"Here's my review -

We really had a good time. My wife and I took the whale watching tour on 26 June 2009. Nancy captained the boat and the naturalists were Jacqueline and ??. They were all very professional and knowledgable. They were also very patient and helpful with all the participants, even the smaller children. It was a very enjoyable experience. Be sure to take warm clothes!"

Thank you to Rick and his wife for joining us on another fabulous whale & wildlife trip...

Our evening sunset tours are very popular, but after tonight they are going to be the talk of the town. It is not every day that less than five minutes after you leave the dock you are with a whale. But on this night, that is exactly what happened. Capt. Nancy and I boarded our guests onto the MV Sea Lion for an evening cruise in the hopes that the Orcas that we knew were west of Victoria, B.C. would swim our direction. I had just finished giving the group some history on the...

We went to Whidbey Island, near the Whidbey Island Navel Base, to see not one, but two gray whales.

One appeared to be a bit larger than the other. Gray whales are amazing animals.

While there, we also saw some very cool Navy Jets flying right over us!!! On the way back we spotted a submarine... I had to take a couple of double takes but sure enough it was a submarine. After our submarine encounter we then headed toward Long Island and found a bald eagle.

On Whale Rocks we saw...

L pod was near False Bay (on San Juan Island) today.
L pod is one of the three pods that make up the Southern Resident Killer Whales. Southern Resident killer whales were listed as an endangered species in the united states in November of 2005. There are a number of threats to these animals, but two declining fish populations and contamination are the largest contributors.

Today we were able to identify L-78, Gaia, a male. We also saw a breach by what appeared to be a youngster...

The Puget Sound is a very biologically diverse inland sea. We have many species of marine mammals, birds, invertebrates, algae and more.

The most popular marine mammal is the orca, which is actually the largest member of the dolphin family. Today's safari included lots of bald eagles, porpoises, seals and bull kelp (brown algae).

Bull kelp is very interesting and important to our ecosystem. It is a primary producer, using the sunlight to grow and ends up feeding many organisms....

As spring advances towards summer here and the days become longer in the San Juan Islands, we at San Juan Safaris shift into our evening sunset tours along with the lengthening sunlight. This particular Saturday marked our first late tour of the season and it was a glorious one. The sun shone through a clear sky, but the wind made jackets a necessity, especially out on the water. As Capt. Peter maneuvered us out of Friday Harbor and I talked with the guests aboard the MV Sea Lion we...

Wow! After three days off what a comeback. I showed up at the office this morning to news of Orcas in the area, but they were different from those that we had been seeing. The excitement was palpable as our group of 25 guests, along with Capt. Nancy, Jeanette and I motored out into the great unknown. Would the whales stay in an area where we could see them, would there be as many as were reported, would Capt. Nancy remember Jeanette's name today? It was all a mystery and we...

We watched a gray whale just offshore of Whidbey Island near the Naval Air Force Base.
We watched as the whale would blow 3 to 6 times and then take a dive for a couple of minutes.
Everyone loved the heart shaped spray that the exhale makes from gray whales.
I really find it interesting that gray whales feed on benthic crustaceans in sediment.

We then headed Northwest of Smith Island and looked for a minke whale that had been seen. Some of the guests got a great view of the small...

What a day to see gray. A whale that is. As our balmy (82 degrees F, 28% humidity) weather continues here in the San Juan Islands we took to the seas to find cool breezes and cool animals. True to our Pacific Northwest abundance we were not disappointed. Craig expertly captained the MV Sea Lion while Jeanette and I performed for the crowd. Our boisterous group of guests, along with Junior Mariners, were super wildlife spotters and found lots of things for everyone to see.

The waters...

Savoring the last day of Memorial Day weekend, Capt. Craig, Tristen, and I departed Friday Harbor aboard the MV Sea Lion with a boat full of guests, excited to see orcas. Yesterday was a new moon and today we had tide fluctuation of 12 feet (a -3.22 low) so we pushed on through choppy Cattle Pass, determined to catch up with J Pod. We reached J1, Ruffles, while parallel with the northen most portion of American Camp on the southern end of San Juan Island.

J Pod was busy foraging...