald Eagles, swimming Harbor Seals, and Mouflon Sheep grazing by the water. It wasn’t too long after that when we first spotted the Transient Orcas swimming around in the North Haro Strait. 

Soon after we arrived...

A lot can change in the span of a few hours out here in the Salish Sea. By the time our 2:00 tour came around the weather had cleared up, the sun was out, and more whales had been spotted in the region! Like our morning tour, Kestrel flew north. This time however, we continued past Spieden island, up and over the US/Canadian border and towards South Pender island where reports of Biggs Killer whales sparked a few hour before. 

Initial reports consisted of 6-7 whales but boy were we in for a...

Lauren | M/V Osprey | August 23rd, 2024 | 12:30pm 

Our 12:30 Classic Tour departed Friday Harbor with the hopes of catching up with some old friends. We had heard reports that the T018’s might be in the area. The T018’s are a fan favorite Bigg’s Killer Whale family in this region, most notably because of T019B/Galiano. Galiano is a 29-year-old male killer whale, and he has one of the largest dorsal fins in the population. When male killer whales are fully grown, their dorsal fins are on average a...