Maxx K. | M/V Sea Lion | 07/15/2021 | 2:00pm

    The wind forecast wasn’t super promising today: 15 mile/hour winds were being funneled into the Juan de Fuca from the west and an ebbing tide meant a very choppy three to four foot sea. When we left Friday Harbor we turned right, south through the San Juan Channel and towards rumors of several families of Bigg’s Killer Whales that had reunited with one another in the middle of the slosh. With our hull pounding against the surging waves...

Jordan | M/V Kestrel | 07/05/2021 2:00pm

Perfect day out today!

Captain Pete and I jumped on the boat and headed north through the San Juan Channel. Heading up near Canada, we stopped by Flattop Island and checked out a whole group of Harbor Seals lounging in the water. Their beady little eyes stared up at us from the surface as they sleepily enjoyed the warm day.

Then, we saw 4 bald eagles! They all perched high in the treetops as they surveyed their surroundings in search for their...

Today was by far the best orca encounter of my life. OF MY LIFE, Y’ALL!

Captain Pete and I motored out of the harbor on M/V Sea Lion with the intention of viewing some Bigg’s killer whales that were rumored to be near the Canadian border. We zipped north through San Juan Channel, into Spieden Channel, and headed just west of Stuart Island. 13 Bigg’s killer whales, in all their joyous glory, greeted us with multiple spy hops, tail slaps, and natural curiosity. Not only did we have...

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 07/02/2021 2:00pm

We got so lucky today!

 Captain Pete and I headed out of Friday Harbor and found whales in only a few minutes! This is an incredibly rare occurrence, so we were feeling really excited.

As we slowly approached the scene, we identified the whales as the two brothers: T77C and T77D also known as Neftali and Alcyon! We found then near Lopez Island and they led as all along the coastline down the San Juan Channel. They were cruising along, looking...

Maxx K. | M/V Sea Lion | 07/01/2021 | 2:00 

    It was a gorgeous afternoon on the water today, a perfect 70 degrees and calm as could be as we left Friday harbor with a boatful of excited guests. We turned northward, heading up and through the San Juan channel following rumors of whales approaching Waldron Island. We passed Jones Island and Orcas on our journey, weaving between the islands as they slowly began to rise further out of the water with the outgoing tide. 

    From...

Haleigh | M/V Sea Lion | June 28, 2021 | 2:00pm

Given today was one of the hottest days on San Juan Island, our boat full of passengers stoked to be on the water. The cool breeze hit us as we left Friday Harbor and the chill set in as we traveled southbound through San Juan Channel, passing harbor porpoise along the way. Entering the Strait of Juan de Fuca felt like an entirely new land. It was more than 30 degrees cooler and the hazy sky blurred all of the distinguishing features...

What a day today’s trip turned out to be! As we left Friday Harbor there was no doubt about it- it was a hot summer day!  Today was one of those days that had made history for how hot it was, but little did we know that we would be making history for more than just that today!

Captain Pete had been working with other captains on the water to see if there were any reports of whales in our vicinity.  It was sounding like there were some southeast of us, but pretty far away… we decided...

Today was a great day to get out on the water!  The sun was shining, the summer weather was upon us, and to keep with the theme of Summer- there was a Humpback whale just a short trip away!

Captain Pete and I were excited that we had a report of a humpback whale in Haro Strait before our trip left, and we were hoping that if this whale cooperated by the time we worker our way north through San Juan Channel that we would be able to cut across the northern side of San Juan Island and...

Maxx K. | M/V Sea Lion | 06/24/2021 | 2:00

    When Sea Lion left Friday Harbor we had heard mere rumors of Killer Whales south of us in the Juan de Fuca. As we trudged through the current at Cattle Pass these rumors swiftly became a reality as blows and dorsal fins appeared on the horizon heading towards us. 

    We were slowly approaching a T-Party. Bigg’s Orca (Also known as “Transients”) typically travel alone or with small groups. Every now and again they will join up with...

Abby | Sea Lion | 6/21/2021

It was a sunny day, weather forecasted to be 75 degrees, although it felt like a blistering 90. We boarded Sea Lion in Friday Harbor, 28 smiling faces awaiting a trip through the islands. After Captain Pete and I left the dock, we cruised north through San Juan Channel, on route to meet a matriline of Bigg’s killer whales that were headed south around Henry Island in our direction.

When we arrived on scene with the T046B matriline, we watched in awe as the...