Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | July 3rd, 2025 | 2:00 pm

When we left the harbor on today’s adventure trip, no one could have predicted the day we would have. There were reports of multiple groups of Bigg’s Killer Whales at the northernmost part of our range in the Strait of Georgia, so we weren’t sure if we would make it to them or not. Since these whales were so far, we headed towards Canadian waters not planning to make any stops. While it was a trek to get up there, it was so beautiful...

Lauren | M/V Kestrel | Saturday, June 28th, 2025 | 2:00 pm

Today we were spoiled for choice. Before even leaving the dock we knew of at least four different groups of Bigg’s Killer Whales within our range. They were spread out, each group in a different waterway, but all at an achievable distance. We don’t often have such an abundance of choices, it was hard to choose where to go. Well not too hard… Our first stop was an obvious choice, as the T123’s were found right outside of Friday Harbor in...

Logan | June 26th, 2025 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00pm

Despite clouds and rain, our adventure was not dampened. After gearing up in suits and onboarding the M/V Kestrel, our party found quite a few Harbor Porpoise on our first jaunt Southward. Then we ventured further—encountering Harbor Seals hauled out on Goose Island on our merry way. Reaching Whale Rocks, we spotted some large and elegant Steller’s Sea lions on top of the exposed-out crop. Despite wanting to spend forever looking at these beautiful...

Kelly | M/V Kestrel | Monday, June 30th 2025 | 2:00 PM

Another hot summer day! Perfect for zooming around the islands in our high speed vessel the M/V Kestrel. Our first stop of the tour was at White Rock, a known hot spot for harbor seals. Today was no exception, the rocks were peppered with the pinnipeds. There is a big distinction between seals and sea lions, the most prominent difference being their skeletal structure. Sea lions also are MUCH more vocal, if anyone has every spent time around...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | June 29th, 2025 | 2:00 pm

San Juan Summer weather was finally back today and the sunny, warm, clear conditions provided the perfect backdrop for our amazing afternoon on the water. There has been lots of whale activity around the islands this week, and today was no exception. Before leaving the dock we knew there were a number of whale reports to the north, so we began heading that way. We spotted some harbor seals on a small island on our way up San Juan Channel...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | June 27th, 2025 | 2:00 pm

Our afternoon adventure trip could not have gone more perfectly if we tried! We set out of Friday Harbor already having whale sightings close by, so we zoomed up San Juan Channel and soon found ourselves with a Humpback Whale in Spieden Channel! This individual was slowly traveling east not far from shore, and we enjoyed some beautiful looks at the surface and a few fluking dives. This sighting was the perfect start to our trip as our...

Lauren | M/V Kestrel | Saturday, June 21st, 2025 | 2:00 PM

The Coastal Bigg’s population is estimated to have around 380 to 400 individuals. Of these individuals, we see about 150 of them pretty frequently in the inter-islands of the Salish Sea. The rest of the population spends most of their time in southeast Alaska or on the west coast of Vancouver Island. As time goes on, some families change up their habits and will start frequenting different regions. My first season working with San Juan...

Kelly | M/V Kestrel | June 23nd 2025 | 2:00 PM

Best Kestrel tour ever? I'll say it!

We started the tour heading north in San Juan Channel, stopping briefly for a stoic bald eagle perched in the evergreens. We made our way past the scenic Finger Islands off Sucia's shoreline, and into the Straight of Georgia. Slowly dorsal fins arose in the distance! This group of 8 whales were identified as the T046B's made up of:

T046B/Raksha — female, born in 1988

• T046B2/Akela — born in 2008
  • T046B2B/Takaya — born...

Lauren | M/V Kestrel | Friday, June 20th, 2025 | 2:00 PM

Our Friday Adventure Whale Watch and Wildlife tour was about as exciting as they come. Captain Eric and I were jazzed when we got word that the T065B’s and the T075B’s were found not far from the Friday Harbor dock. These two young families have been swimming around the Salish Sea together the past several days. 

The M/V Kestrel headed north and made our first stop at Sentinel Rock in Spieden Channel. Sentinel Rock is one of our favorite...

Kelly | M/V Kestrel | Sunday, June 22nd 2025 | 2:00 PM

June-uary was in full force as we left Friday Harbor and took a right in San Juan Channel. The sky was an overcast grey but that certainly didn't stop the wildlife from making an appearance! Our first stop was a small rocky area just off San Juan's eastern shoreline. These rocks were crawling with harbor seals. We have around 300 of these known harbor seal haul out areas in the San Juan's. Having a fused pelvis does come with limitations...