Just another great day out on the water! Captain Mike, myself, and our small group of passengers were able to enjoy a very peaceful sunset tour complete with glistening seas and Minke Whales! Heading out of Friday Harbor, we were able to spot Minke Whales feeding right off of Salmon Bank. This was the same region we spotted them earlier in the day feeding. Although this time around we were the only boat around, lending itself to a much more personal and intimate tour. The Minke...

The Salish Sea is experiencing massive tidal exchanges recently. The full moon is the closest it will be to our planet for all of 2013 (a mere 221,824 miles). Its mass exerts an incredible force of attraction that pulls on the oceans.

Our guests marveled at the manifestation of that force today as Captain Mike bulldozed through massive waves and abysmal whirlpools created by the strong flood current. It reminded me of some class four rivers that I’ve rafted down. Even the burly M/V...

We brought in the start of a new summer with great weather on the water today! Crew and passengers alike, busted out their shorts and sunscreen while we sped out of Friday Harbor to catch up with some of our favorite summer friends, our resident orcas,  L Pod.  We didn't have to go far since L Pod was grazing along the west side of San Juan Island searching for their favorite food, Chinook salmon. Chinook salmon makes up 80 percent of resident orcas diet and on average they eat about...

Captain Mike, Andrew and myself left our Friday Harbor location today and headed south through the San Juan Channel and into Cattle Pass where we hoped to encounter some great whale activity. Along the way we stopped to say "hello" to my favorite small critters that are known to inhabit the Salish Sea: Harbor Seals. The harbor seals thrive on our large tidal difference here which create the upwellings they navigate through to hunt. Their whiskers on the front of their face are...

We left the dock again today with very little information about wildlife sightings and a fresh crew full of expectations for the day. Should we go north or south from Friday Harbor in search of wildlife? It's a question that we sweat over in the business. The Salish Sea is a big place, with animals that roam as they please, and our range limited to just a 3-4 hour time frame.

We decided to go south, as we had rumors of orcas spotted off Victoria earlier in the morning. We also had...

The Southern Resident Killer Whales came and went today.  We hussled away from the dock with reports that orcas were veering offshore of San Juan Island heading westbound.  Concerned that we might not be able to catch up with them before running out of fuel (just kidding!), Captain Craig set a straight and swift course to intercept our aquatic brethren.  We joined the fleet half way between San Juan and Discovery Island.  What a sight!  There were whales stretched out across the...

What a fabulous day on the water! We started the trip off with an abundance of wildlife as we made our way through San Juan Channel. We saw dozens upon dozens of Harbor Seals hauled out, sun bathing on any rocky islet available and bobbing through the riptides in search of food. We also saw three Steller Sea Lions swimming amongst the riptides, what seemed to be another marine mammal thanksgiving!

Once we reached Haro Strait we encountered our first Minke Whale just south of Salmon...

Because there had been a report of Minke Whales (plural, not singular usually out solo), Captain Craig made up his mind that we were going to see whales no matter how far we had to go.  On the way south down the east side of San Juan Island we did make a brief stop to look at 2 mature bald eagles. One was in its nest.

A bit further south of San Juan Island on a rock outcropping there were 6 or more big Stellar Sea Lions having a nap. We stopped to look at them then took off towards...

Today was sunny, warm, and absolutely beautiful as we left Friday Harbor in search of the wildlife that calls the Salish Sea home. On our way out we spotted several harbor porpoises in all different directions from the boat. We also stopped to watch some harbor seals that were not only hauled out on rocks, but were swimming around and poking their heads out watching us watch them. Not too long after we found the big guys; killer whales were off in the distance! We watched some...

As we circumnavigated San Juan Island we encountered species at every turn.  The San Juan Chanel was full of harbor porpoises and bald eagles, the Haro Straight teemed with Dall’s porpoise and three minke whales were feeding around Salmon Bank where California sea lions rested on the buoy.  An exciting day!

Kirsten, Naturalist