Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 09/06/2022 | 10:00am

    When Kestrel zoomed up towards Spieden Island, we had no idea where we’d be seeing whales, let alone if there were whales close enough around to see! A rumor of some Bigg’s Killer Whales south of Victoria was all we needed to begin making moves, speeding off through the Haro. We only made it a few miles before we screeched to a halt- three blows appeared along the San Juan shoreline, followed by another, and another! 

    The T049A...

MV Sea Lion

Helena 

7/16/22

What another great day on MV Sea Lion! We departed the dock at Roche Harbor and traveled south into Speiden Channel. Our first encounter of the tour was with some Harbor Seals hauled out on Center Reef in Speiden Channel. We have nearly 40,000 harbor seals in the Salish Sea and these pinnipeds eat small schooling fish and can dive up to 1,000 feet! They are also the primary food source for the marine mammal-eating ecotype of killer whales, the Bigg’s...

Olivia | M/V Osprey | June 9th, 2021 | 12:30pm 

Heading south through San Juan Channel, we started our whale watching adventure by checking in on a whale rumor in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. By the time we passed Cattle Point Lighthouse, we caught sight of black dorsal fins on the southwest side of San Juan Island. This was a delighted sight since the initial reports were far south in an area called Hein Bank, a shallow bank in the big waters if the strait. Bigg’s Killer Whales and...

Erick | M/V Sea Hawk | 12:00 | Wednesday, July 23, 2020

Today, we had a trip on M/V Sea Hawk out of Roche Harbor. I love taking Sea Hawk out. She has a great viewing platform from the bow, where you are raised a little off the water but not too much, so you feel like you are a little more part of what is happening in the water around you. She also started her life as a salmon fishing boat in Puget Sound and has switched over to ecotourism as her fun retirement job. Wyatt and I took...

Olivia | September 28th, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 11:00am

Sadly, today was my last Kestrel trip of the season with Captain Gabe and we decided early on that it was going to be epic. Being one of the first boats out on the water, we often must travel into areas where there haven’t been other boats in order to find potential whale sightings. We heard of a Humpback Whale near Battleship Island north of Roche Harbor, but decided to go scope out waters elsewhere due to the amount of boats...

I have recently uprooted back to the United States after living in New Zealand for a year and a half and decided I wasn’t ready to give up that beautiful scenery. I discovered the San Juan Islands after an impromptu trip with my best friend and decided not only is it incredibly similar to my life down under, but it was a place I needed to be!  Therefore, I packed up my Red Band gumboots in my favorite Osprey backpack and moved out here at the very beginning of May. Being a hard...

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...

Saturday, September 16 – M/V Sea Lion – 1:30 PM Charter

The Sea Lion motored up to Roche Harbor to pick up today’s charter guests—a wedding party! And a party it was. After everyone was loaded up Captain Gabe gave the Coast Guard-mandated safety talk and we were off! We headed north, cruising between Sentinel and Spieden Islands, and spotted a group of harbor seals hauled out on Sentinel! The little rock sausages were sprawled out, taking in the heat from the sun. Continuing past...

[Lauren Fritz, M/V Sea Lion, 09/07/17, 1:00 pm Private Charter]

It's a big deal every year right after labor day in Roche Harbor - Ranger Tug Rendezvous is happening! Lots of these beautiful boats are docked in the harbor right now, and dealers and enthusiasts alike are wandering the docks, sharing their stories, talking about the boats, and enjoying the beauty of San Juan Island. Naturalist Piper, Captain Pete, and I had the chance to take some of these wonderful folks out on a...

[Lauren Fritz, M/V Kittiwake, 07/03/17, 1:30 pm Charter Tour]

M/V Kittiwake had a private charter today, and Captain Gabe and I were stoked to hear that a pod of Transient killer whales were headed to the west side of San Juan Island. We had a wonderful family on board, and after briefing them on the plan for the day, we headed out of Friday Harbor and turned south to see what these whales were up to!

The weather has been a bit hazy these past few days due to some large wildfires up...