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...

What a great day we had today!  Captain Mike and I started out the afternoon with reports of orcas off Discovery Island over by Victoria, B.C.  After boarding we headed south down San Juan Channel and passed by Cattle Point Lighthouse.  As we headed northwest up Haro Strait we approached Discovery Island.  We could see dorsal fins in the distance and were very excited as we approached. 

WIthin a few moments it was clear that we were with Biggs Killer Whales- more specifically the...

Jordan | July 14, 2018 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00

Today was a spectacular day full of so many displays of the beauty of nature. Captain Gabe and I headed south through the San Juan Channel past Cattle Point and dropped by the Whale Rocks to check out some seals! They were super cute flopping around on the rocks.

Then we voyaged into the Salmon Bank. Here we boated around the shallow waters until we found a minke whale! Minke whales are the smallest baleen whale in the world! We like to...

Captain Gabe and I headed down to the docks early morning already with some reports of killer whales up North near Point Roberts. Although this is quite far from us, we thought we might be able to encounter these animals in time, so we got the guests on board and hurried up North! As we were heading up the San Juan Channel, we realized that the wind was a lot stronger than we had hoped for. The whales were moving quickly farther north, and the wind was blowing against the current...

Today we left Friday Harbor with reports of transient orcas in the southern part of Strait of Juan de Fuca near Port Townsend.  We headed south of San Juan Island and came across the T137’s, a family of four mammal eating whales.  When we first arrived we saw the whales enjoying some prey-sharing time.  This is after whales have completed a kill and move on to tearing the carcass apart and sharing it among the family members.  We were also lucky enough to see some surface social...

Jordan | June 26, 2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 1:30 trip

Another lovely day began with leaving Friday Harbor at our newly scheduled time of 1:30 pm. Captain Mike, Naturalist Erick and I headed south through the San Juan Channel and past Cattle Pass.

A group of giant Steller sealions were crawling high up on the rocks at Whale Rocks and then jumping off into the water, making a huge splash! There were also some harbor seals down on the lower rocks near the waters edge. Due to the seals bone...

It was humpback whales galore today near Friday Harbor.  We saw one humpback whale just outside of the harbor in San Juan Channel.  We then decided to head south and stop to see some harbor seals and Steller’s sea lions at whale rocks.  Steller’s spend their summers on the coast and up in Alaska for their breeding season, but this time of year we still see some juveniles that like to hang around.  We then got another report of a second humpback whale a little further south of San...

Naturalist Rachel, M/V Sea lion, March 28, 2018      

Today we were lucky to find an abundance of wildlife in the San Juan Islands.  First we headed to Spieden Island where we saw a large haul out of Steller’s Sea Lions.  We also spotted some non-native sheep as well.  We then went up to Canada where we saw a lone Pacific white sided dolphin, commonly referred to as lags.  This was the first time in multiple years that either Brian or I had observed these charismatic creatures.  This...

[Alexandria – 10/01/2017 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00pm]

Magical and Mysterious Minkes

Minke whales are perhaps one of the more mysterious cetaceans in our oceans, and it is always a rare treat when we are able to see them out on the water… but on this trip we were treated to two different Minkes and were able to watch them for almost an hour!  It was basically a Minke Party!

Minke Party Details:

When?

Sunday, October 1st, 2017

Who? 

The fantastic group visiting the San Juan Islands...

09/25/17 – M/V Sea Lion – 12 PM

Just as the rain showers tapered off to a faint drizzle, M/V Sea Lion made her way out of Friday Harbor Marina south towards Salmon Bank off San Juan Island. Moving though San Juan Channel, little 5-6 foot harbor porpoises broke the glass-like surface before disappearing back into the water. We began our search for whales in the confluence of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Rosarios Strait. Suddenly, tiny rolling black and white bodies appeared ahead of...