Today we left Friday Harbor and headed south down the east side of San Juan Island through Cattle Pass. Cattle Pass is known for torrential currents because both Haro Strait and the Strait of Juan De Fuca converge demanding to be let through. In the midst of Cattle Pass we saw stacked nests of Double Crested Cormorants on Goose Island, Harbor Seals hauled out on Whale Rocks and a Bald Eagle fishing on Long Island.

The snow capped peaks of the Olympic Penninsula were clearly visible...

What a beautiful day for a whale watch!  Sunny, warm and calm waters. The whales were reported to be off the west side of San Juan Island but by the time we were off and running they had made their way up to Saturna island. These whales were moving really fast! Captain Mike positioned us just ahead of the leaders and far enough away from other boats to lower our hydrophone (our underwater microphone). Wow they were really making a lot of noise! The tide was changing and the whales...

Today, although the clouds cooperated and cleared way for the sun to shine upon our faces, the wind decided it would continue to bluster all throughout the day. Ah well, we said, and crashed the M.V. Kittiwake through the waves. Onward to Canada, we sped!

The whales had been reported in 4-5 foot swells of the south end of San Juan Island mid-morning today. By the time we reached them on our afternoon trip they were already all the way to North Pender Island! North Pender is one of...

Big Slap! Wild Tail Slap by Herb Hartman

Marine Naturalist Ashley by Herb Hartman

Marine Naturalist Ashley by Herb Hartman

Four Orcas Fishing by Herb Hartman

Four Orcas Fishing by Herb Hartman

Solo Orca Whale by Herb Hartman

Solo Orca Whale by Herb Hartman

Three Traveling Orca Whales by Herb Hartman

Three Traveling Orca Whales by Herb Hartman

Male Humpback Hawaii Herb

Head Lunge Hawaii Herb

One Orca Whale with Mountains by Herb

Saddle Patch of Orca Whale by Herb

Marine Naturalist Lauren of San Juan Safaris by Herb

Mature Bald Eagle in Flight by Herb

Mature Bald Eagle in a Tree by Herb

Sally and Casey Whale Watching Naturalists by Herb

Look for a Herbs photo of Mama Humpback carrying her baby on her rostrum (nose). Thanks Herb!

Well we are all becoming overly familiar with the Canadian waters these days.  Reports were in that once again the Orcas were near the coal docks but it was music to our ears to hear they were at least headed south our direction. It was a beautiful day for a boat ride so we didn't mind the extra time it took to reach the whales. The whales were spread out in many small groupings and very active. We saw many breaches and lots of tail slapping. It's always exciting to see but even more...

Sunday, July 18th, 2010 was an evening to remember.  The crew aboard the M/V Sea Lion never thought they would be so deeply touched in the presence of the orca whales.  We spotted at least 12 members of the L-pod traveling in small groups of 3-5 near Eagle Point.  The calm waters on the west side of San Juan Island made for perfect viewing conditions.  Adult and juvenile whales were hauling their large, glossy bodies out of the water left and right.  Breaching, spy hopping...

In the San Juan Islands, we are blessed with an abundance of wildlife. We are one of 7 places on Earth with a high population of orcas. Almost every single day for the past two weeks we have seen them off the west side of our very own island, San Juan. The west side of the island is where the land based whale watching park is located. Like a stationary sentinel, it watches the orcas foraging off the cliffs below.  We are one of the few places in the world where you can see 'black and...

The reports were in, telling us to search near the west side of San Juan Island for a group of L-pod orca whales.  We arrived at False Bay shortly after departing from Friday Harbor.  A cross-cultural crew of guests from Singapore to Kentucky adjusted their binoculars and were ready to see our famous Southern Resident Orcas.  Their dreams of visiting the remarkable San Juan Islands this summer had finally become a reality.  From the sunny deck of the Sea Lion we saw a tall, glossy...

Today was a unique day. Most of the 23 people aboard the Sea Lion were part of a wedding party. The funny thing is, no one told me a couple was getting married on board. It was innocuously written in our reservation book. When I asked the pastor if he needed the space cleared of people for the ceremony he said to me "These are all our guests." And he didn't just mean the people they'd brought with them. There were several guests in the cabin who didn't even realize two people were...