Haleigh | M/V Kestrel | May 22, 2022 | 2:00 pm

After a long winter away from the Salish Sea, I was extremely excited to depart on my first tour of the season! With no expectations, I was thrilled to be back on the water with a group of giddy guests for our Adventure tour. We departed from Friday Harbor heading South through San Juan Channel towards Cattle Pass. Along the starboard side of the vessel, we stopped to check out a haul out of Harbor Seals basking in the sun. Continuing...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 05/21/2022 | 2:00pm

    Today was pretty perfect! The sun was out, the sea was glass and guests were stoked. We swiftly left Friday Harbor and rounded up north through the San Juan Channel where we then stopped at Flattop Island. We sat there spinning for several minutes in the upwelling, admiring the island that poked itself out of the water. 

    Suddenly a blow! A Humpback whale appeared off our bow surfacing every few minutes to take a deep, fresh breath...

Laura / M/V Kestrel / 5/19/2022 / 2:00PM

Our whale watch and wildlife tour was filled with fun adventure today!  Our vessel Kestrel headed out of Friday Harbor with the plan of looking for a humpback that was spotted north near Boundary Pass.  As we were making our way out of the harbor everyone was thrilled to hear our Captain Brian had just received a tip that orcas were spotted from land near Anacortes!  Passengers immediately got ready to pick up speed and we cruised though the...

Laura / M/V Kestrel / 5/17/2022 / 2:00PM

Today was an outstanding whale day on M/V Kestrel!  We left the dock headed north with a rumor of Bigg’s killer whales near South Pender Island.  The seas were beautiful, and we had a fun ride past Boundary Pass and into Canadian waters.  On the way to these orcas a passenger spotted a distant blow in the area northwest of Gooch and Comet Island!  We immediately went over to check it out and arrived just in time to find Big Mama and her...

Jordan | M/V Kestrel | 05/14/2022 2:00pm

Thank you everyone for coming today! Our guests were such a lovely group of people eager for adventure and thirsty to learn.

The day began with Captain Eric and I greeting the group and heading out of Friday Harbor. Turning left, we headed out of the harbor and up towards Flat Top Island. This National Wildlife Refuge hosts a unique geology and plentiful wildlife. Today, we spotted a bald eagle perched in the treetops! He seemed to be...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 05/13/2022 | 2:00pm

    Today was pretty dang close to perfect. It kicked off strongly as a good hour before Kestrel untied from the jetty, two bull Bigg's Killer Whales passed directly in front of Friday Harbor. I could see their tall six ft dorsal fins cut the surface of the water through my binoculars here at the office. 

    When we left the harbor for our adventure tour, we decided to save the whales for last. We opted instead to start by heading out into...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 05/01/2022 | 1:30pm

    Today was kinda perfect. Before we even began suiting up a group of Killer Whales had been picked up in the Juan de Fuca and were angled straight up towards the San Juans. We hadn’t even touched water and it was already shaping up to be a great day!

    We stopped first at Goose Island and scoped out the Glaucus Gulls, Double Crested and Pelagic Cormorants that rested on the rocks steep sides. 

    We continued onward and it didn’t take...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 04/24/2022 | 1:30pm

    Today was crazy. Now, every day is of course, special out here- you never really know what you’re gonna get, much like a box of chocolates. But something truly wild happened on our journey today. 

    Kestrel rounded itself up and over the north side of San Juan Island and into the Haro Strait. We continued across the strait and over the US/Canadian border towards a Gray Whale that foraged off Sydney Island. This massive 45 foot whale...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 04/23/2022 | 1:30pm

    Well today was exciting, to say the least! Kestrel flew out of Friday Harbor and turned right, taking a brief moment to observe a bob of Harbor Seals (yes, the collective noun of seals is a bob. How fun!) hauled out on the rocks just beyond turn island. There must have been 30 seals on this rock, each with its own unique grey, black, speckled, or spotted coat. We continued zooming through the San Juan Channel and out past Cattle Point...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 04/02/2022 | 1:30pm

Today was a big day! Today marked Kestrels first voyage of the 2022 season and it did not disappoint! I had forgotten how fast this vessel is- it can reach speeds of up to 40 kts (45ish mph)! It’s like flying. But boy oh boy is it also freezing. With an average water temperature of 45 degrees, the wind chill coming off the Salish Sea is no joke! But what is a little cold air when you’re hanging out with a family of Bigg’s Killer whales?

Soo...