[Saturday, 4/21/18 – M/V Kestrel – 1:00PM – Naturalist Erick]

The past few weeks we have started running trips on our adventure vessel, M/V Kestrel. This craft is a RIB, a Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boat, and can go pretty fast, around 30 – 40 knots. We suit up in these dope red and black exposure suits and head off. Captain Brian and I took a full group of folks northward to go search for somefun and exciting wildlife. This Saturday was sunny with a little breeze. We made our first...

[Naturalist Sarah C. 9/3/17 M/V Sea Lion 1:30pm departure]

Transient orcas have been spotted in the dozens around the San Juans this week. It's not always the case that we get to choose which whale sighting we pursue on our daily departures from Friday Harbor. With multiple families spotted within our range, we chose a company favorite for today's adventure - the T65A's.

Orcas, as a species, are matriarchal, meaning that the oldest female in a family group is in charge. For...

[7/12/17- M/V Kestrel- 2:00PM]

Wednesday’s are hump days, and hump days are meant for humpback whales! It was another beautiful day with sunny skies as we moseyed outside of Friday Harbor from San Juan Island and headed north to Canadian waters. We cruised over the calm waters with no problems at all, simply enjoying the scenery and the windless skies.  We slowed down and approached a small little outcrop of rocks by the East Point lighthouse on Saturna Island, and we saw a plethora...

Lauren Fritz, Naturalist, M/V Sea Lion, 6/20/17, 1:30 pm & 5:30 pm tours

Anyone who's around me long enough has fallen victim to my ramblings about how amazing humpback whales are. I spend a significant portion of my year with these whales down in Maui, one of their main breeding grounds, so it's very exciting to see them up here in one of their feeding grounds as well! It's difficult not to marvel over the amazing migration of 2,500-3,000 miles that these whales make every year -...

Something magical happens when two very different worlds collide and are able to coexist with each other in harmony, even if just for an hour. The human world aboard M/V Kestrel had a chance to link up with the mesmerizing orca world of the Transient killer whales today off of Green Point on Saturna Island. I've always loved orcas, and have always appreciated their cunning, intelligence, and constant ability to keep us whale-watching humans guessing. But before today, I'd never seen...

Approximately fifteen killer whales stunned spectators when the animals scoffed at the directional predictions of the crew and instead burst to the surface just behind the M/V Sea Lion.  After regaining our breath, we paralleled the tightly-packed posse as they transited south along the westside of Saturna Island, British Columbia.  The light was perfect and afforded many a classic photo of orcas surfacing in series, puffing salt spray into the air.  Rarely do we see such a well...

(April 13, 2017) The M/V Sea Lion was briefly admitted into the T101 brotherhood today.  Just north of Patos Island our guests found themselves keeping pace with a pod of three full-grown bulls.  From our vantage point on the aft deck, we could clearly see the details that allow scientists to identify and name individual animals.  While many were busy hooting with enthusiasm for the close encounter, I studied the pattern of black scrapes on the animals’ left saddle patch, and at the...

Can I take just a moment to brag?  This morning, when Captain Mike was likely still in his orca print onesie dodging dreamtime flotsam, I was watching orcas from the deck of a Washington state ferry.  Between all of the naturalists, captains, and their associates, there are a lot of eyes on the water, and to be the first to report a killer whale sighting is an honor that has thus far evaded my collection.  Well today I checked it off my list, even though it was not a result of...

What an adventure of a day out on Seahawk! We traversed waters that we don't typically get to venture out in, all due to beautiful weather conditions and exciting whale reports! On our morning trip, we ventured north and had the chance to view some harbor seals (our adorable little rock sausages as we call them here), the majestic bald eagle, and several little harbor porpoises playing all around our boat. So cute! The water was sparkling, the sun beaming, and the Salish Sea...

It’s been an excellent year for Transient Killer Whales so far, and today was no exception! Recently there’s been a number of family groups hanging around the San Juan Islands, and we’ve been venturing up to Boundary Pass almost on the daily. Today we left the dock with similar reports and started our trek north.  

On the way up we stopped by a tiny rocky island just off of Waldron Island to look at some harbor seals that were hauled out on the banks. Harbor seals are a super yummy...