Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | March 16th, 2022 | 12:30pm

If I would have known leaving the dock today what I know now, there is no way I would believe it. We headed out just like any other spring day; a cold breeze guiding us towards the flirting sun in search of any Salish Sea wildlife. On M/V Sea Lion, we often start our trips with a tutorial on how to spot wildlife with each season and tips on what to look for. I prefaced with the fact that these shoulder seasons are often the most...

Laura / M/V Sea Lion / 3/12/2022 / 12:30 PM

Today was an adventurous day out on the water!  The spring air was quite chilly, but the overcast skies made excellent viewing conditions to seek out exhalations.  M/V Sea Lion headed northbound out of Friday Harbor and spotted a bald eagle right around Pt. Caution at the harbor’s entrance.  We continued to Spieden Island and had an awesome sea lion encounter by Green Point!  Steller sea lions were diving near the kelp beds, and we saw five...

Haleigh | M/V Sea Lion | October 9, 2021 | 12:00 pm

For today’s whale sightings, we didn’t have to go too far! We left Friday Harbor pointed North through San Juan Channel where we were united with a family of Bigg’s Killer Whales. Within the group was T60 (Panthera) and three of her five living offspring. T60C (Yelnats) is her oldest living calf born in 2001. T60F (Tigris) and T60G (Unnamed) are her two youngest calves, born in 2012 and 2019. Two of her middle children, T60D and...

Abby | M/V Kestrel | 2pm | 9/27/2021

Captain Gabe and I haven’t been on Kestrel together for a long time, and for that reason we knew it was going to be a great day. We left the dock with the only sighting report of the day, which was a long shot… but we were determined to make it work. We zipped out of the harbor and headed north through San Juan Channel while just about every other operator went south. It was a windy day with a rainy forecast, but we knew we could beat the weather...

Abby | M/V Kestrel | 2pm | 9/23/2021

Captain Eric and I zoomed out of the harbor, a new sighting report coming from the north, close to Waldron Island. We popped over to Flattop Island on our way to view the lazy harbor seals who were sprawled out on the rocky shoreline, thermoregulating their plump bodies. Birds dotted the trees and the wake around this small island, giving us a good glimpse (and smell) of the base of the food chain. 

Once we got on scene with the whales, we got...

Maxx K. | M/V Sea Lion | 09/21/2021 | 1:30pm

    Today was awesome. 

Not only did I get to work with Abby and Gabe on Sea Lion, we got to watch an incredible family of whales actively hunting and killing what I assumed to be a harbor seal! 

    We left Friday Harbor on a mission: whales had been spotted north of us off of Sucia Island. It was going to take us a little while to get there but the journey was beautiful and full of great chats. As we rounded the northern tip of Orcas...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 09/20/2021 | 2:00pm

    Today’s tour was a naturalist's dream. When Solan pulled Kestrel out of Friday Harbor we turned northward. A family of unidentified Bigg’s Killer Whales had been reported off the south side of Saturna Island. We had our heading and off we went! 

    We stopped briefly to check out a Bald Eagle, perfectly poised on a small sign post on Jones Island. From there we moved north towards White Rock to admire some Harbor Seals and cormorants...

Haleigh | M/V Sea Lion | September 20, 2021 | 1:30 pm

For our classic whale watching excursion, we decided to travel north through the San Juan Channel. Reports of some killer whales were far up north towards Saturna Island, meaning we needed to make a straight shot there. We passed by Jones Island, Spieden Island, and eventually Waldron Island, leaving Saturna straight off of our bow. As we neared closer, we caught sight of some exhalations! 

These Bigg’s Killer Whales were...

September 18th, 2021

Abby | M/V Kestrel | 2pm | 9/18/2021

Captain Solan and I zoomed south in San Juan Channel, cumulonimbus clouds rising steadily in front of Mount Baker. We headed over to Goose Island where double-crested cormorants stood atop their haystack-style nests and glaucous gulls screeched loudly at the prospect of an opportunistic snack. Harbor seals, or “rock sausages,” lazily laid on the shoreline, intermittently raising an eye at our presence. A large bull kelp...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 09/16/2021 | 2:00pm

    Kestrel flew out of Friday harbor with purpose this morning: a family of Bigg’s Killer whales had been reported passing through Deception Pass State Park and were now traveling across the Juan De Fuca. We stopped briefly at goose island to observe the cormorants that sat proudly over their neatly stacked nests. A harbor seal passed at the water's edge, diving to forage amongst the Bull Kelp forest that sat between us and the bird Island...