Olivia | M/V Osprey | April 23rd, 2022 | 12:30pm

On our first Osprey trip of the season and the sunniest day of the week, we decided to head south in an effort to see some orcas down by Victoria, B.C. The beauty of this day could not be matched as we continually motored through glassy seas past bellowing Steller’s Sea Lions, swimming Harbor Seals, feeding Harbor Porpoise, and tons of curious birds.

It was a good thing we had sun-soaked skies and lots of peaceful views, because those...

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...

Haleigh | M/V Sea Lion | October 9, 2021 | 12:00 pm

For today’s whale sightings, we didn’t have to go too far! We left Friday Harbor pointed North through San Juan Channel where we were united with a family of Bigg’s Killer Whales. Within the group was T60 (Panthera) and three of her five living offspring. T60C (Yelnats) is her oldest living calf born in 2001. T60F (Tigris) and T60G (Unnamed) are her two youngest calves, born in 2012 and 2019. Two of her middle children, T60D and...

Haleigh | M/V Sea Lion | October 6, 2021 | 12:00 pm

There is a plethora of wildlife that can be seen in the Salish Sea. Today’s trip highlighted the many animals that can be seen, especially if we give the trip the time and space to fully develop. We left the dock in search of a reported group of whales traveling. In our pursuit to find them, one of our guests spotted a Humpback Whale traveling across the stern of our boat. It was an incredible find as this whale was barely...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 09/11/2021 | 2:00pm

Today was the day I had been anticipating when I moved up to Washington: chilly, rainy, grey. While it was really only sprinkling throughout our trip we were being thoroughly blasted by water as Kestrel flew through the Salish Sea. This is, after all, the adventure tour!

    We made our first stop at Whale Rocks to check out some Steller Sea Lions. On grey days like today I find they tend to chill out on the rocks, as there isn’t much sun...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 09/10/2021 | 2:00pm

    Kestrel raced through the San Juan Channel and swiftly popped out into the open Juan de Fuca. Now we’re full steam ahead. A popular family of six whales had been spotted hard south just north of Port Williams but getting there would mean 50 minutes of high speed flying. Fortunately, this is exactly what Kestrel was made for so Captain Eric and I were stoked. 

    When we finally arrived on scene, we were greeted by one whale: T065A3,...

Haleigh | M/V Kestrel | September 4, 2021 | 10:00 am and 2:00 pm

Both our morning and afternoon adventure tour began cruising south through the San Juan Channel. One observant guest on our AM trip picked up a Minke Whale almost immediately with our guest spotting the elongated body and hooked dorsal fin poking up through the water. This Minke Whale surfaced a few times but seemed to be cruising northbound, so we said our goodbyes and continued the search. 

This took us towards...

Haleigh | M/V Kestrel| August 15, 2021 | 10:00 am

We got underway this morning as clouds rolled towards Friday Harbor from the south. Luckily, we were heading north, following reports of Bigg’s Killer Whales near Vancouver, BC. Out on the water the swells were small and the sky over us stayed blue as we headed towards Canada full speed ahead, knowing we had a lot of ground to cover. We made a stop at Flat Top island to admire some plump and adorable Harbor Seals before continuing...

Jordan | M/V Osprey | 07/23/2021 12:30pm

What a fantastic day!

Captain Gabe, Naturalist Alexandria, Olivia and I jumped on Osprey and headed out towards adventure.

We were incredibly lucky as we rounded the corner and found whales immediately outside of Friday Harbor! Everyone got so excited as these six beautiful orca whales cruised down the San Juan Channel. As we admired their wild grace, they led us through Upright Channel above Lopez Island. We watched as they searched the...