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...

Kelly | M/V Kestrel | 8/12/22 | 10:00am

Captain Eric and I were thrilled to leave the harbor on this beautiful Friday morning. A Humpback whale had been reported right outside Friday Harbor! After quickly suiting our guests up, we briefed everyone on safety precautions and gave them a quick wildlife summary before heading out into the channel.

The initial humpback report was based on a shore sighting and no boats on the water had yet reported the whale’s location. This means we were...

Haleigh | M/V Osprey | July 9, 2022 | 12:30 pm

This summer is proving to be a successful time to view wildlife, and today we were able to see two of our largest marine mammals found in the Salish Sea! As we departed from Friday Harbor, we first headed south to begin our search. Making our way through Cattle Pass, we could hear roaring Steller’s Sea Lions and squawking Pelagic Cormorants and Gulls atop Whale Rocks. We continued south towards a shallow area known as Salmon Bank where...