Sarah | 09/13/2019 | M/V Kestrel | 11:00am

Today was just a lovely day on the water! With calm seas and some reports of several baleen whales in our area, Captain Gabe and I were eager to hit the water.

We started our day heading south from Friday Harbor through San Juan Channel towards Cattle Pass between San Juan Island and Lopez Island. We stopped for a brief look at some Steller’s sea lions hauled out on a rocky outcropping known as Whale Rocks. These massive pinnipeds are the...

Jordan | M/V Kestrel | 09/12/19 | 11:00am

Today was sure an adventurous day!

Captain Pete and I took the Kestrel out of Friday Harbor and headed south down through the San Juan Channel. Once we reached the southern tip of San Juan, we spotted Cattle Point lighthouse as we neared a rock full of wildlife!

We found Steller sea lions! These 12-foot long 2,400 pound animals barked and crawled around the island as they looked for the best rock to nap on. Some of them splashed in the water...

Olivia | September 11th, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 3:00pm Private Charter

This afternoon we had a private charter of two book on, which was an absolute delight. These folks were so excited just to be on the water checking out the gorgeous scenery of our many islands. We decided to wave at the Humpback Whale still hanging out in the channel from earlier in the season and attempt to go find something black and white and moving away from us. We boated north through San Juan Channel, cutting...

Olivia | September 11th, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 11:00am

Wednesday morning was an exceptional day on the adventure Kestrel trip. It has been a while since both Captain Pete and I have been on our zodiac and were equally excited to hit the water. However, we couldn’t get our boat up to full speed because just outside of Friday Harbor in San Juan Channel was a Humpback Whale! This was personally my first time seeing this type of Baleen Whale in the channel and we spent about a half hour...

Erin | M/V Kestrel | Monday, September 9, 2019 | 3:00 PM

Words cannot describe what an absolutely wonderful trip we had aboard the M/V Kestrel today. We left Friday Harbor and headed south in pursuit of some great whale reports. It started to rain on us as we saw Cattle Pass coming into view, but it didn't discourage us at all. It rained off and on throughout the whole trip, but the sea state was miraculous. It was so flat that it looked like we were gliding through glass. At one...

M/V Kestrel | Sunday, September 8, 2019 | Naturalist Erick | 11:00AM

Sunday morning started out feeling super fall with a slight breeze out of the south. Captain Gabe and I headed out a long with a few other boats to go search for fun wildlife in the crisp and sometimes foggy morning. I personally love mornings like this. Most folks visit the islands in the summer when it is always summer with days that feel like they last forever but never get too hot. As we move into fall, we get...

Jordan | M/V Kestrel | 09/07/19 | 11:00am

What a lovely day today! Although the clouds hid the sun, everyone shone with hopes of finding whales!

Captain Gabe and I took the Kestrel out of Friday Harbor and headed north through the San Juan Channel. Luckily, we heard reports of some whales up in Canadian waters, so we booked it in that direction.

Before heading too far, we found a huge bald eagle posing on a channel marker! He was perched so we could all see a great view of his entire...

Sarah | Friday, September 6, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 11:00 AM

Wowza, what a day we had on M/V Kestrel! After a summer behind the helm on the Salish Sea it was so much fun to spend time on deck interpreting the intricacies of the marine ecosystem for our group of guests aboard our Adventure departure. Captain Gabe and I shoved off the dock in Friday Harbor without a firm report of whales in the area, but as we motored out the reports came rolling in!

Gabe and I elected to head north...

Jordan | M/V Kestrel | 09/05/19 | 11:00am

The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, random dogs were barking in the distance; it was looking like a great start to our whale watch!

Captain Gabe and I took our new friends out of Friday Harbor on the Kestrel. We headed down south through the San Juan Channel towards Cattle Point.

Along the way we stopped to watch a big bait ball! Swarms of birds were pecking at the surface of the water and diving down to catch fish that were balled...

Erin | M/V Kestrel | 11:00 AM | Tuesday, September 3, 2019

What a wonderful trip aboard Kestrel this afternoon! We began our trip with no firm reports of whales in the area, so we decided to head north in search of some whales. Right after we left the harbor, we saw a bald eagle perched in one of the treetops! It was an adult bald eagle, with a bright white head and some white tail feathers. As we headed through San Juan Channel, we saw some upwelling occurring around us. Upwelling...