Kelly | M/V Kestrel | 8/12/22 | 10:00am

Captain Eric and I were thrilled to leave the harbor on this beautiful Friday morning. A Humpback whale had been reported right outside Friday Harbor! After quickly suiting our guests up, we briefed everyone on safety precautions and gave them a quick wildlife summary before heading out into the channel.

The initial humpback report was based on a shore sighting and no boats on the water had yet reported the whale’s location. This means we were...

Kelly | M/V Osprey | 8/9/22 | 12:30pm

There was a pleasant cool breeze in the air as we left Friday Harbor on this tuesday afternoon. It was a wonderful departure from the hot weather we’ve been experiencing. We had just received a report of Biggs Killer whales in the south and were excited to travel inter-island to get to their reported location. As we weaved through islands on our journey south, a small group of harbor porpoise surfaced quickly as we passed by the mouth of...

Haleigh | M/V Kestrel | July 19, 2022 | 10:00am & 2:00pm

10:00 am

Today’s trip was a spectacular showing of the abundant wildlife seen around the Salish Sea! We departed from Friday Harbor for our first trip in pursuit of reported killer whales along Vancouver Island, BC. En route, we scanned the glass-calm waters where we spotted Harbor Porpoises surfacing around. Confirmation of two Bigg’s Killer Whales guided us towards Sidney, BC, and James Island. The two orcas were...

Haleigh | M/V Osprey | July 9, 2022 | 12:30 pm

This summer is proving to be a successful time to view wildlife, and today we were able to see two of our largest marine mammals found in the Salish Sea! As we departed from Friday Harbor, we first headed south to begin our search. Making our way through Cattle Pass, we could hear roaring Steller’s Sea Lions and squawking Pelagic Cormorants and Gulls atop Whale Rocks. We continued south towards a shallow area known as Salmon Bank where...

Haleigh | M/V Osprey | July 2, 2022 | 5:30 pm

Today was a beautiful day out in the Salish Sea. We felt the winds as we passed through the chunky waters of Cattle Pass. We crossed the Strait of Juan de Fuca heading towards a report of a Humpback Whale that had spent its day feeding south of Lopez Island. We all felt the rolls of the boat, giving us the impression that we were out in open waters! It’s incredible to feel the power of the wind mixed with a high flood. As we slowly...

Haleigh | M/V Kestrel | May 28, 2022 | 2:00 pm

One of our mantras for each of our tours is that every day is different, and every hour is different, meaning you can find wildlife anywhere and at any time. For today’s tour, this held up to be true given we had multiple families of Bigg’s Killer Whales traveling through San Juan Channel. 

The first was a family of four, the T123’s. The matriarch, Sidney, was followed along by her three offspring, T123A Stanley, T123C Lucky, and...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | May 23rd, 2022 | 12:30pm

The Pacific Northwest decided to pull one of her most cliché moves by raining on a day that didn’t call for it; but off we went with happy faces ready for whatever the day brought. Heading north, we stopped at Flattop Island admiring heaps of Pigeon Guillemots with their red feet bold against the green water. Nearby we found several Harbor Seals swimming along the basalt rock as well as an adult Bald Eagle stoically looking across the...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 05/21/2022 | 2:00pm

    Today was pretty perfect! The sun was out, the sea was glass and guests were stoked. We swiftly left Friday Harbor and rounded up north through the San Juan Channel where we then stopped at Flattop Island. We sat there spinning for several minutes in the upwelling, admiring the island that poked itself out of the water. 

    Suddenly a blow! A Humpback whale appeared off our bow surfacing every few minutes to take a deep, fresh breath...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | May 6th, 2022 | 12:30pm

Leaving the dock at the start of a trip is not only normal for the shoulder season, but for peak season as well. With no whales tagged in these waters, everything is found on visual sight. Today we left the dock and decided to take a chance heading north while other vessels in the Pacific Whale Watch Association were searching down south. This worked in our favor because about 20 minutes into our trip, another vessel spotted not one...