Alexandria | Thursday, May 17, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00 PM

We all boarded M/V Sea Lion and pushed off the dock, happy to see that the afternoon had cleared up and the threat of rain was no longer something people were worried about. As we got off the dock we headed out into San Juan Channel and then over to Rosario Strait. 

Captain Pete was in constant communication with all the other captains on the water, and we were all working together to scout the area.  We each chose a...

Sarah | 05/13/2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

We had another amazing day in the Salish Sea today. I know that I say that every day, or at least every time I write a blog, but I’m serious… this is the coolest place ever! Today this ecosystem was truly a delight to explore and we had amazing views throughout the duration of our boat trip!

Captain Pete and I elected to head north today into the nutrient rich and productive waters of Boundary Pass and the Strait of Georgia. This area of...

M/V Sea Lion | May 11, 2019 | Naturalist Alexandria

What a great day we had today out on the water!  Captain Pete, Erick and myself all hit the water with no firm reports of whales, but as we headed north up San Juan Channel we heard of some Humpbacks that had been seen up in Boundary Pass!

We were just passing through Presidents Channel- right off of Orcas Island- and were already headed in the right direction! Along the way we got some good looks at a few harbor porpoise swimming...

Sarah | 10/29/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

We had a great trip on M/V Sea Lion, enjoying the sweeping scenery of the Salish Sea as well as great encounters with wildlife. Heading north out of Friday Harbor, we decided to point the boat towards the Outer Islands of the San Juans, and into Canadian waters. After some rain in the morning we were treated to a high clog ceiling and even some blue skies over smooth water.

With no reports of whales or other wildlife as we left the dock we...

Sarah | 10/26/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

On a stunning Pacific Northwest October afternoon Captain Mike and I loaded up a group of wonderful people who were excited to enjoy the Salish Sea. Mike and I decided to head north towards Canadian waters, and to divide and conquer with other whale watch boats out on the water. The San Juan Island whale watch fleet spread out as we left Friday Harbor, communicating with everyone else via radio!

We wove our way through the islands...

What an amazing day our trip was!  Captain Brian and myself started our day out with no firm reports of whales, which is not unique for this time of year- it just means that we were even more determined to find some awesome things for our new friends on board to see!

We worked our way up North, heading toward the Strait of Georgia.  We checked out some Steller Sea Lions on our way up there, they were pretty entertaining!  As we were heading into the Strait we kept our eyes peeled...

Sarah | 09/28/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

September has always been my favorite month out on the water. In these seasonal transitions the ecosystem is super dynamic creating unique opportunities for wildlife viewing. On Friday we were incredibly lucky to encounter a humpback whale on our afternoon Classic Whale Watch.

Captain Mike, Naturalist Clai, and I decided to head west on our noon departure from Friday Harbor. Though sightings vary drastically day to day, recently heading...

Sarah | 09/27/2018 | M/V Kestrel | 10:00am Charter

We had a marvelous morning out on the water with a private charter. We love getting private groups out on the boats because we can tailor the trip to exactly what the group wants! On Thursday that meant whales!

Captain Gabe and I loaded up our guests and headed left out of Friday Harbor, pointing north for Canadian waters. M/V Kestrel is an amazing tool for whale watching, because no matter where we have reports of whales, we can...

Today was an incredible day on our afternoon adventure tour from Friday Harbor. It was one of those September days that I spend allllllll summer thinking about. We left the dock under bright blue skies with great reports of whales around the San Juan Islands.

We headed north towards the reports of whales, and first encountered a pair of humpback whales know as BCY0160 “Heather” and BCY0660 “Raptor.” As we got on to scene one of the massive whales lifted its pectoral fins out of the...

[Sarah | 08/22/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 01:30 Classic Tour]

On Wednesday Captain Pete, naturalist Mariana, and I ventured out on the Salish Sea under smoky conditions. Though we have had record smoke from the surrounding area’s wildfires and light wind conditions making the smoke hang over the islands, our wildlife sightings have been unaffected.

We left Friday Harbor and headed south through San Juan Channel, catching glimpses of harbor porpoise and seals as we cruised through the flat...