(7/23/17- M/V Sea Lion- 5:30 PM)

This evening we departed from our Friday Harbor dock with reports of some of our Southern Resident Killer Whales heading up the west side of San Juan Island.  This is only my fourth time seeing these whales all season, so our guests today got a real treat. 

We headed up San Juan Channel where we stopped by some rocks and saw a few harbor seals hauled out while the tide was out.  Harbor seals haul out usually once a day in order to warm their body...

Lauren Fritz, M/V Sea Lion, 07/25/17, 1:30 pm & 5:30 pm Tours

There was lots of excitement this morning when we heard reports that J-pod, one of the Southern Resident Killer Whale pods in this area, was still hanging around in the Salish Sea. Earlier whale watching tours had spotted them cruising around out in Rosario Strait. We didn't know it at the start, but we would have the chance to see these amazing whales on both of our tours today! 

Naturalist Sarah and I made sure Sea Lion...

Lauren Fritz, 6/1/17, M/V Sea Lion, 12 pm and 5:30 pm

I was happy as a clam this morning when I woke to reports that our J-pod friends were still hanging around the islands! Every day starts out a mystery, as it should. These wild animals can swim 100 miles in a day, so just because we saw them yesterday doesn't necessarily mean we will see them the next day. In fact, that's no indicator at all! We are at the mercy of these creatures and their travel patterns.

M/V Sea Lion had two...

Yesterday we had our first evening trip for this season and it was one for the books!  Earlier in the day we saw all of members of J pod, a total of 24 whales, resting together on the South West side of San Juan Island.  Thankfully, the whales decided to stay in the area for our evening trip, which allowed our guests to have a relaxing and enjoyable view of these Southern resident killer whales.  On our way to the whale sighting we came across some playful Dall’s porpoise.  Always a...

(May 7, 2017)  After a couple of weeks of hanging lefts out of Friday Harbor and heading for Canadian waters to watch transient orca, humpback, grey, and minke whales, it felt strange to bear right and run south in San Juan Channel.  Such a move often signals that our resident killer whale pods have returned to hunt salmon on the west side of the archipelago, and today was no exception.

Before we reached our destination, we stumbled upon a small pod of Dall’s porpoise.  Our...

Of the three days so far in April, the M/V Sea Lion is batting 100% in terms of whale sightings. Yesterday was a spectacular day on the water, definitely in my top five of trips ever… It’s not even summer! Captain Mike, Naturalist Andrew, and I elected to head north out of Friday Harbor, and then decided to travel around the north end of San Juan Island towards Haro Strait. We had a bluebird day and there was wildlife everywhere.

The tour started with some awesome...

I often measure time in days, weeks, *gasp* months between whale encounters. In the winter orca encounters are sporadic, but as we creep into springtime there are more and more sightings and less and less time between those sweet moments.

This morning I rolled out of bed, ate some breakfast, took the dog for a walk at English Camp (look at the picture, she’s adorable), and then checked the reports from our Pacific Whale Watch Association member companies. I couldn’t help but grin...

Let’s see…it’s Saturday on Labor Day weekend, which means the island is buzzing a little bit more than usual. Restaurants start to require reservations, ferries require a longer wait time, and we get to take more folks out on our boats! This buzz creates a wonderful atmosphere, since folks flock here to celebrate the end of summer and are in the mood to soak up the sun and enjoy themselves. And, as it turns out, it wasn’t just humans that wanted to congregate here this weekend! Some...

We all like to eat, let's be real. Mammals need food. Sometimes lots of it, especially if you're a 15,000 pound killer whale who sometimes swims over 100 miles a day. You're burning calories nonstop, and life is a constant search for food. So, you're hungry, and you're a Southern Resident orca - what do you do next? 

Well, since you've got a refined palate, you're going to be on the hunt for some King Salmon, also called Chinook. And where would you find such a fish? If it's the...

Yesterday we enjoyed yet another stunning July day on the water around San Juan Island.  Naturalist Erick, Captain Mike and I were excited to be able to share some of our famous, critically endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKWs) with our guests on the 1:30 departure from Friday Harbor. The water was glassy and as we cruised the air was just the right level of chilly over the water. It was a perfect day to watch some whales.

We were lucky enough to encounter some of L-pod...