I have recently uprooted back to the United States after living in New Zealand for a year and a half and decided I wasn’t ready to give up that beautiful scenery. I discovered the San Juan Islands after an impromptu trip with my best friend and decided not only is it incredibly similar to my life down under, but it was a place I needed to be!  Therefore, I packed up my Red Band gumboots in my favorite Osprey backpack and moved out here at the very beginning of May. Being a hard...

Sarah | 03/02/2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

Captain Mike and I had a whirlwind of a trip on Saturday that was so incredibly wonderful. Leaving the dock here in Friday Harbor there was a whisper of the potential of some whales spotted from shore far to our south. We decided that it was worth the trip, and pointed in their direction! Traveling down San Juan Channel we stopped to check out some bald eagles and harbor seals before continuing to travel south.

We rounded the bottom of...

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...

[Sarah | 09/03/2018 | M/V Kestrel | 02:00pm]

Yesterday’s Adventure Whale Watch was a great reminder of why I love September so much out here in the San Juans. We had so much wildlife to look for and had great encounters with whales!

We started our afternoon heading north out of Friday Harbor through San Juan Channel. We pointed for a few wildlife hot spots at Green Point on Spieden Island and then around Sentinel Island. We found harbor porpoises, harbor seals, and even some bald...

Jordan | August 22, 2018 | M/V Kestrel | 10:00 trip

This morning started off really crazily amazing! Captain Gabe and I headed out of Friday Harbor and headed south down through the San Juan Channel and almost immediately found a Steller sea lion eating a skate! Skates are a species of fish that are related to rays. So, the sea lion was splashing around at the surface, throwing around this flat floppy fish and ripping it apart! It was so exciting to witness the circle of life at work...

Jordan | August 14, 2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 5:30 trip

Today was a beautiful foggy day that made the islands seem extra magical today. As the sun set in the sky, the blazing orange ball made the water sparkle like a painting. Captain Pete, Alexandria and I headed north through the San Juan Channel, boated south of Spieden Island and around towards the coast of Henry Island.

Here we found a group of transient (Bigg’s) whales! The T2Cs were taking deep dives and popping up every so often...

Jordan | August 8, 2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 1:30 trip

What a wonderful day out on the water! The skies were clear and blue and the water was especially gorgeous. Captain Pete, Mariana and I headed out of Friday Harbor with reports of a whale up in Canada!

So, we headed up through the San Juan Channel and boated along the east side of Stuart Island and past Turn Point, the most northwestern point in the continental U.S.! Then we traveled across Boundary Pass and into Canadian waters up...

Jordan | August 7, 2018 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 trip

Today the sun was out and shining and the water seemed especially calm as we headed out of Friday Harbor in our search to find whales! We headed south down through the San Juan Channel and through Cattle Pass past the southern point of San Juan Island.

We then spotted some Steller sealions on the Whale Rocks! These massive creatures lumbered around this tiny island barking at each other and rolling around, trying to get as much sun as...

Jordan | July 24, 2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 5:30 trip

What a fantastic day out on the water! As the sun went down, the hot day cooled off a bit and made our ride incredibly pleasant as the sun cast picturesque shadows across the landscape. Captain Pete and I heard reports of whales down on the southwest side of San Juan Island.

So, we headed south through the San Juan Channel, past Cattle Point lighthouse and headed into the Salmon Bank where we found a small group of Southern Resident...

Jordan | July 19, 2018 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 trip

Our afternoon trip may have started with a bit of delay but the amazing whales that we saw were well worth the wait! As 2:00 rolled around, the sun came out and the skies cleared and it became a truly beautiful and warm Washington afternoon. Captain Mike and I received several reports of whales around the San Juan islands so we were excited to take our Kestrel vessel and explore the area.

First, we headed down the San Juan Channel and...