Maxx K. | M/V Sea Lion | 04/14/2022 | 12:30pm

    The last few days have been insane. I love the Salish Sea for its spontaneity. Some days I’m out here on the water I feel like David Attenborough should be by my side, narrating the scene unfolding in front of me. Today was one of these days. 

When we started the tour we had no clear heading. Captain Brian and I figured we should start our search around Spieden and Stuart Islands. There tend to be several haul out sites for Harbor...

Olivia | April 12th, 2022 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30pm

But wait, did we just witness history in the Salish Sea?

Captain Brian and I caught word of three families of Bigg’s Killer Whales north in the Strait of Georgia. Leaving the harbor, we debated if we could make it there and back in our allotted tour time, with how far away they were moving. It didn’t take us long to decide to go there once we heard there was a Humpback Whale not too far away. To Georgeson Pass we went!

Coming out of...

Maxx K. | M/V Sea Lion | 04/12/2022 | 12:30pm

    I’m never going to forget today’s tour. 

    It’s not unusual to start a tour without any whale sightings. None of our whales are tagged and we rely on sightings and word of mouth to spot them. The fact of the matter is however, whales are here in the Salish Sea all year round, it’s just a matter of if there are individuals or vessels scanning the water to find them. Well, today we were insanely fortunate as a mere 5 minutes before...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | 4.1.2022 | 12:30 PM 

On Thursday, March 31st the single day record of Bigg’s killer whale sightings was broken in the Salish Sea. A whopping 72 Bigg’s killer whales were sighted! Needless to say, Captain Eric and I had high expectations going into Friday's trip. Killer whales can swim over 100 miles in a day, and just because they are in the San Juans one day does not mean they will be the next. Knowing these facts, we were still optimistic that we would get...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | March 31st, 2022| 12:30pm

What a day.

The last day of March unexpectedly delivered us stunning views out on the water! We set off with a small boat of 7 passengers ready to follow up on rumors of whales over in Rosario Strait. Deciding to travel inner island, we eventually found our way to the northeast side of Orcas Island. Not only was this a confirmed sighting of Bigg’s Killer Whales, but there were also multiple family groups traveling together! We were...

Laura / M/V Sea Lion / 3/25/2022 / 12:30PM

            I love the days that I walk off the boat thinking “that was just such a cool whale watch!” And today was one of those afternoons.  Our vessel headed all the way towards Port Angeles near Dungeness Spit, a long journey south.  There was a Bigg’s killer whale report in that area, and as we were keeping tabs on their travel patterns from vessels to the south of us, everyone was hoping the whales weren’t going to continue out of our...

Lauren | March 21st, 2022 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30 PM

We were off to a gloomy start this Monday morning, with constant rain showers and no reports of whales within our reach. As we began boarding, our luck started to turn around, the rain started to slow, and the mood brightened up. M/V Sea Lion was full of inquisitive and excited kiddos today, and we were eager to show them The Salish Sea! Captain Eric heard there were some Bigg’s Killer Whales up near Prevost Island, but the report...

Laura /  M/V Sea Lion /  3/30/2022  / 12:30PM

“We are going to follow the naval nuclear submarine home today”, was a sentence I may never say again on a whale watch excursion, but it made everyone on the boat smile.  And seeing an escorted submarine was just icing on the cake for today’s trip.  M/V Sea Lion held 22 passengers onboard and left Friday Harbor with gusto at 12:30PM.  Captain Brian had not heard of a firm whale report yet, but we had his years of experience of finding...

Olivia | March 18th, 2022 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30pm

Today’s trip was so unexpected for March here in the Salish Sea. We were lucky enough to leave the dock with some reports of Bigg’s Killer Whales in Rosario Strait! With these whales moving south and being a bit further away, we headed inner island and down through Lopez Sound in hopes of seeing something black and white.

Slowly coming on scene, we spotted their black dorsal fins and misty spouts moving northwest of us about a half...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | March 16th, 2022 | 12:30pm

If I would have known leaving the dock today what I know now, there is no way I would believe it. We headed out just like any other spring day; a cold breeze guiding us towards the flirting sun in search of any Salish Sea wildlife. On M/V Sea Lion, we often start our trips with a tutorial on how to spot wildlife with each season and tips on what to look for. I prefaced with the fact that these shoulder seasons are often the most...