Captain Gabe and I headed down to the docks early morning already with some reports of killer whales up North near Point Roberts. Although this is quite far from us, we thought we might be able to encounter these animals in time, so we got the guests on board and hurried up North! As we were heading up the San Juan Channel, we realized that the wind was a lot stronger than we had hoped for. The whales were moving quickly farther north, and the wind was blowing against the current...

[Sarah – 05/12/2018 – M/V Sea Lion – 12:00pm]

We had a lovely day out on the water full of wildlife and enlightening ecological discussion. Leaving the dock we steered the M/V Sea Lion north through San Juan Channel towards the Canadian Gulf Islands. We took a break in our journey north to check out some Steller’s sea lions hauled out on the rocks at Green Point, before pressing further on in our journey. Communicating with all of the other boats on the water, we decided to take an...

14 April, 2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 4:00 PM

On the noon trip this day Captain Mike, Erick, and I explored a large area north of San Juan Island so when Captain Mike and I left the docks on our second trip of the day we decided to go south, and boy am I glad we did.

On our way down San Juan Channel we got word that another vessel had picked up a little-seen gray whale near Cattle Pass that was headed towards us! We continued our heading and met up with the vessel, which, by the time we...

Saturday, September 16 – M/V Sea Lion – 1:30 PM Charter

The Sea Lion motored up to Roche Harbor to pick up today’s charter guests—a wedding party! And a party it was. After everyone was loaded up Captain Gabe gave the Coast Guard-mandated safety talk and we were off! We headed north, cruising between Sentinel and Spieden Islands, and spotted a group of harbor seals hauled out on Sentinel! The little rock sausages were sprawled out, taking in the heat from the sun. Continuing past...

[Lauren Fritz, M/V Sea Lion, 09/07/17, 1:00 pm Private Charter]

It's a big deal every year right after labor day in Roche Harbor - Ranger Tug Rendezvous is happening! Lots of these beautiful boats are docked in the harbor right now, and dealers and enthusiasts alike are wandering the docks, sharing their stories, talking about the boats, and enjoying the beauty of San Juan Island. Naturalist Piper, Captain Pete, and I had the chance to take some of these wonderful folks out on a...

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[Lauren Fritz, M/V Sea Lion, 08/27/17, 1:30 pm Tour]

Oh my goodness - another amazing afternoon trip out on the water today! We had an amazing encounter with a humpback...

[Lauren Fritz, M/V Kittiwake, 08/04/17, 5:30 pm Charter]

What an amazing day on the water! We had a charter this evening, and we were lucky enough to encounter an amazing humpback whale who was curious and playful - it swam right under us a few times! Check out my favorite photos from the trip. We are so lucky here in the Salish Sea to experience these encounters, there's nowhere else in the world quite like it!

Humpback whales in the Salish Sea have rebounded dramatically from a...

Lauren Fritz, M/V Kestrel, 07/19/17, 2:00 pm Tour

Wow! We had quite the epic journey on M/V Kestrel today. Cruising across the bluest seas at our quick speeds really allowed us to make the most of the day. Humpbacks reported down south of Victoria in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 25 miles away? No problem for the Kestrel! Captain Gabe and I decided to head straight down San Juan Channel and out into the Strait, stopping near Whale Rocks to check out harbor seals, beautiful bull kelp...

What's up, humpbacks! On our whale watch on M/V Seahawk today, we had a chance to encounter these massive baleen whales out in the Rosario Straight - a real treat, considering we don't always get the chance to pass by Orcas and Shaw Island on our tours. These beautiful islands greeted us with views of rocky bluffs dotted with wildflowers, pine trees, and the ever graceful medrona trees. The sun sparkled brightly overhead, hinting of exciting things to come. Not a single breeze waved...

Ever heard of a rorqual? Try saying that word ten times fast! Rorquals are the largest group of baleen whales, and even include the largest known mammal on Earth, the blue whale (those fellas can reach up to 200 tons - WOW). But what exactly is a baleen whale? There's some basic facts that can help you organize your thought process when you're comparing an odontocete (toothed whale) with a mysticete (baleen whale). Mysticetes have two blowholes. They're filter feeders. And they can...