Jordan | July 19, 2018 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 trip

Our afternoon trip may have started with a bit of delay but the amazing whales that we saw were well worth the wait! As 2:00 rolled around, the sun came out and the skies cleared and it became a truly beautiful and warm Washington afternoon. Captain Mike and I received several reports of whales around the San Juan islands so we were excited to take our Kestrel vessel and explore the area.

First, we headed down the San Juan Channel and...

Jordan | July 19, 2018 | M/V Kestrel | 10:00 trip

The cloudy morning and brisk breeze chilled our Kestrel vessel as we headed out of Friday Harbor. Because it was so early, there were no reports of whales around the San Juan islands. So, Captain Mike and I headed out blind to try and find the wildlife.

We headed north through the San Juan Channel, cut up across Boundary Pass and wandered into Canada. Then we cut above Patos Island and then down through Rosario Strait. We stopped a...

Jordan | July 18, 2018 | M/V Kestrel | 10:00 trip

Today was a lovely day! Even though the day started out with a gray, cloud covered sky with a brisk breeze in the air, by mid-trip, the clouds parted and blue skies lit up our morning.

Captain Gabe and I heard of whales on the west side of San Juan! So, excited to start the day, we booked it out of Friday Harbor and headed south through the San Juan Channel. We passed by southern point of San Juan, Cattle Point, and headed up the west...

Jordan | July 15, 2018 | M/V Kestrel | 10:00

Today’s trip was so great! The morning was lucky to have a clear sky with no clouds and a shining sun. We had a great group of people really excited to go on an adventure! Captain Mike and I heard multiple reports of whales so we decided to take our speedy boat down through the San Juan Channel. Before we headed too far south, we stopped by Whale Rocks and visit the harbor seals that were lounging close to the surface of the water, soaking...

Jordan | July 9, 2018 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00

What a great trip we had today! Even though it was a bit cloudy and cold and it began to rain, the animals sure made up for it! As we traveled north, we stopped by Turn Point on Stuart Island to check out a bald eagle perched right next to the lighthouse! We were so absorbed with the eagle that we almost didn’t notice the huge pod of orca whales sneaking up on us! All of a sudden, we turned around and saw orcas headed straight toward us!

We...

Jordan | July 9, 2018 | M/V Kestrel | 10:00

Today was a lovely day despite the gray skies that hung over the San Juan Islands. Luckily, we had our speedy boat, the Kestrel to take us around the seas to try and see as much as possible!

Captain Mike and I journeyed up the San Juan Channel, and east through Spieden Channel. Here we stopped and found some adorable seals along a nearby rocky outcrop. They were relaxing near the surface of the water with a few baby pups! As we kept...

Captain Gabe and I headed down to the docks on the busiest day of the year in Friday Harbor- 4th of July! Unfortunately, we had not heard of any whales in our area yet this morning. With smiles on our faces and high hopes, we gathered our guests and headed up the San Juan Channel to see what whales we would be able to find this busy day on the water! At least hoping to spot some majestic bald eagles on this United States Independence Day. As we approached Flat Top Island, we stopped...

Joining us for an Upcoming Whale Watching Trip?! Yay- So glad to hear it! There is so much to do in Friday Harbor you’ll want to make every moment count the second you get here!  Once you arrive on island feel free to stop by our office and we will get you checked in, as well as provide you with a map of the island- and of course point out some of our favorite spots to check out.  But before you get here read on to find out some of our favorite things to do- in the very walkable town...

Today we got to see a group of transient orca whales just north of San Juan Island.  On our way out of Friday Harbor we got a look at a swimming juvenile Steller’s sea lion.  We then continued to head out of the Harbor and went into Presidents channel where we came across the T137’s.  When we first got on scene the whales were all spread out and foraging for any tasty mammal snacks.  We watched as the whales were spread out but surfaced in unison.  We then got to see them alternate...

[Tuesday, 6/27/18 - M/V Sea Lion - 5:30PM - Naturalist Erick]

On Tuesday, Captain Mike and myself were on our own with a smaller group of guests on the sunset tour - aka my favorite tour. We went south through San Juan Channel and Cattle Pass to eventually head towards the southern end of Rosario Strait. We were pointed in this direction to look for a Humpback Whale that we had seen during the afternoon trip. On our way there we stopped at Whale Rocks in Cattle Pass to look at the...