M/V Sea Lion | Naturalist Alexandria | Saturday, August 10th

What a grayyyyy-t day we had today.  We boarded onto the boat and started our trek out of Friday harbor.  Within a few minutes we received a report of a gray whale spotted of Whidbey Island.  We headed south down San Juan Channel and stopped after making it through Cattle Pass to check out some Steller Sea Lions that have just returned to the area after spending their summer up in Alaska.

After spending a fun time watching...

Olivia | August 9th, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 1:30pm

It was a gorgeous day on the water today as Captain Erick, Co-Naturalist Erin and I headed south with our passengers through the San Juan Channel. We caught word of a lone male Orca traveling near Victoria, B.C. and decided to make the trek southwest to see if we could view one of our favorite Bigg’s Killer Whales. On our way there, we passed heaps of Harbor Porpoises and bait balls, making it an entertaining trip through the Strait...

Olivia | August 8th, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 1:30pm

With a gorgeous day ahead of us, Captain Pete, Co-Naturalist Alexandria and I decided to head south down San Juan Channel towards some potential whale reports near Salmon Bank, while also staying on the look out for other possible whales and wildlife in the area. Along this route, we were seeing heaps of Harbor Porpoises popping up with those chocolate chip dorsal fins. Just as we breached the Strait of Juan de Fuca, we started...

M/V Sea Lion | Naturalist Erin | 1:30 PM | Thursday, August 1, 2019

What a fabulous trip aboard the M/V Sea Lion. The weather was absolutely beautiful, and we decided to head towards the Strait of Juan de Fuca to see if we could find any whales feeding. We left out of Friday Harbor and right away we encountered some upwelling currents. The currents in the Salish Sea are fueled by the rise and fall of the tides, so they can be pretty intense. They help to bring food to the water's...

Laura C. | M/V Sea Lion | 8/7/2019 | 1:30pm

Today’s whale watch was outstanding!  With Captain Pete behind the helm, M/V Sea Lion ventured eastbound to see some Bigg’s killer whales!  We were so happy to find the T019s so close to Friday Harbor, right around Blakely, Shaw, and Orcas  Island!  This family of four was on the move today!   We all watched with enthusiasm as these whales circled around the islands, potentially in search of prey! 

This killer whale family includes two very...

Laura C. | M/V Sea Lion | 8/6/2019 | 5:30pm

Our evening wildlife cruise aboard M/V Sea Lion was spectacular!  We all anxiously made our way out of Friday Harbor as quickly as possible because we heard reports of orcas traveling south from Boundary Pass to Stewart Island!!  It is so exciting to hear of whales traveling so close to home!  On our way north we made a quick pit stop to see a splashing Stellar sea lion in full feeding mode around a bait ball!  The birds were the first...

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 08/06/19 | 1:30pm

Today started as a gorgeous sunny day without a cloud in the sky, and it just got better. Captain Sarah, Naturalist Laura and I headed out of Friday Harbor and headed north through the San Juan Channel up towards reports of wildlife! But, on the way, we kept finding other random wildlife!

We stopped as we saw a swarm of birds, also known as a bait ball, swirling over a sea lion! It was really cool to briefly see this Steller sea lion pop...

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 08/05/19 | 5:30pm

What a gorgeous day out on the water! Captain Gabe and I started our journey out of Friday Harbor and headed north through the San Juan Channel. We continued up towards Canadian waters as we passed through President’s Channel in between Orcas Island and Waldron Island. We boated up around East Point, off of Saturna Island in Canada and further into the Strait of Georgia.

The waters were perfectly still as we spotted our first blow off in...

Olivia | August 5th, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 1:30pm

What a gorgeous day on the water! Captain Gabe, Co-Naturalist Jordan, and I started off by taking our passengers north through the San Juan Channel and into Boundary Pass. We had a reported Humpback Whale sighting with a possibility of multiple in the area just north of Saturna. We decided to go for it and head through Plumper Sound and up through Georgeson Pass. We found a duo of Humpback Whales traveling together, one of which was...

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 08/4/19 | 5:30pm

Today was a magical day out on the water! Captain Erick, Naturalist Olivia and I headed out of Friday Harbor and went south through the San Juan Channel. We boated past Cattle Point Lighthouse and took some gorgeous pictures. Then we headed out into open seas and towards the Olympic Peninsula.

We sped across this large expanse of nothingness, enjoying the still water as we watched birds pass by and porpoises sneakingly swim past.

Eventually we...