Laura | M/V Sea Lion | 3/8/2020 | 12:00pm

    What a gorgeous day to spend out on the water!  I was so excited to head south through the San Juan Channel in glass calm seas, with blue skies and clear visibility!  Cattle Point is one of my favorite viewing spots for a multitude of pelagic birds readily seen diving in the area for small schooling fish.  Today there were pigeon guillemots, common murres, cormorants, and grebes in abundance!  The lighthouse along Cattle Point added...

Laura C. | 11/30/2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

Waking up this morning was bittersweet, as I knew it would be the last trip of the season, but I was equally excited to get out on the water to hopefully see some whales!  Today could not have more perfect, with orcas graciously providing a grand finale!  This is the last blog of the season as it is our final whale watch of the year!  Eleven passengers eagerly boarded M/V Sea Lion and greeted Captain Pete with enthusiasm.  After...

Laura C. | M/V Sea Lion | 11/24/2019 | 12:00pm

Sunshine radiated throughout the Salish Sea today!  The seas were beautiful, surrounded by crisp clean air that provided miles of visibility.  We headed north in the San Juan Channel, through President’s Channel and past Patos Island into the Strait of Georgia.  Patos Island is home to a bald eagle’s nest, and it was a great first stopping point to larger wildlife, as their nests can weigh up to 1 ton each!  Passengers assisted in a...

Laura C. | 11/23/2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00

The seas were rocky today in the Salish Sea!  Grey clouds blanketed the sky above swirling whitecaps in the San Juan Channel.  Captain Pete was in his element behind the helm as we stoically ventured north through the deep sloshy seas.  Days like this are my favorite because you really feel connected to the marine environment and feel that there is a greater force out there determining your impending voyage.  We first stopped near Waldron...

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 09/22/19 | 12:00pm

Happy Humpback day! We saw so many humpbacks!

It all started as Captain Sarah, Naturalist Piper and I headed up through the San Juan Channel. Despite the rain, we charged onwards towards an adventurous day! We boated up President’s Channel, past Waldron Island and up towards Sucia Island. Here we saw humpback whales!

There were two humpback whales travelling and searching for food! These gorgeous animals explored the area as they swam and...

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...

What an adventurous tour today!

Captain Gabe, Naturalist Laura and I headed out of Friday Harbor and headed down south through the San Juan Channel. It was clear skies until we reached the southern tip of San Juan, catching a glimpse of the Cattle Point lighthouse before running straight into a wall of fog.

This fog bank was really thick as we entered the open body of water. So, I could only allude to the Olympic mountains hiding behind the clouds. We travelled southwest as we boated...

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 09/14/19 | 12:00pm

Today was unlike any day I’ve had in the San Juan’s!

Captain Pete, Naturalist Olivia and I headed out of Friday Harbor and headed down south through the San Juan Channel on the lookout for any wildlife.

We reached the southern point of San Juan and admired the beautiful Cattle Point lighthouse.

Continuing out into open waters, we found a humpback whale! As we approached, the humpback slapped its tail against the surface of the water...

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...

Erin | M/V Kestrel | 3:00 PM | Saturday, August 31, 2019

It was such a beautiful afternoon in the Salish Sea! We headed south out of Friday Harbor and travelled through some very active upwelling zones. Upwelling is caused when water runs into structures that are above and below the surface. We especially see upwelling when the tide is either ebbing or flowing. The tide was flowing, so there were some areas of whitewater that were pretty intense! It is magnificent to be able to see...