Today we headed out in full force with both boats, the Sea Lion and Kittiwake. We heard a few rumors of Big Black Fish milling around Lime Kiln so we headed in that direction. As we passed South Beach we saw our first group of dorsal fins break the water surface ( Haro Strait, 48°26.27N 123°01.48W).

Big “Mike” (J26) somehow made his way into a group of female K’s including “Raggedy” (K40) and seemed to be looking for a hot a date! He was definitely showing off what he’s got...

It was a terrific day around the San Juan Islands in terms of weather and wildlife. As we left Friday Harbor heading south, the sun was shining and the water flat. Perfect for spotting the many harbor seals hauled out, covering every small rocky island exposed during high tide. We also passed Goose Island where cormorants were taking advantage of the sun as well, drying off their feathers.

Then we rounded cattle point and saw our first dorsal fin break the water just south of False...

Members of J-pod, K-pod, and L-Pod where traveling together again today out in Rosario Strait just southwest of Lopez Island; coordinates 48°24.051N 122°50.23W. Within a few minutes of reaching the area, the Sea Lion (our boat) was surrounded by whales on all sides! It didn’t matter in which direction we looked everyone was bound to see the whales surface. And man did it seem like they were in their realm!! We saw almost every behavior possible; from spyhopping to lobtailling to...

From my experience, the best whale watching days occur in weather similar to today's: overcast and rainy. However, everyone was positive and optimistic that we would see whales. Well, not only did we see Orcas, we saw both ecotypes!

Our boat, the Sea Lion, headed north out of Friday Harbor towards East Point. Along the way we spotted some harbor seals as well as a juvenile bald eagle. Then, as we came across the north end of Orcas Island there was word that Transient killer whales...

We had an amazing day in the San Juan Islands. The rain held off, the seas were calm, and we saw Killer Whales! Upon leaving Friday Harbor we motored south along the east side of San Juan Island and made our first stop at Tern Island to view Harbor Seals hauled-out on the rocks. We continued south and stopped at Goose Island to see a number of bird species. We then traveled around to the south end of the San Juan Island and found the Resident Killer Whales about 2 miles southwest of...

Today we traveled north into Canadian waters and caught up with about 7 or 8 members of J-Pod just off Point Roberts; coordinates: 48°56.97N, 123°10.25W. As we arrived on the scene the whales were quite spread out allowing guests to look in every direction and see at least one or two. Other than San Juan Safaris, Western Prince was the only other American boat who had made the trek to see the return of the residents and man was it a show! A few members of the pod were Lobtailling and...

A day of adventure here in the San Juan Islands.  We departed on flat, calm water cruising north through the San Juan Channel when we heard reports of killer whales on the west side of the island near Kellet Bluff.  We found the whales 1.5 miles offshore from Lime Kiln Point (48°32.49’N, 123°10.71’W). 

The whales were members of J-Pod.  They were spread out, and cruising along the coast headed south.  A member of the L-Pod, L87 “Onyx”, was also seen among the J’s. ...

Today’s trip we began by heading west through the San Juan and Shaw Channels. As we passed between Lopez Island and San Juan Island we stopped at a rock that was covered on one half with Steller Sea Lions and the other half with Harbor Seals. There was also a lone Bald Eagle present, overlooking the rock. The passengers were thrilled!

We then looped around San Juan to the west side and were able to catch up with four individuals from J-Pod. There was one large male, a female, and two...

With early news of orca spottings, today’s tour headed north towards the U.S./Canadian international border.  Once we reached Turn Point we saw a few boats in the area and began our search. Within a quick ten minutes we had spotted two members of J-pod, our southern residents, and were able to follow them, watching them mill around and rise above the water's surface.

After about twenty minutes we moved on with our search and headed back southwest. It only took a couple hundred yards...

Calm seas, sunshine, and ORCAS!

Upon leaving the harbor we traveled along the eastside of San Juan Island and found members of the J-Pod at the southern end of the island.  For much of our encounter, the whales were spread out over a large distance but would then regroup and spend time within close proximity of each other.

Whales were traveling, milling, and exhibited foraging behavior, although no fish were seen.  We heard amazing vocalizations using our underwater hydrophone...