Maxx | M/V Kestrel | September 5th 2024 | 2:00pm

September is without a doubt my favorite month to transit through the Salish sea; the lighting is perfect, town has mellowed out a bit, and certain frequent flier whales make their way back to the region for a visit. 

The T018s seem to love the shoulder season here. With a range anywhere from SE Alaska straight down to Northern California, Bigg’s killer whales could theoretically be seen all throughout the year in this region. However, they don’t...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 008/15/2022 | 12:30pm
Today was a stunner! My goodness was it beautiful out- the sun was out and proud, Baker, Reiner and the Olympics stood boldly over the Juan de Fuca and seas were as calm as could be (we LOVE that). Kestrel carefully meandered out of Friday Harbor and zipped south through the San Juan Channel. It didn’t take too long for us to make our first stop at a haul out of Harbor Seals.
We most often see these pinnipeds hauled out on rocky...

Monday August 15th, 2022

Abby Dahl

M/V Osprey 12:30pm

Gabe, Helena, Olivia, and I pulled away from the dock with recreational boat traffic lined up for the fuel dock; a mid-summer reminder that the season end is nearer than we could fathom. With walkies attached to each hip, we navigated our way out of the harbor and introduced the wildlife and ecology of the area to a boat full of new friends.

We veered right through San Juan Channel, southbound to a humpback whale report. The...

Elle | M/V Kestrel | 7/27/2022 | 2:00 PM

After departing from Friday Harbor we headed south in San Juan Channel. Near Cattle Point Lighthouse, we entered some choppy water, produced by fast currents mixing together, as well as wind. Above the waves, we saw a fifteen-foot puff of air: an exhalation from a humpback whale! The whale surfaced and dove, rarely staying under the water for more than a few minutes as it fought against a six-knot current. The whale didn’t make much progress...

July 21st, 2022

Abby Dahl

2pm M/V Sea Lion

Captain Erick and I chugged out of a busy Roche Harbor, with our sights set on a humpback whale just north of Stuart Island on the Canadian border. We cruised by some thermoregulating harbor seals and their newborn pups, with the sun glistening off the calm waters of Spieden Channel. When we got to the humpback whale identified as the female “Fallen Knight,” we had some great looks and some beautiful tail flukes.

Upon leaving the scene and...

7/20/2022

MV Osprey

Helena

12:30

This Wednesday MV Osprey and the crew departed the harbor around 12:30pm hungry for adventure! We journeyed south down San Juan Channel into Cattle Pass. Our fantastic mountain ranges gave spectacular backdrops as we took in Cattle Point Lighthouse. In the mid-1800s, cattle off-loaded from ships by Hudson Bay Company gave Cattle Point and Cattle Pass its name. Beneath the vessel we began to feel the colliding currents of the Haro Strait, The Strait...

Helena

MV Osprey

7/6/22

12:30pm

This hump day was filled with beautiful humpback looks along Stuart Island! We began our adventure by turning north up San Juan Channel. Today the water was calm and visibility was great, making for easy scanning along the rocky shorelines and broader horizon. Along the south side of Waldron Island we spotted several Harbor Porpoises taking quick exhalations at the water’s surface. These cetaceans are the second smallest in the world and we typically...

July 1st, 2022

Abby Dahl

12:30pm Osprey

We left the dock on a beautiful, cloudy Friday afternoon. There had not been any whale sightings yet for the day, so we strapped on our binos and kept an eye out for anything remotely whale-like. We cruised north through San Juan Channels potting harbor seals and bald eagles. After some time, we were notified that a humpback whale known as BCX0915, better known as “Fallen Knight” was nearby, on the west side of Orcas Island.

We had some great...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 06/28/2022 | 2:00pm

    Sometimes it's really nice to mix things up. We are super fortunate for pretty stellar weather during the summer: sunny skies and little wind. Though every now and again Mother Nature mixes it up on us, and today was one of those days. 

    Kestrel zoomed out of Friday Harbor southbound, shooting out of Cattle Pass and rounding the southern shores of Lopez Island. We stopped at Davidson Rock where we heard rumors of a Humpback whale. 

 ...

Maxx K. | 06/20/2022 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00pm

    It took next to no time for Kestrel to fly into the Juan de Fuca today. The sea was just choppy enough to spice up our travels a little bit as we raced off to meet Big Mama and her calf over Hein bank. Big Mama is probably the coolest Humpback whale that I’ve ever met. She’s a pioneer to start, being one of the first humpbacks observed here during the Humpback Comeback back in 1997. Since then she returns here year after year and has...