Southward was the plan as we left Friday Harbor on our Classic Whale Watch and Wildlife Tour. A rumored report of killer whales in the Strait of Juan de Fuca was our destination, a long run on the ole M/V Sea Lion but we were determined to make it work! As we transited down San Juan Channel and approached Cattle Pass, guests aboard pointed out splashing in the distance! After slowing the boat to investigate, it became clear that the splashing was made by a stellar sea lion. This massive pinniped...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | September 10th, 2024 | 12:30 pm

Today’s afternoon trip was yet again another beautiful, whale filled day in the Salish Sea! We left Friday Harbor with some reports of Bigg’s Killer Whales far north in Canada, though we were unsure if we would be able to catch up with them if they continued moving north and out of our range. We traveled straight up San Juan Channel, crossed the border into Canada, and continued northwest in between Saturna and Pender Islands, getting...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | September 9th, 2024 | 12:30 pm

Today was a happy Monday aboard the M/V Sea Lion as we set out from Friday Harbor on our Classic Whale Watch. We had reports of a group of whales far in the north, so we headed in that direction up San Juan Channel to reach them. We traveled up the western side of Orcas Island, traveled a bit east, and then north between Sucia and Matia Islands. After a bit more travel north into the Strait of Georgia, we finally reached the scene of...

Kelly | M/V Kestrel | September 6th | 2:00PM

Captain Eric and I left the harbor with so much excitement for the trip ahead! A group of 8 whales was discovered off the coast of Orcas Island heading east. We started the tour with one big loop-de-loop around Shaw Island, Stopping for some adorable harbor Seals along the way. We started to slow the vessel around the mouth of Deer Harbor. Almost instantly after lowering our speed, SPLASH! In the distance along the the shoreline, a large male killer...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | September 7th, 2024 | 2:00 pm

Our afternoon adventure whale watch set out from Friday Harbor under hazy skies in search of wildlife. We began by heading north up San Juan Channel and were excited about some rumors of whales ahead of us. Soon enough, as we neared Waldron Island, we could see some blows in the distance along with some large black dorsal fins! This ended up being a group of three male Bigg’s or Transient Killer Whales, and they were slowly traveling...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | September 5th, 2024 | 12:30 pm

With a boat full of excited passengers, our afternoon trip aboard the M/V Sea Lion left the heat of Friday Harbor in search of a cool breeze and lots of wildlife! We began by heading east, loosely following the ferry route towards Anacortes in pursuit of some rumors of whale activity. We traveled interisland and got some quick looks at some harbor porpoises along the way. As we passed in between Blakely and Decatur Islands, we slowed...

Kelly | M/V Kestrel | Setptember, 4th 2024 | 2:00pm

The sun was OUT as we left the harbor aboard the M/V Kestrel. A much-needed break from the unusually gloomy weather we'd been experiencing at the tail end of our summer season. We turned left out of the harbor and motored up San Juan Channel to our first destination, White Rock. White Rock is a hot spot for our local rock sausages aka harbor seals. We found a large group of these loveable pinnipeds lounging along the rocky shoreline. This group...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | September 4th, 2024 | 12:30 pm

Our Classic Whale Watch departed Friday Harbor today ready to search for some wildlife! We had great conditions as we set off into San Juan Channel, following up on some reports of whale activity to the north. Along the way we stopped at White Rocks to get some looks at a bunch of harbor seals relaxing in the sun! This was a great way to talk more about our ecosystem and see why the Salish Sea has such abundant wildlife. We continued...

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

Today was another beautiful day to be out on the water searching for wildlife! We left Friday Harbor with some exciting reports ahead of us, so we began by heading east along the ferry route between Shaw and Lopez Islands. As we traveled along Decatur Island, we were happy to find the whales we had heard about earlier, which ended up being Bigg’s or Transient Killer Whales! This family of three turned out to be the familiar dorsals of the...

Kelly | M/V Kestrel | August 29th 2024 | 2pm | 

I knew were likely to see two different whale groups when we left the harbor on this beautiful Friday afternoon...but I not expect that we were going to see 4 different groups, totaling 13 INDIVIDUAL whales! The stars were certainly aligned. 

The first whales we encountered were of the baleen variety, humpback whales to be precise. Typically, our humpbacks are solitary as they make their way through the Salish sea along their migration route. Not...