Laura | M/V Kestrel | 4/24/2021 | 2:00PM

Today was a most adventurous day on M/V Kestrel!  The skies were quite cloudy with scattered showers, but the seas were glass calm.  Skies like these can increase the possibility of seeing whales, as the darker skies lift whale blows against a backdrop that really makes them pop!  Sometimes the glare from the sun can make it difficult to stare out looking for dorsal fins or exhalations so I was excited to start looking for whales today. ...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | April 19th, 2021 | 13:00

Shortly after departing the dock, we received word of some Killer Whale reports northeast of Orcas Island. We immediately started heading that way north around the islands, passing lots of wildlife along the way such as harlequin ducks, rhinoceros auklets, pigeon guillemots, cormorants, Harbor Seals, and swimming Steller’s Sea Lions. About halfway between Barnes and Matia Islands, we started to see three spouts of Bigg’s Killer Whales...

Olivia | April 18th, 2021 | M/V Kestrel | 14:00

It felt great to get back out on my first M/V Kestrel trip of the season with Captain Brian, especially since it was warm, calm, AND sunny around the islands. We started the trip with a great group of people excited to get out and see what the Salish Sea had to offer. We departed the dock by heading south towards Cattle Point, stopping mid channel to view a giant bait ball with lots of bird action including a variety of gulls...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | April 12th, 2021 | 13:00

What a clear day in the San Juan Islands! Not only could we see Koma Kulshan (Mount Baker) standing tall from the North Cascades, but we could also see Tahoma (Mount Rainier) to the south! You know it is a special day in the Salish Sea when both volcanoes are making an appearance. Starting off the trip, Captain Sarah took us south through San Juan Channel passing heaps of Rhinoceros Auklets. On the southern side of Salmon Bank, we...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | April 6th, 2021 | 13:00

We already knew it would be a great day out on the water with Mount Baker making an appearance on the horizon. Our active volcano in the North Cascades is referred to as “Koma Kulshan”, meaning white sentinel with a side missing and known for being the nesting place for the thunderbird! After dipping north through San Juan Channel, we eventually moved inland to creep our way closer towards Anacortes. Almost all the way there, we came...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | March 29th, 2021 | 13:00

M/V Sea Lion was chartered by an all-female crew today! Captain Sarah and I set out to have one of the craziest and most exciting days this 2021 season in the Salish Sea! We immediately left the dock with reports of Killer Whales in the vicinity. Not just any Killer Whales, though, there were rumors of SIX different families of Bigg’s Killer Whales- averaging around 22 transient orcas uniting on the upper west side of San Juan Island...

Jordan Higgins | M/V Sea lion | 03/27/21 |1:00pm

Today was a fantastic day out on the water! Captain Pete, Laura and I hopped on our vessel, the Sea Lion, and took off out of Friday Harbor.

We were lucky to begin the tour with reports of Southern Resident whales just a couple islands away! But, before we could even leave the harbor, we found a different wildlife surprise: Steller sea lions! There were three of them lounging in the water, showing off their massive bodies as they...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion| March 26th, 2021| 13:00

Heading south today towards the Strait of Juan de Fuca, we immediately spotted a swimming Steller’s Sea Lion, as well as multiple species of cormorants, gulls, and even loons! This was a good foreshadow for what was to come at Whale Rocks at the bottom of Cattle Pass. Slowing down to gain a better look, we not only saw multiple Harbor Seals right at the base of the water’s edge, but also heaps of hauled out Steller’s Sea Lions! These...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | March 22nd, 2021 | 13:00

Today was an unexpected and exceptional spring day in the San Juan Islands. Setting out with an all-female crew, Captain Sara and I started our search by heading north towards Flattop Island, looking at Seal haul out locations and bumping into Boundary Pass, staying on the U.S side of the border. Turning Southwest on our journey, we cut through John’s Pass, aiming for the Haro Strait. It was on this trek that we caught word of Killer...

Olivia | M/V Kestrel | September 20th, 2020 | 10:00

Heading off into the foggy water opened our morning adventure to one big adventure. We traveled north into the cool morning, and shortly after crossing through President’s Channel, the sky appeared and the fog settled, bringing in the glorious morning sun. It was one of the first mornings in a while where we could see the surrounding islands since we have had so much smoke from the wildfires. All of this contributed to high spirits...