It’s a bit rainy here today in the Pacific Northwest (good one, right?) but that didn’t stop our guests from being excited and enthusiastic about looking for wildlife.  We left Friday Harbor with no whale reports, not uncommon for this time of year.  We decided to head North toward the Canadian Gulf Islands.  As we were traveling we came across some harbor porpoise in the larger channels.  As we continued along our search route we came across a number of bald eagles, both perched and...

Today we left Friday Harbor with no immediate reports of whales in the area.  But, as whale and wildlife watching goes, there was ample opportunity for a great day on the water.  As we started heading North to survey for whales we got the report of a humpback whale in Boundary Pass just South of the Canadian Gulf Islands.  As we headed up to that area we saw multiple bald eagles in flight as well as harbor seals and harbor porpoises.  We made it to the area of the reported humpback...

Today Captain Pete, Kayak Guide Jordan and I headed out on another tour on the M/V Sea Lion. We have been having some excellent weather lately, and it has been a true pleasure to be out on the water. Leaving Friday Harbor we headed North through San Juan Channel towards Spieden Island.

In Spieden channel we had an awesome encounter with some foraging Steller’s sea lions. There were at least twenty of the huge pinnipeds in the water! The animals were surfacing around the very active...

We had a wintery day out on the water on Monday. Captain Mike and I headed north into Canadian waters on the search for whales and wildlife! We saw many bald eagles scattered trough the evergreen trees and enjoyed looking for harbor seals hauled out on the shores. We motored around Spieden and Flattop Islands, marveling at how beautiful the greenery of the islands looked under the low clouds.

We continued on our search pattern north into Boundary Pass, crossing over the large...

While May through September tends to be peak season for spotting killer whales, also known as orcas, here in the San Juan Islands, we are in the midst of a second peak in whale sightings right now. From about September into November we have our peak sightings of humpback whales. These past weeks have been just spectacular for spotting these beautiful creatures.

A Background on the Mighty Humpback

Humpback whales are regarded to be the fourth or fifth largest whales in the world...

Yesterday was another wonderful day on the water. Fall still has amazing wildlife to show off here in the San Juan Islands. We headed north to start the search for whales yet again. We went all the way up into the Canadian Gulf Islands which are still beautiful but in a different way. As you move north into the Southern Gulf Islands of Canada the islands become taller and closer together crating these beautiful narrow passageways that we got to motor through yesterday. We went...

You know what people love more than whales? Nothing except more whales and maybe perhaps the idea of autumn as they drown everything in brighter earth tones, sweaters, and pumpkin spice flavoring, but today wasn’t one of those days it was a whale of a day. Captain Mike, myself and Alex headed north to search for the Southern Resident Orcas. We first spotted them around East Point on Saturna Island. This place is one of my favorite in the islands, the current get a little bit crazy...

The last two days have been spectacular working on M/V Kestrel, and have truly made me appreciate the capabilities of the vessel.

On Friday Captain Mike and I took our guests over towards the city of Victoria to find a pair of humpback whales travelling out to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. WE enjoyed watching those incredible creatures surface and fluke-up, raising their giant tails in the air, as they traveled. Humpback whales are a fairly recent re-addition to the Salish Sea...

This week on San Juan Island, it's been warm. We don't usually get weather in the 80's out here! Of course, it didn't last for too long. The weather decided to change on us for our whale watch yesterday afternoon. It was breezy, chilly, and the temperature was hanging out right around the 60's, but that only makes the adventure more exciting! Our exposure suits were the perfect barrier between us and the wind, and we stayed dry and toasty warm from the moment we pulled out of Friday...

Whales, whales, whales...we have a marvelously diverse marine ecosystem out here, but of course, sometimes we get to encounter the biggest marine mammals of all. Humpbacks, minkes, killer whales, gray whales...each day brings new sightings and new experiences! Sea Lion was up and running, ready for her two trips on this wonderful Saturday afternoon. Pulling out of Friday Harbor with the breeze tugging at our hair and sleeves, there was a feeling of anticipation and the taste of...