Olivia | M/V Osprey | June 17th, 2021 | 12:30pm 

Wowzers was today an incredible day we experienced! We were able to watch a Humpback Whale right outside Friday Harbor and fluked with every dive! This led us to amazing views of the sparkling salt water gracefully dripping off the tail of this ocean giant. Nearby we even saw Harbor Porpoise presumably feeding on similarly sized bait fish, and heaps of migratory birds casually diving within San Juan Channel. Continuing north during our...

Laura | M/V Osprey | 6/10/2021 | 12:30 PM

Summer is here in the Salish Sea!  We had an awesome trip with 4 Bigg’s killer whales southbound in San Juan Channel!  It is not common for us to have orcas right outside of Friday Harbor, but if the stars align and our vessel departs as whales are passing by, we have found ourselves in the middle of an epic wildlife experience!  And today was not a day to disappoint!

M/V Osprey headed north in San Juan Channel and within 10 minutes our...

Olivia | M/V Osprey | June 9th, 2021 | 12:30pm 

Heading south through San Juan Channel, we started our whale watching adventure by checking in on a whale rumor in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. By the time we passed Cattle Point Lighthouse, we caught sight of black dorsal fins on the southwest side of San Juan Island. This was a delighted sight since the initial reports were far south in an area called Hein Bank, a shallow bank in the big waters if the strait. Bigg’s Killer Whales and...

Laura | M/V Osprey | 5/28/2021 | 12:30 PM

Today was an exciting day boating in the Rosario Strait!  We headed out of Friday Harbor on M/V Osprey with Captain Gabe, Captain Pete, Olivia, me, and a boat full of excited passengers.  We had a report of orcas earlier in the day and were making our way over to the area they were last sighted near Guemes Island.  As we slowed down our vessel passengers were thrilled to see blows and large black dorsal fins of Bigg’s killer whales! 

The...

Laura | M/V Osprey | 5/28/2021 | 12:30 PM

Today was an exciting day boating in the Rosario Strait!  We headed out of Friday Harbor on M/V Osprey with Captain Gabe, Captain Pete, Olivia, me, and a boat full of excited passengers.  We had a report of orcas earlier in the day and were making our way over to the area they were last sighted near Guemes Island.  As we slowed down our vessel passengers were thrilled to see blows and large black dorsal fins of Bigg’s killer whales! 

The...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | May 27th, 2021 | 13:00 

Leaving the dock today, we had one of the lowest tides I have ever seen with the Super [Blood] moon in full effect this week. With mud flats extending below the pier and lots of crabs and critters making their debut, we set out in search of whales and wildlife. We also had the pleasure of leaving he dock with some reported orcas in the area. To give our guests the best chances of seeing these whales, we immediately started heading south...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | May 27th, 2021 | 13:00 

Leaving the dock today, we had one of the lowest tides I have ever seen with the Super [Blood] moon in full effect this week. With mud flats extending below the pier and lots of crabs and critters making their debut, we set out in search of whales and wildlife. We also had the pleasure of leaving he dock with some reported orcas in the area. To give our guests the best chances of seeing these whales, we immediately started heading south...

Laura | M/V Sea Lion | 4/21/2021 | 1:00PM

It was a typical Tuesday in April as we headed out of Friday Harbor without a known whale report.  This is very common as most vessels head out of the marina around the same time and we all start communicating our charted plan for the day.  As soon as M/V Sea Lion headed out of Friday Harbor, there was a bald eagle resting perfectly perched near the Friday Harbor Marine Lab trails.  We took a quick look and then headed through Upright Channel...

Olivia | M/V Kestrel | September 13th, 2020 | 14:00

With wildfires burning in California, Oregon, and Washington, the San Juan Islands were cradled in a thick layer of smoke. In addition to that, a thick fog settled in, making visibility extend only about 100 yards and eventually 250 to 300 yards off every direction of the boat. We did not let this weather get us down and set off north in search of whales!

Just north of Spieden and Flattop Islands, we caught a glimpse of black dorsal...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | Septemeber 6th, 2020 | 13:00

The best thing about viewing wildlife is the pure fact that they are WILD! Every behavior is based on their timeline and comprised of raw moments they would be partaking in with or without us in the vicinity. That means, some days we travel almost 2 hours one way to see whales, some days we only have 3 sea lions hauled out opposed to 15, and some days we get lucky when they come right near San Juan Island and make the day feel...