[Sarah | 03/23/2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm]

Today was spectacular… there is no other way to put it. Oftentimes today the waters of the Salish Sea were so calm that the islands and tiny puffy clouds were reflected perfectly in the surface. It feels like spring all through the islands, with flowers sprouting and baby animals running around on the slope of Spieden Island. We left Friday Harbor with an early morning report of orcas spotted on the west side of San Juan Island and the...

Erick | Tuesday, March 19, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00 

Today. We took a wonderful group of folks out on a pretty warm sunny very springtime day. Captain Pete, myself, and Alex motored south to look at Griffin Bay and saw some Harbor Seals lounging on the rocks soaking up the sun as much as we were. We did not see any whales so we turned and headed north. Right around Turn Rock we saw a Steller Sea Lion that had grabbed a Giant Pacific Octopus! He was tearing into it and swallowing...

Erick | Monday, March 18, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 12:00 

Spring is here! On this warm and sunny day Captain Brian and I took a great small group out on Kestrel to see what wildlife was out enjoying the sunshine too. We headed out of Friday Harbor and almost saw blows immediately! They were right off the shore of Brown Island. We approached this group of whales and soon saw that they were Bigg’s Orcas. Orcas aka Killer Whales are divided into different ‘ecotypes’. These ecotypes are...

Erick | Friday, March 15, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00

On Friday, it was another beautiful sunny day that reminded us that spring is just around the corner for us! Captain Mike and I headed out with a great group up north to go see what we could find! We headed through San Juan Channel, then to Spring Pass, and through Presidents Channel. In Presidents Channel we got to see a lot of Harbor Porpoise. I sometimes call this area Porpoise alley. Harbor Porpoises are definitely our...

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Erick | Thursday, March 14, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00

This Thursday still felt a little bit like winter. It was quite chilly with a grey sky above. Captain Mike and I headed north to go check out a report of Orcas up in Boundary Pass. We traveled through San Juan Channel and headed past Spieden and Stewart Islands into Boundary Pass. Right in Between Gooch Island and Moresby Island we saw some blows up ahead! It was not just one but two families of Orcas. Both of these families...

Erick | Wednesday, March 13, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion| | 12:00 

This Wednesday was one of the first days it really has felt like spring here in the islands. The sun was out and there was only a slight breeze in the air. Captain Pete and I took a good-sized crew out to go see what wonderful wildlife was also out enjoying the sunshine. We headed south after we left Friday Harbor. We rounded Turn Island and just as we made our way into Griffin Bay we saw some blows just ahead in San Juan...

Erick | Saturday, March 9, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00 

If you can imagine a perfect March day, then that day was today. The sun was shining bright, there were a few fluffy white clouds hanging out above the islands, and the breeze was slight. Captain Mike, Sarah, and I took a pretty large group out aboard M/V Sea Lion. We left from Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. And headed south into San Juan Channel. The channels in between the main islands of the San Juan Islands are not very...

Sarah | 03/08/2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

Wowza what a day whale watching in the San Juan Islands. March is one of my favorite times to be out on the water because there is just so much wildlife that can be found in and around the islands while there is always the possibility of finding whales. Leaving Friday Harbor we experienced all of the possible weather conditions we could think of - flurries, a drizzle, clouds, and then bright sunshine – and we found amazing wildlife!

Based...

Sarah | 03/07/2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm

Today we had a marvelous day exploring the Salish Sea. The day was full of wildlife and beautiful cloudscapes.

This time of year we often do not have any reports when leaving Friday Harbor, but as we left the mouth of our protected home Captain Mike steered the M/V Sea Lion south towards Cattle Pass. I poked my head in the wheelhouse… a report of orcas near Victoria! This time of year a report is kind of like a rumor until we put our eyes...