Kelly | M/V Sea Lion | April 1st, 2025 | 12:30pm

We left Friday harbor with nothing but a loose shore-based report of killer whales far up north which was now unfortunately now 2 hours old…Yikes! I stayed hopeful that something would be discovered either by us or the other whales watching vessel’s searching during our 3-4 hour tour. Something was found indeed! 5 Bigg’s killer whales were reported in Sansum Narrows, the passage between mainland Vancouver Island and Saltspring Island. This location...

Kelly | M/V Sea Lion | March 30th, 2025 | 12:30pm

Everyone on board the M/V Sea Lion on this lovely Sunday afternoon had a hopeful and excited attitude as we left the harbor. I received so many thoughtful questions about the environment and all the impressive species that occupy it. 

After taking a left out of Friday Harbor and heading up and out of San Juan Channel, our first stop was White Rock. White Rock is a hot spot for what we lovingly call our “Rock Sausages” aka harbor seals. We were...

Kelly | M/V Sea Lion | October 11th, 2024 | 12:30pm

Nothing was reported in our range as we left Friday Harbor on this lovely fall afternoon. After exiting the harbor and entering San Juan Channel, captain Eric and I had fully prepared to go into search mode. Luckily, a report came in! A group of whales found in Lopez Sound, a very easy transit for us. We turned left into Upright Channel and rounded the northern tip of Lopez Island. This particular spot offers an amazing view of Mt. Baker. In the...

Olivia Esqueda | M/V Sea Lion | September 28th, 2024| 12:30pm

Saturday out on the water was SO fun! We headed south through San Juan Channel making a brief stop at Goose Island where we saw Harbor Seals, Double Crested Cormorants and Pelagic Cormorants before passing Cattle Point Lighthouse and exploring the Strait of Juan de Fuca. After transiting past heaps of Surf Scoters, we came across a large bait ball where we were able to see one of the few Minke Whales in the Salish Sea. However, we...

Olivia Esqueda | M/V Sea Lion | September 25th, 2024 | 12:30pm

We are loving these fall days out on the water. Not only can we see the wildlife that spend the summer months here still hanging around, but we are also starting to see a return of the wildlife that will spend the winter months in these waters. These transitional phases bring in a broader biodiversity within the Salish Sea, making the shoulder seasons some of our favorite times of year to get out on the water. 

Today we felt lucky to...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | September 29th, 2024 | 2:00 pm

Today was the perfect afternoon as Captain Vaun and I headed out on our last trip of the season together. We left Friday Harbor and began traveling north up San Juan Channel to follow up on some reports of whales near Sidney, BC. As we passed Spieden Island, we stopped to look at a few harbor seals hanging out on some small islands before continuing to the Haro Strait. Once we were nearing the Canadian Border, we suddenly saw the dorsal...

Olivia Esqueda | M/V Sea Lion | Thursday, September 19th, 2024 | 12:30pm

Today was such a fun tour bringing in all the fall vibes. We started off our trip by heading south through San Juan Channel, stopping briefly off Turn Island to see a Sea Otter floating around in the bull kelp reef. This gave us an opportunity to chat about how the increased sightings of sea otters in the last few years all circles back to sea star wasting disease. We love conversations showing how everything is connected...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | September 20th, 2024 | 12:30 pm

Nobody could have predicted the crazy trip ahead of us as we left Friday Harbor on our afternoon Classic Whale Watch! We had reports of some killer whales traveling interisland, so we began by heading around Turn Island and stopping to look at some harbor seals before continuing east. We traveled in between Shaw and Lopez Islands, and soon saw a group of boats ahead of us rounding into East Sound of Orcas Island. As we approached the...

Maxx | M/V Sea Lion | September 7th 2024 | 12:30pm

Serendipitous moments like we saw on today’s tour are always a bit confounding to me as I cruise around the San Juans. Yesterday a big group of Bigg’s Killer Whales passed through the San Juan Channel, down around Jones Island and into Orca’s Islands Deer Harbor. They milled there and carried on again, up around Orcas Island and through Presidents Pass. 

Today’s tour was remarkably similar- It didn’t take long for Sea Lion to leave Friday Harbor...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | September 5th, 2024 | 12:30 pm

With a boat full of excited passengers, our afternoon trip aboard the M/V Sea Lion left the heat of Friday Harbor in search of a cool breeze and lots of wildlife! We began by heading east, loosely following the ferry route towards Anacortes in pursuit of some rumors of whale activity. We traveled interisland and got some quick looks at some harbor porpoises along the way. As we passed in between Blakely and Decatur Islands, we slowed...