7/9/17 – Sea Lion 1:30 PM Departure

Today on our afternoon sea lion trip we were lucky enough to watch some transient orcas.  Transient orcas have been the name of the game this whale watching season, which is giving our guests and naturalists a good opportunity to observe the differences in the transient and resident behavior and physiology.  One major difference is their pod make-up or social groupings.  Resident orca pods are made of an entire extended family...

[7/11/17- M/V Sea Lion- 1:30PM]

Ohhhh what a day to be out on a whale watch! The reports were already great as we left Friday Harbor, but we almost didn’t even need them- whales were seen passing by Friday Harbor just as our trip was ready to depart!

After only about 15 or 20 minutes, we were on the scene with a group of transient killer whales. They were quickly dodging about and deciding which ways to travel. They were separated into 3 or 4 small groups with about 10 whales total...

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(Rachel A & Sarah M - 07/08/17 – M/V Sea Lion - 01:30 PM & 05:30 PM)

We had an absolutely beautiful day out on the M/V Sea Lion today!  Our first trip was filled with sunshine and a beautiful sea breeze and our second trip had an amazing sunset, and of course the whales were amazing as well.  On our first and second trip...

[7/6/17- M/V Kittiwake- 11:00AM Charter]

If you’re reading this and have already been out to the San Juan Islands, then I might be stating the obvious, but this area is STUNNING. And, today was no exception! Sunny and 75, we chugged out of Friday Harbor from San Juan Island to see what we could see.

The trip was off to a great start as we approached Speiden Island and saw some bald eagles. There was a single individual who was perched on a treetop, but behind it in the sky were about...

[7/4/17- M/V Kestrel- 2:00PM]

Happy Fourth of July, folks! The day started with a huge parade going down the main street of Friday Harbor, and then afterwards, a whale watch!

It was a scorcher today as M/V Kestrel darted out of the busy harbor in search of killer whales. Just to the north end of Lopez island, a short boat trek from San Juan Island, we immediately stopped for two bald eagles and their nest with a chick present. It was such an appropriate and patriotic way to start our...

[6/30/17- M/V Kestrel- 2:00PM]

It’s always nice to have options, particularly when whale watching. And today, we had several! With 3-4 groups of whales to choose from, we departed Friday Harbor on M/V Kestrel first in search of a group of transient killer whales in Garrison Bay, maybe a 5-10 minute boat ride from the harbor! We approached the scene to see about 5 orcas travelling and being a bit playful with tail-splashes, spyhopping, and cartwheeling, not very common behavior for...

[6/23/17- M/V Sea Lion- 1:30PM]  The sun has returned to the San Juan Islands! Not a cloud in the sky was spotted as M/V Sea Lion departed Friday Harbor. The start of summer has been in full swing, and this was a beautiful taste of what is to come for the upcoming months.

We bobbed and weaved amongst the islands and tides, spotting harbor seals and various sea birds. After some time, we spotted quite a large pod of harbor porpoise spread out amongst the tides. Typically boat shy...

Lauren Fritz, Naturalist, M/V Sea Lion, 6/20/17, 1:30 pm & 5:30 pm tours

Anyone who's around me long enough has fallen victim to my ramblings about how amazing humpback whales are. I spend a significant portion of my year with these whales down in Maui, one of their main breeding grounds, so it's very exciting to see them up here in one of their feeding grounds as well! It's difficult not to marvel over the amazing migration of 2,500-3,000 miles that these whales make every year -...

[6/14/17- M/V Kittiwake- 1:00PM]

What. A. Day. When the day started off with a humpback whale IN Friday Harbor AT the ferry terminal, it should have been a sign that things were going to be good today! We departed San Juan Island on M/V Kittiwake and skimmed past the humpback (who was perhaps lost and a tad bit stressed to be where it was) to give it some peace, and we continued out the harbor in search of killer whales. And, along the way, we spotted 5 bald eagles soaring in circles...

Sea Lion had some grand adventures today! But, don't we always? Today was unique in that we saw two very different, solitary whales. One lone humpback, which is not an unsual sight, was seen cruising through the Strait of Juan de Fuca near Hein Bank. Humpbacks are typically solitary creatures; they don't hang out with their squad at the local bars or bond with their families over lunch. So, it was expected that we see this massive baleen whale chilling on his or her own several miles...