Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 05/01/2022 | 1:30pm

    Today was kinda perfect. Before we even began suiting up a group of Killer Whales had been picked up in the Juan de Fuca and were angled straight up towards the San Juans. We hadn’t even touched water and it was already shaping up to be a great day!

    We stopped first at Goose Island and scoped out the Glaucus Gulls, Double Crested and Pelagic Cormorants that rested on the rocks steep sides. 

    We continued onward and it didn’t take...

Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | April 28th, 2022 | 12:30pm

Leaving the dock today, we were elated with the weeklong streak of sunny weather. Cool winds and warm skies guided us inner island towards Rosario Strait, passing heaps of bait balls and feeding Rhinoceros Auklets. Kissing the southern end of Lummi Island, we spotted black dorsal fins seemingly hugging the shoreline.

In my opinion, Lummi Island is one of the most breathtaking islands within the San Juan’s. The lush green, cliffy...

Olivia | M/V Osprey | April 23rd, 2022 | 12:30pm

On our first Osprey trip of the season and the sunniest day of the week, we decided to head south in an effort to see some orcas down by Victoria, B.C. The beauty of this day could not be matched as we continually motored through glassy seas past bellowing Steller’s Sea Lions, swimming Harbor Seals, feeding Harbor Porpoise, and tons of curious birds.

It was a good thing we had sun-soaked skies and lots of peaceful views, because those...

Laura / M/V Sea Lion / 4/15/2022 / 12:30 PM

Today was a wonderful experience out in the Salish Sea with a most exciting orca encounter!  We departed Friday Harbor with a morning report of Bigg’s killer whales traveling up the west side of San Juan Island, so we immediately went northbound in hopes of seeing them in the Haro Strait.  We stopped along Spieden Island to view over 50 active Steller sea lions hauled out on Green Point and swimming in Spieden Channel!  There were a couple...

Maxx K. | M/V Sea Lion | 04/14/2022 | 12:30pm

    The last few days have been insane. I love the Salish Sea for its spontaneity. Some days I’m out here on the water I feel like David Attenborough should be by my side, narrating the scene unfolding in front of me. Today was one of these days. 

When we started the tour we had no clear heading. Captain Brian and I figured we should start our search around Spieden and Stuart Islands. There tend to be several haul out sites for Harbor...

Olivia | April 12th, 2022 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30pm

But wait, did we just witness history in the Salish Sea?

Captain Brian and I caught word of three families of Bigg’s Killer Whales north in the Strait of Georgia. Leaving the harbor, we debated if we could make it there and back in our allotted tour time, with how far away they were moving. It didn’t take us long to decide to go there once we heard there was a Humpback Whale not too far away. To Georgeson Pass we went!

Coming out of...

Maxx K. | M/V Sea Lion | 04/12/2022 | 12:30pm

    I’m never going to forget today’s tour. 

    It’s not unusual to start a tour without any whale sightings. None of our whales are tagged and we rely on sightings and word of mouth to spot them. The fact of the matter is however, whales are here in the Salish Sea all year round, it’s just a matter of if there are individuals or vessels scanning the water to find them. Well, today we were insanely fortunate as a mere 5 minutes before...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | 4.1.2022 | 12:30 PM 

On Thursday, March 31st the single day record of Bigg’s killer whale sightings was broken in the Salish Sea. A whopping 72 Bigg’s killer whales were sighted! Needless to say, Captain Eric and I had high expectations going into Friday's trip. Killer whales can swim over 100 miles in a day, and just because they are in the San Juans one day does not mean they will be the next. Knowing these facts, we were still optimistic that we would get...

The Day is Never Stale with a Bigg's Killer Whale

Maxx K. | M/V Sea Lion | 03/28/2022 |12:30pm

    I was beyond excited to be back on the water today, having taken the winter to spend some time back home with family in North Carolina. And let me tell you, while I love coastal North Carolina, it’s deeply unlikely that you’re going to be seeing many Killer Whales regularly over there. Needless to say, it felt absolutely phenomenal getting back out here, zooming through the islands and...

Lauren | March 21st, 2022 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30 PM

We were off to a gloomy start this Monday morning, with constant rain showers and no reports of whales within our reach. As we began boarding, our luck started to turn around, the rain started to slow, and the mood brightened up. M/V Sea Lion was full of inquisitive and excited kiddos today, and we were eager to show them The Salish Sea! Captain Eric heard there were some Bigg’s Killer Whales up near Prevost Island, but the report...