Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 06/01/2021 | 2:00

I woke up this morning with one of those unexpected, unwarranted gut feelings that today was going to be awesome. Today we were going to see something really special. And that we did. 

We set out of Friday Harbor heading north. Like days prior, we were getting reports of whales off Saturna Island, hugging the US/Canadian border. 

Now historically, because of the Right of Free Passage, this would be absolutely no stress. However, given the...

Olivia | M/V Osprey | May 31st, 2021 | 12:30pm

Congratulations to anyone in the islands today- it was officially the hottest day all year! We spend every day out on the water with multiple layers on despite the temperature because these waters stay around 47 degrees year-round. With that wind flooding off the cool water, it makes for chilly trips even in the dead of summer. Lucky us! We had a lack of wind, blue skies stretched as far as we could see, and degrees. In the 3 years I...

Abby | Kestrel | 5/30/2021

The boat was full and everyone suited up. The cetaceans were out of the country; two humpback whales in Canadian waters and the orcas from this morning also heading further into international territory. We took off out of the harbor and jetted North through San Juan Channel. At least the sun was on our side; nutrient-rich waters lit up while harbor porpoises somersaulted over small wave breaks in the sea.

We decided to try our luck with the humpbacks after...

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

Our sunny Sunday started off with heaps of Pigeon Guillemots exploring the inner Friday Harbor as we slowly made our way out of the hustle and bustle of the holiday traffic. Scouting out reports from multiple directions around the San Juan Islands, we made the decision to head north up San Juan Channel in the direction of the outer islands!

We were able to pass not only more Pigeon Guillemots, but also Rhinoceros Auklets, a variety of...

Abby | Kestrel | 5/30/2021

Today we had the A/B Team; Abby the naturalist (me!) and Captain Brian. It was 10am and looking like a typical northwestern island day; dew sat in circular mounds atop blades of grass, while deer pranced about the island in the morning fog. We left the harbor in Kestrel, without the slightest bit of indication on where we’d begin our journey. We headed South through San Juan Channel and cut across Cattle Point into the Haro Strait. Finally, a friendly...

Abby | Sea Lion | 5/29/2021

We set out on M/V Sea Lion. Or at least, we tried. At the lowest tide of the year (or more notably, the past few years), we began our reverse into some shallow water. With the wake from the ferry and hardly any depth, we motored forward and tried again. This time, Captain Pete reversed almost symphonically, as the crowd on the stern cheered in joy that the ferry wake had ceased long enough for us to pull out of the harbor.

We made a beeline for the...

Jordan | Kestrel | 05/29/2021

What a beautiful day out on the water!

Captain Brian and I took the Kestrel out of Friday Harbor and and headed north through the San Juan Channel. We heard whispers of whales up north so we boated towards the Canadian boarder. Weaving between islands, we emerged near Waldron Island. He continued further as we boated into open waters near Patos Island!

Here we saw blows! It was a humpback whale!! The beautiful black back arched out of the water as she...

Olivia | M/V Osprey | May 29th, 2021 | 12:30pm

Kicking off Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, we left the dock with Koma Kulshan (Mount Baker) standing tall on the blue horizon as the water below sparkled in the mid-morning sun. Captain Gabe decided to start our adventures south through San Juan Channel. With the glassy water laid out in front of us, it made our ventures easy to spot Harbor Porpoise surfacing for a warm breath of air. These chocolate chip dorsal fins really stand out...

The day started strong! The sun was bold this morning following a rainy day off. With only a half hour before suiting up for an afternoon adventure tour there were rumors of orcas in the Rosario strait, heading south towards Anacortes. 

Now, if I’ve learned anything in my brief time here thus far, it’s that whales are only rumors until you get eyes on them yourself. I was still hopeful though. 

As soon as the team was suited and booted we hopped onto Kestrel with our Captain Brian...

Laura | M/V Osprey | 5/28/2021 | 12:30 PM

Today was an exciting day boating in the Rosario Strait!  We headed out of Friday Harbor on M/V Osprey with Captain Gabe, Captain Pete, Olivia, me, and a boat full of excited passengers.  We had a report of orcas earlier in the day and were making our way over to the area they were last sighted near Guemes Island.  As we slowed down our vessel passengers were thrilled to see blows and large black dorsal fins of Bigg’s killer whales! 

The...