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Humpback whale in autumn

Encounter with a Feeding Humpback Whale | 10/26/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

Sarah | 10/26/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

On a stunning Pacific Northwest October afternoon Captain Mike and I loaded up a group of wonderful people who were excited to enjoy the Salish Sea. Mike and I decided to head north towards Canadian waters, and to divide and conquer with other whale watch boats out on the water. The San Juan Island whale watch fleet spread out as we left Friday Harbor, communicating with everyone else via radio!

We wove our way through the islands...

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Humpback whale exhalation

Humpback Whale on the West Side of San Juan Island | 10/24/2018 | 12:00pm

Sarah | 10/24/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

Captain Mike and I left Friday Harbor on a beautiful autumn day here in the Pacific Northwest. We elected to head south out of the harbor. At this point in the year there are fewer boats on the water, usually running one trip a day departing at around noon. This means that we rarely have any wildlife reports before leaving the dock, and reports start rolling in as boats spread out throughout the Salish Sea.

Mike steered down San Juan...

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Extending Our Whale Watch & Wildlife Tour to Extend the Amazement!

What an amazing day our trip was!  Captain Brian and myself started our day out with no firm reports of whales, which is not unique for this time of year- it just means that we were even more determined to find some awesome things for our new friends on board to see!

We worked our way up North, heading toward the Strait of Georgia.  We checked out some Steller Sea Lions on our way up there, they were pretty entertaining!  As we were heading into the Strait we kept our eyes peeled...

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Bigg's Killer Whales and a Minke Whale

Today was an awesome day out on the water!  Our great group boarded M/V Sea Lion this afternoon and headed out east.  Once we passed over to Rosario Strait we headed north to catch up with some Transient (also known as Bigg's Killer Whales) that we had reports of!  We were so excited when we got on scene!  There were quite a few individuals- at least two families of these Bigg's Killer Whales!

We hung out for quite awhile with these amazing animals, watching their massive dorsal fins...

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Migratory Sea Birds near Seattle with San Juan Safaris

Harbor Seals, Harbor Porpoise, Steller Sea Lions and 7 Bald Eagles!

Captain Mike and myself boarded M/V Sea Lion with some very kind and awesome guests this afternoon as we headed out to see what cool critters we could find!  The crazy thing about today was that there was so much fog! At certain points we couldn't even see land!  This sometimes happens in the fall months, but what a cool experience it was to be out there!  Luckily the second half of the trip brought some amazing views and we were able to enjoy a beautiful look at Mt. Baker the whole...

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Biggs Killer Whales off Lopez Ferry Landing!

What an awesome day today shaped out to be!  This trip started out wonderfully- great group of people and a beautiful day!  We didn't have any firm reports other than some possible sightings past Victoria, so we decided to start scanning San Juan Channel!  Lucky for us some orcas were picked up near the Lopez Island Ferry Terminal!

How perfect was this!  We were already headed in this direction and almost on scene!  Our guests immediately pointed out dorsal fins in the near distance...

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Humpback whale

Humpback Whales in the Strait of Juan de Fuca | 10/17/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

Sarah | 10/17/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

Captain Brian and I had a lovely day out on the water with a wonderful group of guests. We had the pleasure of sharing a lovely day and some great wildlife in the Salish Sea.

The highlight of our day was definitely an encounter with a humpback whale on Constance Bank, just south of Victoria. Humpback whales are the fourth or fifth largest species of whale in the world, depending on whether you measure whales by length or by weight. These...

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M/V Sea Lion

Going the Extra Distance for Whales! Orcas, Humpbacks and Minke Whales Spotted

Sarah | 10/16/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

Yesterday’s Classic Whale Watch was one for the books! Captain Brian, Jacob and I too the M/V Sea Lion on her farthest trip yet in search of whales and other wildlife. With a great group of guests, sunny weather, and smooth water conditions we were able to go the distance to share a great array of wildlife with our guests.

We left Friday Harbor with a report of whales way to the west of Victoria, BC, just south of Race Rocks Lighthouse and...

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California Transient Killer Whales in the Salish Sea

Biggs Killer Whales and California Transients Spotted Off East Bank in the Salish Sea

What a beautiful day we had on the water!  As Sea Lion departed from Friday Harbor we knew  it would be a beautiful day.  It was a perfect fall afternoon- the air was crisp, the sun was out, and the guests aboard M/V Sea Lion were ready to start out trip!

After boarding and getting off the dock, Captain Mike and myself headed out towards East Bank.  We had reports of Transient Orcas- or Bigg’s Killer Whales- that had been seen in that vicinity.

As we approached we quickly discovered...

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A Perfect Sunny Day with a Beautiful Humpback!

What an absolutely beautiful day it was out on the water today!  We began out trip this afternoon aboard M/V Sea Lion collecting as a group onbaord and talking about some of the Wildlife we were hoping to see in the area.  Captain Pete and myself were very excited because we had a report of a Humpback up north!  As we got on the water and headed up San Juan Channel we saw a few harbor seals swimming around- just like a grey volley with two eyes swimming by.  

Once we made our way up...

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