Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | September 17th, 2024 | 12:30 pm

Our Classic Whale Watch felt like Fall as we left Friday Harbor in overcast and cooler weather, but that certainly didn’t deter us from having a great day on the water! We left the dock and headed north, following up on a report of some killer whales. We traveled up San Juan Channel, following the western side of Orcas Island heading towards Patos Island. After a look at Patos Lighthouse, we rounded the corner and saw a few other...

Southward was the plan as we left Friday Harbor on our Classic Whale Watch and Wildlife Tour. A rumored report of killer whales in the Strait of Juan de Fuca was our destination, a long run on the ole M/V Sea Lion but we were determined to make it work! As we transited down San Juan Channel and approached Cattle Pass, guests aboard pointed out splashing in the distance! After slowing the boat to investigate, it became clear that the splashing was made by a stellar sea lion. This massive pinniped...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | September 12th, 2024 | 2:00 pm

Today’s Adventure Whale Watch was an amazing, whale filled afternoon through the San Juan Islands. We had heard reports of multiple groups of Bigg’s Killer Whales in the area before leaving the dock, so we left Friday Harbor already excited for what we could find. We began by traveling interisland to the east, looping around Blakely Island to find our first group of whales. We got a quick look at a group of about four Bigg’s traveling...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | September 9th, 2024 | 12:30 pm

Today was a happy Monday aboard the M/V Sea Lion as we set out from Friday Harbor on our Classic Whale Watch. We had reports of a group of whales far in the north, so we headed in that direction up San Juan Channel to reach them. We traveled up the western side of Orcas Island, traveled a bit east, and then north between Sucia and Matia Islands. After a bit more travel north into the Strait of Georgia, we finally reached the scene of...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | September 8th, 2024 | 12:30 pm

Our Sunday afternoon Classic Whale Watch left Friday Harbor already hearing reports of whales close by in San Juan Channel, so we wasted no time heading in that direction. We traveled south in the channel, but didn’t have to go too far before we reached a group of Bigg’s/Transient Killer Whales. As we approached this group of eight individuals, we realized there were actually two different matrilines traveling together making this a T...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | September 7th, 2024 | 2:00 pm

Our afternoon adventure whale watch set out from Friday Harbor under hazy skies in search of wildlife. We began by heading north up San Juan Channel and were excited about some rumors of whales ahead of us. Soon enough, as we neared Waldron Island, we could see some blows in the distance along with some large black dorsal fins! This ended up being a group of three male Bigg’s or Transient Killer Whales, and they were slowly traveling...

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...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | September 4th, 2024 | 12:30 pm

Our Classic Whale Watch departed Friday Harbor today ready to search for some wildlife! We had great conditions as we set off into San Juan Channel, following up on some reports of whale activity to the north. Along the way we stopped at White Rocks to get some looks at a bunch of harbor seals relaxing in the sun! This was a great way to talk more about our ecosystem and see why the Salish Sea has such abundant wildlife. We continued...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | September 2nd, 2024 | 12:30 pm

Our whale filled holiday weekend continued today with another great trip on the M/V Osprey! We left Friday Harbor with some reports of killer whales to the north, so that’s where we began our search. We took a left out of the harbor and headed up San Juan Channel towards Spieden Island. We stopped nearby Spieden to look at some adorable harbor seals hauled out on a small island, getting great looks at the many different colors of each...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | September 1st, 2024 | 2:00 pm

Our afternoon trip left Friday Harbor in great spirits, ready to search for more whales and wildlife! Based on the sightings of the morning trip, we had an idea of where we wanted to go, so we turned north up San Juan Channel towards Waldron Island. We got some great looks at some harbor seals along the way, which was the perfect prep for the killer whales we were nearing! We quickly caught up with the Bigg’s/Transient Killer Whales...