Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | July 4th, 2020 | 09:00 Charter

 Today was the most beautiful day on the water I have had yet this season. Good thing too because it was a holiday! We booked a 9:00am charter to head out in the morning in search of whales around the San Juan Islands. Being the first boat on the water this morning, it was our job to first scan and see what could be swimming around.

Captain Sarah decided to head south into the Strait of Juan de Fuca into the glassy, sunny seas in...

Olivia | September 11th, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 3:00pm Private Charter

This afternoon we had a private charter of two book on, which was an absolute delight. These folks were so excited just to be on the water checking out the gorgeous scenery of our many islands. We decided to wave at the Humpback Whale still hanging out in the channel from earlier in the season and attempt to go find something black and white and moving away from us. We boated north through San Juan Channel, cutting...

[Sarah – 05/26/2018 – M/V Kestrel –  2:00pm]

On our second trip of the day Captain Mike and I decided to head north out of Friday Harbor! There was beautiful water, and good reports to our north, which was for the best as the water conditions to our south had deteriorated. We loaded up our guests and took off!

Our first whale encounter was with a pair of humpback whales cruising the South Pender Island shoreline and circling out into Boundary Pass. These whales are usually solitary...

We had a wonderful early spring day out on the water. Gray skies and a little Pacific Northwest liquid sunshine never stop us from finding wildlife and having a great time. With nine hearty souls aboard the M/V Sea Lion left Friday harbor and headed North.

We spotted harbor porpoises on our way up towards Spieden Island, getting some looks at their well-camouflaged backs and dorsal fins in the small waves.  As we reached Green Point Captain Mike and I were delighted to find some...

While May through September tends to be peak season for spotting killer whales, also known as orcas, here in the San Juan Islands, we are in the midst of a second peak in whale sightings right now. From about September into November we have our peak sightings of humpback whales. These past weeks have been just spectacular for spotting these beautiful creatures.

A Background on the Mighty Humpback

Humpback whales are regarded to be the fourth or fifth largest whales in the world...

Recently we had a family group charter the Kittiwake boat for a family reunion.

They had our favorite caterer bring boxed lunches, sodas and home made goodies for the occasion. Kittiwake is certified for 24 passengers. When booking the public in, we limit this number to 12. When using her for a charter we like to limit it to 14 so that there is plenty of space for guests, food and guests belongings.

This boat charter saw orca whales, bald eagles, harbor seals, at least a dozen...