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Amazing Day with Humpback Whales and Orcas | 11/17/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

[Sarah | 11/17/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm]

 

On Saturday we had a whirlwind of a trip that left the crew of the M/V Sea Lion giddy! This late in the season, both Captain Brian and I agreed that we had experienced one of our top two trips of the season.

Leaving Friday Harbor we pointed west towards the city of Victoria in British Columbia. Stopping briefly in Cattle Pass at the south end of San Juan Island, we were able to get a look at a group of Steller’s sea lions socializing...

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M/V Sea Lion with Steller's sea lions

Orcas and Sea Lions Spotted in Cattle Pass, San Juan Island | 11/11/2018 | 12:00pm

[Sarah |11/11/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm]

We had an amazing day to go exploring for wildlife under clear November skies on a picture perfect day here in the San Juan Islands. Leaving Friday Harbor we decided to head south toward Cattle Pass and Haro Strait on the search for wildlife.

As we made our way through the narrow channel between San Juan Island and Lopez Islands we approached Whale Rocks, and out of nowhere the exhales of a group of orcas rose above the surface! We watched...

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Orcas foraging

Orcas and Wildlife Encountered | 10/30/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00

Sarah | 10/30/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00

Today we welcomed a small group of great guests on board the M/V Sea Lion for an exploration of the Salish Sea in search of wildlife. Autumn forecasts are so fickle here in the San Juan Islands, we had no idea what to expect until we left the dock. The water was glassy and we had peek-a-boo blue skies with low hanging clouds over the islands.

We headed north through San Juan Channel towards Canadian waters in Boundary Pass. As we worked our...

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Bigg's killer whale

Orcas and wildlife near San Juan Island| 10/27/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

Sarah | 10/27/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

This time of year you just have no idea what you’ll see out on the water here in the Salish Sea, and Saturday’s trip was a great example of the amazing array of wildlife you can see in a single trip!

After leaving Friday Harbor we started encountering wildlife. Almost immediately we encountered a pair of bald eagles and a Steller’s sea lion. After some great looks with the wildlife we continued north towards Canada. On the way we stopped to...

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M/V Sea Lion

Going the Extra Distance for Whales! Orcas, Humpbacks and Minke Whales Spotted

Sarah | 10/16/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

Yesterday’s Classic Whale Watch was one for the books! Captain Brian, Jacob and I too the M/V Sea Lion on her farthest trip yet in search of whales and other wildlife. With a great group of guests, sunny weather, and smooth water conditions we were able to go the distance to share a great array of wildlife with our guests.

We left Friday Harbor with a report of whales way to the west of Victoria, BC, just south of Race Rocks Lighthouse and...

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orcas

Two Transient Orca Families Hunt in Haro Strait [Saturday, 10/6/18 - M/V Sea Lion - Erick]

[Saturday, 10/6/18 - M/V Sea Lion - Erick]

 

This Saturday, Captain Mike, Rachel, and I took a full crew of passengers out on M/V Sea Lion on a beautiful fall day! We headed out on this sunny afternoon and started going south. We made our first stop at Turn Rocks just on the other side of Turn Island. Here we saw our first marine mammals, some Harbor Seals! There was a bunch of them sunning themselves on the rocks. These little rock sausages are so adorable and sleepily looked back...

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San Juan Island Orca Whale Watching

Whales Off San Juan Island

October 5- M/V Sea Lion- 12 PM

Today we left Friday Harbor with the report of orcas just off the South West side of San Juan Island.  We cruised around the area and found some harbor seals and Steller’s sea lions.  we then continued around the island and found the whales just off shore from Lime Kiln lighthouse.  We watched as the two transient families spread out looking for food.  We got to spend a lot of time with the whales and then decided to circumnavigate San Juan Island.

Our...

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T123 family of Transient Orcas Travels in the Strait [Thursday 10/4/18]

[M/V Sea Lion Noon Thursday 10/4/18]

Since it is October there are less trips, crisp breezes, and great fall weather. Captain Mike, Alexandria, and I took a great, full boat out with us on M/V Sea Lion. Today was bright and crisp. We headed south against the tide and went through Cattle Pass. We passed Cattle Point Lighthouse and headed southwest past Salmon Bank and pointed towards Hein Bank down in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. As we approached the bank we started to see blows off in...

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Killer Whales Right Outside of Friday Harbor!

Piper | 09/29/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

Today began as a blustery September Saturday on San Juan Island. Captains Gabe and Sarah and I hopped aboard the M/V Sea Lion with a great group of adventurers and off into the Salish Sea we went! We didn't have to go very far today, though, because we'd barely finished watching a bald eagle soar off Point Caution before we were watching a group of Bigg's killer whales meander down San Juan Channel! This group of orcas was identified based...

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L87 Onyx breaches near San Juan Island

A slew of Steller Sea Lions and J pod Orcas Breaching [M/V Sea Lion, Monday, 9/24/18, 12:00]

 

Captain Mike, Sarah, and myself took out a wonderful group aboard M/V Sea Lion to look for the wide array of wildlife that we have the opportunity to watch in the Salish Sea in September. We took our group south through San Juan Channel towards Cattle Pass. We made our first stop mid channel in between San Juan and Lopez Islands to look at a Steller Sea Lion that had just surfaced! It was our first marine mammal of the day! This adult male had just returned to the surface after...

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