[Sarah – 04/21/2018 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00pm]

We had a classic Pacific Northwest spring trip on the M/V Sea Lion on Saturday! With a little bit of every weather condition, and lovely wildlife everywhere, it is a trip I will not soon forget.

M/V Sea Lion left Friday Harbor and headed north cruising towards Spieden Island, and other wildlife hotspots. We checked out harbor seals, Steller’s sea lions, and bald eagles before pressing further north. After talking with the other members of...

[Sarah – 04/20/2018 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00pm]

Friday's whale and wildlife tour was OFF THE HOOK! We saw a little bit of everything!

We started the day by heading north out of Friday Harbor towards Spieden Island. Before even reaching its grassy slopes and rocky shores, we encountered harbor porpoise and Steller’s sea lions feeding in the rich upwelling water. We checked out some sea lions hauled out Green Point before heading across the island to see what we could find. There were ba...

[Lauren Fritz, M/V Sea Lion, 09/02/17, 1:30 pm Tour]

Island life is paradise - especially here in the San Juan Islands during a summer like this one. There have been some truly incredible transient killer whale sightings in the last few weeks, and every single day brings new surprises! Naturalist Rachel and I couldn't have been more excited to set out with Captain Mike and our guests and explore the Salish Sea today. Word on the water was that there were several different groups of...

[6/17/17- M/V Kestrel- 2:00PM] It was a day to remember out on the Salish Sea! We departed Friday Harbor from San Juan Island on M/V Kestrel, a high-adventure zodiac-style boat. And holy smokes, within 15 minutes we were already upon some transient killer whales! Snuggled between San Juan Island and Lopez Island were the T65’s, a small family group that has been hanging around the San Juan Islands frequently. They were calmly traveling in a tight-knit group, breathing together in...

While May through September tends to be peak season for spotting killer whales, also known as orcas, here in the San Juan Islands, we are in the midst of a second peak in whale sightings right now. From about September into November we have our peak sightings of humpback whales. These past weeks have been just spectacular for spotting these beautiful creatures.

A Background on the Mighty Humpback

Humpback whales are regarded to be the fourth or fifth largest whales in the world...

It appears that fall is here, as the weather is constantly keeping us guessing. Rain? Shine? A combination of both within the space of 10 minutes? Sure, why not. That's what we love about our island home. And, staying true to the theme of San Juan Safaris (always embracing adventure and the beauty and unpredictability of nature!) we left the drizzly harbor this past Saturday with a decision to search for our whale friends down south. 

We cruised down around whale rocks, checked out...

The last two days have been spectacular working on M/V Kestrel, and have truly made me appreciate the capabilities of the vessel.

On Friday Captain Mike and I took our guests over towards the city of Victoria to find a pair of humpback whales travelling out to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. WE enjoyed watching those incredible creatures surface and fluke-up, raising their giant tails in the air, as they traveled. Humpback whales are a fairly recent re-addition to the Salish Sea...

Isn't it amazing how family-oriented killer whales are? They wouldn't be very successful out there in the big wide ocean without their moms and sisters and brothers! Once a female orca gives birth to a calf, that calf is going to stick by her side for life. Family pods are the core unit of orca society, and they are headed by the female matriarch. She's generally a wealth of information since she's been around the longest, and she can show her family the ropes as far as where to...

At long last, the mysterious K-pod has returned! It's heartwarming to see those familiar dorsal fins and saddle patches gracing our inland waters once more, because we really didn't see them at all at the start of our summer season. While L and J-Pod would meander through the Salish Sea, K-pod seemed to remain out in the open ocean, perhaps seeking salmon. Whatever the reason we didn't see them in June and July, we sure are happy that they are here now! M/V Kestrel had a wonderful...

M/V Kestrel has the day's reports! Today, we got to see two very interesting species of baleen whale, one a bit uncommon and the other fairly elusive. Because the Salish Sea offers the chance to see an abundance of wildlife, we never know what we're going to see out here - but days like today are an extra special cherry on top to an already epic whale season! 

Have you heard of the minke whale? This small member of the rorqual family is not typically at the top of everybody's list...