Lauren | M/V Kestrel | September 21st, 2024 | 2:00 pm

The T049 matriline owned the inter-island zone today. Reports were coming in with members from this famous family along multiple sides of Lopez Island. T049C was headed north in San Juan Channel, T049A1 was heading south in Rosario Strait and the rest of the T049A1’s (minus T049A2/Jude) were hanging out in Thatcher Pass! Captain Eric and I were excited to get on the water for this T049 family affair, but where to begin? T049C/Nielson made that...

Maxx | M/V Kestrel | August 31st 2024 | 10:00am

A loose rumor of whales ignited our tour today- s share based report as we left the harbor claimed a small family had been spotted over Salmon bank, south of San Juan Island. We have a heading. 

Kestrel flew south through the San Juan Channel, stopping only briefly at Goose Island to admire a small haul out of Harbor seals and of course all the incredible pelagic birds that call this tiny island home. Double Crested cormorants sunned themselves atop...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 008/15/2022 | 12:30pm
Today was a stunner! My goodness was it beautiful out- the sun was out and proud, Baker, Reiner and the Olympics stood boldly over the Juan de Fuca and seas were as calm as could be (we LOVE that). Kestrel carefully meandered out of Friday Harbor and zipped south through the San Juan Channel. It didn’t take too long for us to make our first stop at a haul out of Harbor Seals.
We most often see these pinnipeds hauled out on rocky...

Lauren | M/V Osprey | 6/13/2022 |12:30PM

M/V Osprey left the dock with sunny skies this Wednesday afternoon. We took a right out of Friday Harbor and headed south towards Cattle Pass. We slowed to view a bald eagle and some harbor seals before cruising over to Whale Rocks to see some Steller’s Sea Lions. After leaving the sea lions, we decided to follow up on a report of a humpback whale in Haro Strait. And just like that we went from “Hump Day” to “Humpback Day!”

Born in 2006,...

Laura / M/V Sea Lion / 5/20/2022 / 12:30PM

This afternoon was the first hint of summer in the Salish Sea!  We headed northbound on M/V Sea Lion and had our first bald eagle encounter of the day near the Cactus Islands.  We slowly cruised through this area soaking up the blue skies and sunshine and calm green water.  The channels were all combining in this area, creating a whirlpool effect.  Our harbor seals moved in and out of the kelp beds and hoisted their bodies on nearby rocks to...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | 4.24.2022 | 12:30 PM 

M/V Sea Lion had the most beautiful day out on the water. There’s nothing quite like a boat ride on a 55-degree day in April. We boarded with clear skies and sunshine and knowledge of a group of Bigg’s killer whales near Tumbo Island. As we made our way up San Juan Channel, we passed some harbor porpoise and decided to make a quick stop at Flattop Island. Our “quick stop” swiftly turned into much more after spotting some river otters run...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | March 31st, 2022| 12:30pm

What a day.

The last day of March unexpectedly delivered us stunning views out on the water! We set off with a small boat of 7 passengers ready to follow up on rumors of whales over in Rosario Strait. Deciding to travel inner island, we eventually found our way to the northeast side of Orcas Island. Not only was this a confirmed sighting of Bigg’s Killer Whales, but there were also multiple family groups traveling together! We were...

Olivia | March 18th, 2022 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30pm

Today’s trip was so unexpected for March here in the Salish Sea. We were lucky enough to leave the dock with some reports of Bigg’s Killer Whales in Rosario Strait! With these whales moving south and being a bit further away, we headed inner island and down through Lopez Sound in hopes of seeing something black and white.

Slowly coming on scene, we spotted their black dorsal fins and misty spouts moving northwest of us about a half...

Haleigh | M/V Sea Lion | July 19, 2021 | 10:00am

Our Monday morning classic whale watch trip was an experience to beat. Reports of Bigg’s Killer Whales in the Strait of Juan de Fuca guided our plans to head southbound through San Juan Channel. We traveled through Cattle Pass and east around Lopez Island. Pointed towards Smith Island, we saw our first exhales of some Bigg’s Killer Whales. These orcas were dispersed within a 400-yard range. We would see exhales and dorsal fins...

Laura | M/V Kestrel | 4/24/2021 | 2:00PM

Today was a most adventurous day on M/V Kestrel!  The skies were quite cloudy with scattered showers, but the seas were glass calm.  Skies like these can increase the possibility of seeing whales, as the darker skies lift whale blows against a backdrop that really makes them pop!  Sometimes the glare from the sun can make it difficult to stare out looking for dorsal fins or exhalations so I was excited to start looking for whales today. ...