[Naturalist Sarah –  10/25/2017 –  M/V Sea Lion –  12:00pm]

Is this July? Is this the summer? Well, the weather didn’t seem right today, but the sighting sure did… more orcas! Usually we expect to see most of our orcas May-September, with a 90% success rate. In the spring and fall, our orca sightings are usually fifty, fifty, as most of the Chinook salmon that our Southern Resident killer whales feed on has diminished in the inland waters. This fall we have been seeing a lot of our...

[Naturalist Sarah – 10/23/2017 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00pm]

Some days on the water are just surreal. From perfect weather to a beautiful sighting with awesome whales, Monday was amazing… one of those days that is perfect.

We left Friday Harbor with no reports of whales, not a problem for this time of year, and, actually, pretty normal. Usually we communicate with the other whale watch boats in the area to form a search pattern, covering as much water as possible between the boats. On...

[Naturalist Sarah – 10/15/2017 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00pm]

This time of year leaving the dock we don’t often have reports of whales or other wildlife when we leave the dock. Sunday was not one of those days! Just as we untied the boat, we received a report of killer whales on the west side of San Juan Island! We quickly transited north and around the north end of San Juan, and then down along the west side of the island.

We encountered the orcas just off of County Park. Usually during...

[Naturalist Sarah – 10/13/2017 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00pm]

On Friday we had a lovely trip to find wildlife. We enjoyed beautiful water as we cruised over to the Canadian border and towards Victoria. On these fall days sometimes we need to go a bit out of our way to find whales and other wildlife. Captain Mike and I decided to go the extra mile to show our guests some orcas!

Just outside of the city’s harbor we found the T011s, a mother-son pair of orcas. This is one of my favorite...

[Naturalist Sarah – 10/08/2017 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00pm]

Today’s whale watch was a picture perfect October day, and certainly not a typical what-to-expect day this time of year. Captain Mike, Naturalist Piper, and I left Friday Harbor under sunny blue skies with no reports of whales. We elected to head south through San Juan Channel towards Whale Rocks to see what we could find in the wide-open waters south of San Juan Island.

Sea Lions

At Whale Rocks we had the opportunity to view a...

[Naturalist Sarah – 10/01/2017 – M/V Kestrel – 02:00pm]

Going into October we start to see magical light out on the water and special encounters with wildlife. Leaving the dock in Friday Harbor we didn’t have a report of whales in our area, but at this time of year that rarely means anything for the day’s sighting. Sunday’s trip was a perfect example of how our sighting network, the Pacific Whale Watch Association, works to our customer’s advantage.

Captain Mike steered the M/V...

[Naturalist Sarah – 09/30/2017 – M/V Kestrel –  02:00pm]

Saturday was a beautiful illustration of the varying weather conditions we can experience here in the Pacific Northwest. On M/V Kestrel, wearing Mustang Survival Suits, we keep you prepared for the huge swings in weather conditions we can receive in the Fall and Spring! As we prepared to leave, we experience a deluge of rain, which weakened into a slight on and off drizzle as the trip progressed.

Heading south from Friday...

[Naturalist Sarah – 09/29/2017 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00pm]

September is so amazing. Even in the late days of this most magical month we have been treated to awesome scenery and wonderful wildlife. Yesterday’s tour was a perfect illustration of the quickly changing weather that we can receive in the Pacific Northwest.Leaving Friday Harbor we had very rainy conditions, not uncommon for this time of year. We always recommend that our guests bring warm layers as well as waterproof layers...

[Naturalist Sarah – 09/28/2017 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00pm]

What a beautiful July… errr, September day? What beautiful weather we have been treated to over the last few days! It has felt more like peak summer with eighty degree temperatures, blue skies, and whales sighted throughout the Salish Sea! As we close out September here at San Juan Safaris, we have had consistent reminders of why September is our favorite month to cruise the Islands.

San Juan Islands Wildlife

Yesterday was...

[Naturalist Sarah – 09/24/2017 – M/V Kestrel – 02:00pm]

When I think of perfect whale watch days I think about getting to see a wide range of wildlife and beautiful sunny weather. Usually September provides both of these opportunities!

Cruising the San Juans

Sunday was an amazing day out on the water. We left Friday Harbor with several reports of whales all around the San Juan Islands. On such a fast boat, we had our choice of whales! Captain Gabe and I decided to take our M/V...