Olivia | M/V Kestrel | September 20th, 2020 | 10:00

Heading off into the foggy water opened our morning adventure to one big adventure. We traveled north into the cool morning, and shortly after crossing through President’s Channel, the sky appeared and the fog settled, bringing in the glorious morning sun. It was one of the first mornings in a while where we could see the surrounding islands since we have had so much smoke from the wildfires. All of this contributed to high spirits...

Laura | M/V Kestrel | 9/19/2020 | 14:00

This afternoon was a voyage out in wavy seas on the west side of San Juan Island!  We headed south in San Juan Channel on M/V Kestrel with gusto!  The seas were choppy so we were all practicing our balance skills on this reliable zodiac.  We stopped along Whale Rocks to see some very active Steller Sea lions and harbor seals!  Birds were also in abundance, including cormorants, common murres and even some oystercatchers!  The sea lions were...

Olivia | M/V Kestrel | September 13th, 2020 | 14:00

With wildfires burning in California, Oregon, and Washington, the San Juan Islands were cradled in a thick layer of smoke. In addition to that, a thick fog settled in, making visibility extend only about 100 yards and eventually 250 to 300 yards off every direction of the boat. We did not let this weather get us down and set off north in search of whales!

Just north of Spieden and Flattop Islands, we caught a glimpse of black dorsal...

Erick | M/V Kestrel | Wednesday, September 9, 2020 | 2:00PM

September is here! This is one of my favorite months here. Things slow down quickly after Labor Day and the weather seemingly steels itself for the coming autumn. Captain Brian and I took a group out on M/V Kestrel on this warm and calm Wednesday. We headed inter-island to head towards a report of Orcas in between Whidbey Island and the mainland. We cruised in between Lopez and Blakely Islands, crossed Rosario Strait and...

Sarah | 09/05/2020 | M/V Kestrel | 10:00am & 02:00pm

We had quite the day on the Salish Sea! With early-morning shore-reports of orcas heading into some fog around San Juan Island, Captain Gabe and I left the harbor for our first tour hoping that we could find those elusive animals.

We decided to head south towards Cattle Pass, enjoying some surfacing harbor porpoises in Griffin Bay along the way. We stopped at Whale Rocks to check out some Steller’s sea lions hauled out on the...

Olivia | M/V Kestrel | September 3rd, 2020 | 14:00

Every day feels unique and special with the mass diversity we have in the Salish Sea; however, some days stand out a bit more. A cloudless day, glassy seas, and Mount Baker standing sharp over the islands set the tone for a memorable day. Briefly stopping at Whale Rocks, we watched and listened to Steller’s Sea Lions bellow across the water and roll in the kelp bed. A few Harbor Seals sat quietly in banana pose looking towards the...

Olivia | M/V Kestrel | August 30th, 2020 | 14:00

It was the iconic Pacific Northwest weather today, going into the trip with sunshine and warmth, and ending the trip in rain and clouds. However, we do not let the shift in weather get us down just like it does not get down the whales- our trip proved this theory! We were lucky enough to leave Friday Harbor and immediately between Turn and Shaw Islands, we saw a Minke Whale! The Minke Whale fought against the nickname “Slinky Minke”...

Erick | Kestrel | 2:00PM | August 28, 2020

As August comes to a close, we have had a couple of great weather days. Captain Gabe and I took a great group of guests out to look for exciting wildlife in the Salish Sea. We headed north where there was a group of orcas spotted. We met up with them around White Rock near Flattop Island. It was a family of Bigg’s (formerly known as Transient) Orcas! This family was the T37A’s! This is a great family with five members. As they approached...

Olivia | M/V Kestrel | August 20, 2020 | 14:00

Leaving the dock, we had a rumored report of Bigg’s Killer Whales in U.S. waters but inching closer to the Canadian border. Due to Covid-19, that border is closed not only on land, but also across the water. Therefore, after a brief stop in Cattle Pass to get the passengers on board with our game plan and be in tune with our surroundings, we headed straight to find the group of six black and white dolphins.

Upon arrival, we spotted the...

Olivia | M/V Kestrel | August 16th, 2020 | 14:00

Our entire Adventure Trip today was one unexpected moment after another! Heading inner island, we started the trip feeling a warm wind [it was the hottest day all summer, after all] and headed south through Rosario Strait. Scanning the blue waters, we suddenly spotted a baleen dorsal fin! Turns out, we had a solo Minke Whale lunge feeding through the bait balls. This was a first Minke Whale sighting for all our passengers which made it...