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A Killer whale swims near the San Juan Islands

Transients, Transients! Killer Whales Spotted Near the San Juan Islands

[6/14/17- M/V Kittiwake- 1:00PM]

What. A. Day. When the day started off with a humpback whale IN Friday Harbor AT the ferry terminal, it should have been a sign that things were going to be good today! We departed San Juan Island on M/V Kittiwake and skimmed past the humpback (who was perhaps lost and a tad bit stressed to be where it was) to give it some peace, and we continued out the harbor in search of killer whales. And, along the way, we spotted 5 bald eagles soaring in circles...

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San Juan Sunset

Transient Killer Whales Abound! T065As in the Strait of Georgia

[06/13/2017 – M/V Sea Lion – 01:30pm & 05:30pm]

 

Today we had another wonderful day on the water with multiple whale reports and sunny skies. We had the pleasure of hosting two wonderful groups of guests on our afternoon and evening trips.

 

On our afternoon trip we headed north through San Juan Channel towards Spring Passage between Jones and Orcas Islands. Heading towards White Rock in Cowlitz Bay near Waldron Island we found harbor seals and a bald eagle out on the rocks. Both...

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Simply Another Magical Day in the Salish Sea

[06/12/17 ~ 1:00 Kestrel]

Even on my second season here at San Juan Safaris, there are still days where I'm simply in awe of the area that I'm surrounded by. The churning waters of the Salish Sea, punctuated by evergreen-capped islands, both hosting a unique and charactaristic array of wildlife that I always feel blessed to be graced by on a daily basis. Today was one of those days, with crystal-clear skies and water just choppy enough to keep us on our toes, and reports of whales...

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Transient Orcas South West of San Juan Island

(06/11/2017 - Kestrel 2pm Departure)

One of the best things about wildlife watching is that you never know what is going to happen.  Every day is different and the day before doesn’t necessarily give you any indication of what the next day will be like.  Yesterday there were orcas just outside of Friday Harbor, today we had to travel about 35 miles one way in order to catch a glimpse of these magnificent animals.  It was an absolutely beautiful day, the sun was shining and the water...

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Breaching Transient Orca

Transient Killer Whales Right Outside Friday Harbor, San Juan Island

(06/10/2017 - Kestrel 2pm Departure)

Yesterday I said that our trip was a once in a lifetime experience and one for the books.  Well today’s trip was a repeat!  We had an amazing day out on the water full of some of the best wildlife viewing in my time out on the water.  We were lucky enough to have a day where there were transient orcas right outside of Friday Harbor.  We left our dock and watched the T2C’S looking for food for about 30 minutes.  The T2C’s are a pod of 5 whales...

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A Whale-Packed Day in the San Juans

[06/10/2017 ~ M/V Sea Lion 1200 Departure]

One of the biggest challenges of whale watching is in the name itself: you're watching WHALES. Wild animals, who can travel 100 miles per day easy, who spend the majority of their lives underwater where we can't see them. Untrained, unpredictable, wild animals. This also happens to be the fun of whale watching. You're watching WHALES! Wild whales that are on their own schedule and doing their natural whale behaviors while you just look on in...

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T49C Surfacing

Transient Orcas North of San Juan Islands

(06/09/2017 - Kestrel 2pm Departure)

Today was one of those once in a lifetime experiences out on the water. We headed North West towards Swanson Channel where there were reports of a large group of transient orcas.  On our way to look for the orcas we stopped to see some of their favorite food, harbor seals!  We looked at those adorable rock sausages for a bit and then ventured on.  We got into the area where the orcas were located and saw them moving rather erratically.  They were...

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Happy World Oceans Day! We Celebrated with Orcas and Humpbacks

Lauren Fritz, San Juan Safaris, M/V Sea Lion, 6/8/17, 1pm Tour

Did you know today is World Oceans Day? What better way to celebrate than a whale and wildlife tour with San Juan Safaris! M/V Sea Lion was off the dock today at 1 pm and facing some wet and sloshy weather. Luckily, we're well-equipped out here - we've got rain slickers, snuggly blankets, and a toasty cabin to retreat to when the going gets too wet! Days like these are an adventure, and we soaked up way more than just...

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Humpback & Transient Killer Whales near San Juan Island

[06/07/2017 – M/V Kestrel – 2:00pm]

 

Today’s M/V Kestrel trip was arguably one of my favorites of the season so far. We had an amazing time with two species of cetaceans and the plentiful other wildlife of the Salish Sea. Leaving Friday Harbor we took a right, heading south, through San Juan Channel towards Cattle Pass to check out some seals and sea lions before continuing on into Haro Strait. The water was glassy and we had multiple reports of whales in the area.

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