[Sunday, 2/25/2018, 12:00, M/V Sea Lion, Naturalist Erick]

  The Steller Sweet Life       

      This Sunday, Captain Mike and I headed out to search for some amazing wildlife on another sunny day in the Salish Sea. It was pretty blustery on the west side of the islands, but we managed to stay in the sheltered waters in the middle and northern side of our little archipelago. We headed first to Green Point on Spieden Island and spotted a little bit of splashing around one of the rocky...

[Monday 2/19/2018, M/V Sea Lion 12:00, Naturalist Erick]

It seems winter is here again and bringing with it some mildly cold weather. Luckily, though, when the mercury drops here it also brings bright sunny days. So, on this sunny Presidents’ Day Captain Mike and I took a small crew out to go find some spectacular wildlife in the Salish Sea. We headed south to go search through San Juan Channel and eventually the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Our first stop was at Whale Rocks just...

[Sunday 02/11/2018, M/V Sea Lion 12:00, Naturalist Erick]

     On Sunday, we were lucky enough to get another bright, sunny, brisk day. We started our whale and wildlife search headed north through San Juan Channel toward the outer islands. We stopped first at the Cactus Islands. Most folks don’t associate cacti with the Pacific Northwest, but the San Juan Islands are in a rainshadow area created by our coastal mountains and Vancouver Island. Our climate is a little more arid than...

From the rolling hills and valleys to the rocky seaside, San Juan Island is known for its natural beauty and a stay here should take full advantage of these awe-inspiring landscapes. To help you plan your visit, we’ve put together a list of six San Juan Island accommodations with a view.

© Friday Harbor House

Friday Harbor House

Located just next door to The Whale Museum, Friday Harbor House features 23 guestrooms, most of which have been newly...

[Naturalist Sarah – 10/16/2017 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00pm]

Yesterday was a great day out on the water enjoying the beautiful scenery and wildlife of the San Juan Islands. We started the day by heading south through San Juan Channel from Friday Harbor.

Just south of Griffin Bay we found some Steller’s sea lions feeding on chum salmon. We watched the large pinnipeds shaking the fish and ripping them apart above the surface. In the turbulent water we also got great looks at harbor...

Saturday, October 7 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00 PM :

When the M/V Sea Lion began its voyage today, the captain, crew, and guests had no idea that we’d be witnessing the pure power and agility of our namesake!  As we left Friday Harbor, we headed through Upright Channel and down the east side of Lopez Island. We had gorgeous views of Anacortes, and, as we rounded the southern tip of Lopez, of the Olympic Peninsula, with its mountains raising high above the Salish Sea. Captain Mike slid the...

09/25/17 – M/V Sea Lion – 12 PM

Just as the rain showers tapered off to a faint drizzle, M/V Sea Lion made her way out of Friday Harbor Marina south towards Salmon Bank off San Juan Island. Moving though San Juan Channel, little 5-6 foot harbor porpoises broke the glass-like surface before disappearing back into the water. We began our search for whales in the confluence of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Rosarios Strait. Suddenly, tiny rolling black and white bodies appeared ahead of...

09/14/17 – M/V Sea Lion – 12 PM

M/V Sea Lion left Friday Harbor today with a group of bright-eyed guests and reports of two humpback whales just beyond San Juan Island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Heading south down San Juan Channel, several shy harbor porpoises quickly surfaced just beyond our wake. These cute little cetaceans get 5 to 6 feet long and only weigh up to 200 pounds. So tiny!

As we made our way past Cattle Point, the southern-most point of San Juan Island, and into...

[Lauren Fritz, M/V Sea Lion, 09/02/17, 1:30 pm Tour]

Island life is paradise - especially here in the San Juan Islands during a summer like this one. There have been some truly incredible transient killer whale sightings in the last few weeks, and every single day brings new surprises! Naturalist Rachel and I couldn't have been more excited to set out with Captain Mike and our guests and explore the Salish Sea today. Word on the water was that there were several different groups of...

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[Lauren Fritz, M/V Sea Lion, 08/27/17, 1:30 pm Tour]

Oh my goodness - another amazing afternoon trip out on the water today! We had an amazing encounter with a humpback...