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humpback whale

Humpback Whale North of San Juan Island

Sarah | 11/02/2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

Today we had an amazing November day to go out and explore the Salish Sea. With smooth, glassy water, and amazing sunshine we were excited to leave the dock and go out an explore. We elected to head north through San Juan Channel, and right out of the harbor we encountered a bald eagle sitting on the shore ripping into and eating some sort of bird. There were downy feathers scattered all around the enormous bird and we got to see some glauc...

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Humpback Whale

20+ Humpback Whales

Sarah | 11/01/2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

It was an amazing day on the water here in the Salish Sea. Captain Pete and I left the dock in Friday Harbor and decided to point south through San Juan Channel towards Cattle Pass on the search for whales.

On the way out of Cattle Pass we decided to stop at Whale Rocks to take a peek at some Steller’s sea lions hauled out enjoying some of this late fall sunshine. These huge sea lions are the largest in the world, with males topping out at...

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humpback whale

Two Humpback Whales in the Strait of Georgia

Sarah | 10/31/2019 | Happy Halloween! | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

The sun was shining, the water was glassy, and Captain Pete, our guests, and I set out from Friday Harbor this afternoon. With absolutely amazing water in the Salish Sea to spot all manner of wildlife we were certainly excited go out an explore!

We decided to head north towards Flattop Island. Recently we have had awesome luck up in around this National Wildlife Refuge looking for wildlife. Today was no different, we got...

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Humpback Whale near Spieden Island

Humpback Whales in the Salish Sea

Sarah | 10/28/2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

Today was a beautiful fall day in the San Juan Islands. We enjoyed sunny skies out on the water and smooth seas as we cruised through the islands.

We started the day heading north through San Juan Channel. In recent weeks we have had great sightings up and around the Canadian Gulf Islands due to the plentiful nutrients and food in the area. We made it to Flattop Island and got a chance to see some harbor seals as well as some bald eagles pe...

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Humpback Whale near Spieden Island

Best Whale Watch of the Season. Humpback Whale Encounter

Sarah | 10/15/2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

We had a lovely October day out on the water, with a bit of Pacific Northwest liquid sunshine falling from the sky and amazing wildlife in the waters surrounding the San Juan Islands, today was autumnal whale watching at its best.

Captain Erick and I left Friday Harbor with a group of wonderful guests. With no initial reports of whales in the area we had decided to leave the harbor and head south. We had no sooner started to pick up speed...

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Humpback Whales in the Strait of Georgia

Synchronized Humpback Whales in the Strait of Georgia

Olivia | September 23rd, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 11:00am

We started off our Classic Whale Watch trip by heading north through San Juan Channel into Boundary Pass and up through Plumper Sound. As we boated along, we saw Harbor Seals and Harbor Porpoises swimming around in the rain. Once we started to turn into Georgesons Passage, we spotted a big Bald Eagle perched up at the top of a pine scanning the water horizon! Not only that, but about two minutes later we saw a Great Blue Heron...

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Southern Resident Orcas & Humpback & Sea Lions!

Jordan | M/V Kestrel | 09/21/19 | 11:00am

What a really great day out on the water!

Captain Gabe and I headed south through the San Juan Channel and headed towards a beautiful lighthouse off the southern tip of San Juan: Cattle Point lighthouse.

Nearby, we stopped at Whale Rocks and watched tons of Steller sea lions! They wandered around the rocks, barked at each other and splashed in the water! It looked like they were really enjoying the beautiful sunny day!

Then, we boated out...

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Good Things Come In Threes! Triple Humpback Sightings Around Lopez Island!

Piper | Friday, September 13, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00 PM

Captain Pete, naturalist Alexandria, and I headed out of Friday Harbor on the Sea Lion with an awesome group of people. We headed south into San Juan Channel and upon reaching Cattle Pass we had an awesome view of Cattle Point Lighthouse with the cloud-ringed Olympic Peninsula in the background, but our attention was drawn more towards the rock outcropping on the other side of the boat because there lied a haul-out of...

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Orcas Hunting Seals and Humpbacks Seen Fluking for Fish!

Laura C. | M/V Kestrel | 9/1/2019 | 11:00am 

We had a lovely day aboard M/V Kestrel exploring the diverse wildlife found in the Salish Sea!  The radio was booming with reports of whale sightings so Captain Gabe was excited to tell passengers of the great news!  As our vessel left Friday Harbor, I was talking to passengers about the unique wildlife we were hoping to see just as a harbor seal came into view!  The harbor seal was basking on the rocks right near the harbor and was...

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J Pod Frolicking near Eagle Cove!!

Laura C. | M/V Sea Lion | 8/31/2019 | 1:30 pm

Today was a marvelous day aboard M/V Sea Lion!  With several reports of whales in the area, we headed northbound through San Juan Channel full of excitement and anticipation of our upcoming wildlife sightings!  As we rounded San Juan Island into the Haro straight we found harbor porpoises cruising through the area in search of some fish!  These animals prefer areas with strong upwelling and current changes providing more prey availability...

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