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...

[Naturalist Sarah – 09/22/2017 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00pm]

September, September, September! There is a reason that this month is a staff favorite out on the water. Today was just another day that puts a smile on your face that stays through dinner. This afternoon we had a delightful encounter with members of our Southern Resident killer whales.

Today Captain Gabe, Naturalist Courtney, and I departed Friday Harbor with a boatful of curious and excited guests! Right off the bat, as we...

09/04/17- M/V Kestrel- 10AM & 2PM

Today was by far one of the best days out on the water for me this season.  On our first trip we had a whale watching trifecta, which is when we see all three main species of whales that we watching this area; minke, humpback and orca.  On our second trip we got to see transients and our long missed resident whales, who were back in the area for the first time in 29 days.  Not only were the whales amazing, but we had enthusiastic and curious guests...

[09/5/17- M/V Sea Lion- Kelsey, Naturalist- 1:30PM]

Smoke and clouds were overcasting the skies today, but luckily that provided for some awesome whale watching! The seas were glassy, there was no glare from sunlight, and looking for dark whale bodies surfacing for air against a light gray sea was easy as pie.

M/V Sea Lion departed Friday Harbor and headed south through Cattle Pass and towards Salmon Bank. A “bank” is what we refer to as a shallow portion of water out here in our...

[Naturalist Erick D., M/V Sea Lion, 8/8/17, 5:30PM]

            Yesterday, Captain Pete and I embarked on a beautiful sunset cruise. It was a beautiful evening. The water as we left Friday Harbor was flat calm and almost looked unreal underneath the orange sunlight of late afternoon. We’ve been having some amazing sunsets with the smoky haze that has covered the islands for a week now. The sun sets as an orange orb each night creating an extraordinary fiery sky.

This is the sky...

[Sarah C. 8/7/17 10am and 2pm Kestrel]

Humpback whales are probably most well-known for their impressive flukes, featuring complex patterns varying from all black to all white, and everything in between. Displayed on every deep dive, humpback whale flukes are used as their main identifier in the field. Each individual has a unique pattern displayed on the underside of their tail, making for a remarkably convenient built-in tracker. Thanks, nature!

Sometimes, though, these flukes...

The 25th felt like summer! We had bright blue cloudless sky and smooth waters as we departed Friday Harbor with a small, intimate group of guests on the M/V Sea Lion. We took a right out of Friday Harbor, heading south, and immediately got views of harbor seals hauled out on rocks and Mt. Baker’s snowy peaks. As we continued south, we had a wonderful encounter with some feeding harbor porpoises in upwelling currents in Griffin Bay. We had dozens of the small cetaceans feeding around...

Today we had the rare opportunity to view four different family groups of transient killer whales. When we pulled away from the dock, reports of killer whales in the Strait of Juan de Fuca brought us south of San Juan Island. On our way down, we encountered all sorts of wildlife, including Steller sea lions, harbor seals, cormorants, harbor porpoises, and even a minke whale!

When we arrived at where the orcas were last reported, we noticed that the group consisted of nine different...