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Sunset Spectacular with Transient Whales Near Friday Harbor

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 05/08/2021 |5:30pm

Today was one of the most magical trips of the season! And perhaps, my career.

It began just like any other day as Captain Pete and I gathered our guests and headed out of Friday Harbor. But, unlike a typical trip, it was a mere 2 minutes before we found the whales!

There was a pod of 4 Transient whales sleepily swimming up the San Juan Channel. There were hardly any other boats out as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky and cast a...

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Quadruple Sightings with Transient Orcas and Gray Whales Near Cattle Point!

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 04/18/2021 |1:00pm

Today was one of the most incredible trips of the season! I felt so grateful that all my guests got to experience such a lucky tour.

It began as a normal day as we enjoyed the Sunday sunshine in Friday Harbor. Everyone felt excited but a little nervous about what we may see during the trip. Captain Pete and I hopped on our boat, the Sea Lion, and headed down south towards the southern tip of San Juan.

As we approached Cattle Point lighthouse...

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Transient Orcas Hunting on the Canadian Boarder!

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 04/17/2021 |1:00pm

What a fantastic day! It started off incredibly warm and sunny as the bright blue sky promised a great trip no matter what we ended up seeing.

Captain Pete and I jumped on the Sea Lion with our excited guests and boated out towards sea. Heading up the San Juan Channel, we passed Shaw and Orcas Islands and rounded the northern coastline of San Juan. Continuing back around, we headed south down the Haro Strait.

We started to see boats in the...

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First Sunset Tour with Both Transients and Southern Resident Orcas!

Jordan Higgins Blogs

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 04/10/2021 |5:00pm

Today was the very first Sunset Tour of the season!! Captain Pete and I were very excited to enjoy the islands at such a beautiful time of the day. We invited our guests to our vessel, the Sea Lion, and set out of Friday Harbor to find some wildlife.

We boated up north through the San Juan Channel and up towards tiny Islands near Orcas and Shaw Island. We wound our way around gorgeous rocks and nearby forests. As we...

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Double Whammy with BOTH Residents and Transient Orcas!

Jordan Higgins | M/V Sea lion | 04/03/21 |1:00pm

Today was such a special day! It is pretty rare that we see both the Southern Resident Killer Whales and the Transient Orcas in one trip. I felt very lucky and I’m fairly sure all my guests felt the same way.

Captain Pete and I began the day like any other, boating out of Friday Harbor and listening to any reports of orcas in the area. We got word from a research vessel that the Residents were only a few minutes away! So, we headed...

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Bigg's Orcas

A huge Group of Bigg's Orcas Scared off by Some Surprise Southern Resident Killer Whales!

Today we had another trip on our adventure boat, M/V Kestrel! It was another stunning summer day in the San Juan Islands. We had blue skies, calm seas, and a light breeze. Capt. Brian and I took a group of guests out to go search for some amazing wildlife in the Salish Sea! There had been reports of Southern Resident Killer Whales on the west side of San Juan Island and a report of some Bigg’s (Transient) Killer Whales east of us in Rosario Strait. These types are both orcas but have...

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Biggs Killer Whales, Dall’s Porpoise, Harbor Porpoise, Steller Sea Lions, and Harbor Seals!

M/V Sea Lion| Sunday, October 13th, 2019 | Naturalist Alexandria

What a full day we had today!  With fall in full swing here on San Juan Island, it sure turned out to be the perfect fall day! The sunshine was out as we departed on our trip aboard M/V Sea Lion and we had already heard of a report of orcas in Rosario Strait!

We headed out of Friday Harbor and aimed towards that report.  On our way we were lucky enough to see some Harbor porpoise swimming by us, these critters are...

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Southern Resident Killer Whales in Haro Strait

Extremely Epic Orca and Humpback Sighting!!

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 09/18/19 | 12:00pm

What a crazy epic day today!

Captain Gabe, Naturalist Piper and I took the Sea Lion out of Friday Harbor and headed north through the San Juan Channel. We heard reports from deep within Canadian territory, so we headed that direction. Boating above Stuart Island and crossing Boundary Pass, we crossed the border. We continued up toward Georgeson Pass, intertwining between gorgeous islands, admiring the birds flying by.

As we emerged into open...

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