Haleigh | M/V Sea Lion | October 7, 2022 | 12:30 pm 

As we set off for our Classic Whale Watching tour today, we ventured south in search of wildlife. We made our way through San Juan Channel through feeding Harbor Porpoises and flocks of birds. After we travelled through Cattle Pass, we heard the roars of Steller’s Sea Lions hauled out on Whale Rocks. Some of the large sea lions were thrashing in the water while others were posed atop the rocks with heads regally pointed high...

Maxx K. | M/V Sea Lion | 04/14/2022 | 12:30pm

    The last few days have been insane. I love the Salish Sea for its spontaneity. Some days I’m out here on the water I feel like David Attenborough should be by my side, narrating the scene unfolding in front of me. Today was one of these days. 

When we started the tour we had no clear heading. Captain Brian and I figured we should start our search around Spieden and Stuart Islands. There tend to be several haul out sites for Harbor...

Fog, Steller Sea Lions and a Squirrley Family of Bigg’s Killer Whales

Maxx K. | M/V Sea Lion | 03/29/2022 | 12:30pm

    Today’s tour was wild. Sea Lion pulled out of Friday Harbor and veered south. Whale watching runs on rumors. Someone thinks they might have seen a blow on the horizon. They tell a friend. The friend tells a friend and before you know it we can confirm a congregation of five killer whales slowly making their way along the southern banks of Lopez island.

Naturally we...

Jordan | M/V Osprey | 08/20/2021 5:30pm

Everyone on board this evening was incredibly lucky as we were blessed with one of the best whale watches of the season to commemorate our last sunset tour of the season!

Captain Gabe, Olivia, Solan and I headed out to sea on m/v Osprey. As soon as we made it out of the harbor, one of the other captains from the Pacific Whale Watching Association (PWWA) let us know that they found orca whales! It turned out that there were whales just a few...

Jordan | M/V Kestrel | 05/22/2021 10:00am

You could not have asked for a better trip than the one we had today! It started off as a classic gray Washington day as Captain Brian and I took the Kestrel out into the foggy waters.

We headed south down the San Juan Channel, past Cattle Point Lighthouse until we stopped at some Steller sealions! There was a few grouped together but one massive sealion was staring at all of us on board and showing off his massive size. It sure seemed like...

Laura | M/V Sea Lion | 4/21/21 | 1:00PM

Even though I have lived in San Juan Island for a few years now, it still amazes me how often we are able to see orcas close to shore.  We left Friday Harbor with a report of Bigg’s killer whales near Green Point on the south side of Spieden Island!  We immediately headed north up San Juan Channel and by the time we were near the last report, this family of orcas went into Roche Harbor and into Mosquito Pass!  It’s amazing to know that there is...

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 04/18/2021 |1:00pm

Today was one of the most incredible trips of the season! I felt so grateful that all my guests got to experience such a lucky tour.

It began as a normal day as we enjoyed the Sunday sunshine in Friday Harbor. Everyone felt excited but a little nervous about what we may see during the trip. Captain Pete and I hopped on our boat, the Sea Lion, and headed down south towards the southern tip of San Juan.

As we approached Cattle Point lighthouse...

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 04/17/2021 |1:00pm

What a fantastic day! It started off incredibly warm and sunny as the bright blue sky promised a great trip no matter what we ended up seeing.

Captain Pete and I jumped on the Sea Lion with our excited guests and boated out towards sea. Heading up the San Juan Channel, we passed Shaw and Orcas Islands and rounded the northern coastline of San Juan. Continuing back around, we headed south down the Haro Strait.

We started to see boats in the...

Jordan Higgins Blogs

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 04/11/2021 |1:00pm

What a gorgeous day today! It was the first day of the year where I genuinely felt warm and wore my T-shirt around the harbor! I knew right away that it was going to be a good day.

Captain Pete and I hopped on the boat with our 35 new friends and took off up the San Juan Channel and headed towards Flattop Island. Here we found 3 beautiful bald eagles! Two adults which we presumed were a mated pair and a juvenile bald...

Laura | M/V Sea Lion | 4/9/2021 | 1:00PM

What a fun day in April to be out on the water!  The skies were grey and seas a little choppy, but that did not alter the mind set of those set on seeing some amazing wildlife today.  We left the dock in a hurry, as there was a morning report of Bigg’s killer whales in the area!  Back in the office, one of our kayak guides, Clai, phoned in to let us know his guests just saw killer whales on their 3-hour kayak trip with San Juan Outfitters! ...