A lot can change in the span of a few hours out here in the Salish Sea. By the time our 2:00 tour came around the weather had cleared up, the sun was out, and more whales had been spotted in the region! Like our morning tour, Kestrel flew north. This time however, we continued past Spieden island, up and over the US/Canadian border and towards South Pender island where reports of Biggs Killer whales sparked a few hour before. 

Initial reports consisted of 6-7 whales but boy were we in for a...

It was a classic PNW morning as we began our 10am tour out of Friday Harbor; skies were gray. A light sprinkle of rain drenched us as we tore north through the San Juan Channel. We didn’t have a heading at this point as we never really know where whales are going to pop up. As cliché as it sounds, whale watching really is like a box of chocolates out here- who knows who’s going to be around that day let alone where they’re gonna be! As we mention on each of our trips, we work closely within the...

Olivia | M/V Osprey | August 24th, 2024 | 12:30pm 

Luck was on our side today as we encountered two different species of whales in the Haro Strait! We left Friday Harbor and began our search for whales going south through San Juan Channel. As we neared Cattle Point we stopped for a look at some harbor seals and sea birds, which are great signs of our productive ecosystem out here!

We continued our travels to the north west following up on some earlier reports of various whales in the area, and as...

Olivia | M/V Kestrel | August 23rd, 2024 | 10:00 am 

Today's 10am trip really put the adventure in Adventure Whale Watch as we departed Friday Harbor in a mix of rain and fog! We began our search for wildlife by heading north along San Juan Island, turning southwest to explore Mosquito Pass and eventually the west side of the island. Despite the rain and cold conditions, we enjoyed the views of Lime Kiln Light House and pushed on towards Salmon and Hein Banks. While these areas did bring flat...

Olivia | San Juan Safaris | August 19th, 2024 

After a long hiatus while getting our NEW website up and running, our daily blogs are back! 

We will be documenting whale and wildlife sightings daily from all three of our vessels to provide a sneak peak of where we’ve been traveling and what wildlife has been visiting the Salish Sea- while hopefully teaching you something along the way. We will also be providing bonus material for extra education and conservation topics, and photos of course! 

Every...

Elle | M/V Kestrel | 9/26/2022 | 2:00PM

On today's Adventure Tour, we headed South out of Friday Harbor to look for wildlife. Just south of the harbor, we encountered a haul-out of harbor seals in San Juan Channel on some small rocky islands. The harbor seal population has grown significantly over the last few decades. At over 40,000 individuals in the Salish Sea, their population is at carrying capacity. This happened because of restoration efforts on eel grass, a critical habitat...

Elle | M/V Kestrel | 9/24/2022 | 2:00PM

Today's adventure tour started in Friday Harbor. From there, we headed south in San Juan Channel. We made our first stop at Goose Island in Cattle Pass. This island is surrounded by bull kelp, an essential part of the ecosystem here in the Salish Sea, and one of the fastest growing organisms on earth. Attop the island sat dozens of stick nests made by double-crested cormorants. After some great looks at these deep-diving birds, we prepared for...

Kelly | M/V Kestrel | 9/17/22 | 2:00pm

The wildfire smoke has officially cleared here in the San Juan’s! Today was the first day on the water since the smoke blew in that we were able to see Mount Baker in all its glory. Captain Gabe and I Left Friday Harbor on our Adventure Whale Watch and Wildlife tour prepping for a long run through deception Pass and into Skagit Bay. This was the only reported location of killer whales in the area.

As we transited south down San Juan channel and...

Elle | M/V Osprey | 9/14/2022 | 1:30PM

Today was a lucky day out here in the Salish Sea! Soon after departing from Friday Harbor, we stopped to see a majestic bald eagle perched above a group of harbor seals, hauled out on a rocky island. As we continued north through President's Channel towards Sucia Island, we encountered a humpback whale! We were able to identify him by his fluke as BCX1233 "Raccoon." We love seeing eagles and humpbacks out here because they both represent huge...

Lauren | M/V Osprey | 8/13/2022 | 12:30 PM 

What an epic day! Dare I call it the trip of the summer? Today our 12:30 Classic Whale Watch & Wildlife Tour had one of those unforgettable moments... a key memory if you will?  

With no firm whale reports in the area, we had no idea what was in store for us when leaving the dock. Shortly after cruising out of Friday Harbor, we got word that there were some rumored killer whales in Rosario Strait. I say rumored because we were working off...