Skip to main content
Image
Southern Resident Killer Whale

Southern Resident Killer Whales Fish off of False Bay!

Erick | M/V Sea Lion | Saturday, September 19, 2020 | 1:00 PM

 

 

The skies finally cleared today when Captain Sarah and I ventured out to search for wildlife in the Salish Sea. We headed south after getting reports that the Southern Residents had been spotted near the southern end of San Juan Island! As we headed down, we made a stop at Whale Rocks to look at the Steller Sea Lions and the Harbor Seals. After looking at those growly pinnipeds we continued on our way and headed...

Image
Bigg's Orcas

Trip to Deception Pass and Watching the T37A Bigg's Orcas Hunt!

Erick | M/V Kestrel | Wednesday, September 9, 2020 | 2:00PM

 

September is here! This is one of my favorite months here. Things slow down quickly after Labor Day and the weather seemingly steels itself for the coming autumn. Captain Brian and I took a group out on M/V Kestrel on this warm and calm Wednesday. We headed inter-island to head towards a report of Orcas in between Whidbey Island and the mainland. We cruised in between Lopez and Blakely Islands, crossed Rosario Strait and...

Image
Bigg's killer whales

Bigg's Killer Whales Hunt Near Some Bait Balls South of SJI!

Laura | M/V Sea Lion | 8/31/2020 | 1:30pm

Even though it is the end of August and fall is right around the corner, we had the most beautiful summer day out on the water on M/V Sea Lion!  Morale was high among passengers as Captain Erick explained at the dock that our plan was to head south today to follow a morning report of Bigg’s killer whales!  The whales had been seen by the RA buoy east of Hein Bank and were trending southeast at 5-6 knots.  With a quick calculation, we aimed to...

Image

Bigg's Orcas travel in Haro Strait! (T60's and T2B)

Erick | M/V Sea Lion | 1:00PM | August 21, 2020

 

This afternoon there was the treat of rain in the sky but luckily it held off till later in the day. Captain Pete and I took out a great crew of passengers out to search for the local wildlife in the Salish Sea! We started by heading south. There were some early reports of Orcas down by Middle Bank of the southwestern side of San Juan Island. We headed straight there, and they were still travelling slowly parallel to the international...

Image
Bigg's Orcas

Two Bigg's Orca Families Travel Strait of Juan de Fuca! (T65As & T137s)

Erick | M/V Kestrel | August 15, 2020 | 2:00PM

 

It was another super beautiful, sunny day out here in the San Juan Islands. Capt. Brian and I took a group out to go searching for some of our exciting local wildlife. We started by going south through San Juan Channel and into Cattle Pass! We made a stop at Whale Rocks in Cattle Pass. Here we saw about a dozen huge Steller Sea Lions. Some were rolling around in the water, while others were asleep on the rocks and dozing off in the...

Image
Bigg's Orcas

Bigg's Orcas Travel around the Outer Islands! (T18/T19s Killer Whale family)

Erick | M/V Kestrel | 2:00PM | August 8, 2020

 

It was another bright, beautiful, summer day out in the San Juan Islands! Captain Brian and I took a great group of guests out to look for some exciting wildlife in the Salish Sea! There was a report of some Bigg’s Orcas up near the outer islands! We headed up there through Presidents Channel and soon saw the group near Patos Island. It was the T18/T19s group that has been around for a few days now! This is a fascinating family. There...

Image
Bigg's Orcas

Two Families of Bigg's Orcas! : The T65A's and T37A's travel in Rosario Strait

Erick | M/V Kestrel | Saturday, July 18, 2020 | 2:00PM

 

It was another beautiful summer day here in the San Juan Islands! It was sunny, breezy, and beautiful blue skies everywhere you look. We could see Mt. Baker, the Olympic Mountains, and all the way down to Mt. Rainier! Capt. Brian and I took a full crew of guests out to look for whales and other wildlife. There were some early reports of some Orcas east of San Juan Island that were spotted near the ferry lane, so we headed that...

Image
Southern Resident Orcas

Too Much In One Day: J pod Orcas breaching off the west side and 2 Humpback Whales!

Erick | M/V Sea Lion | Wednesday, July 15, 2020 | 1:30PM

 

            It is very much feeling like summer now. Capt. Pete and I took a group out on a beautiful, warm sunny day here in the San Juans. Now, it definitely was not hot especially once we got out on the water. We started going by going south through San Juan Channel and into Haro Strait. There had been a report of groups of orcas off the southwestern coast of San Juan Island. We soon saw blows a few miles offshore on False...

Image
J Pod Found Foraging on Salmon Bank

J Pod Found Foraging on Salmon Bank

Laura | M/V Sea Lion | 7/11/2020 | 1:30 PM

Waking up this morning with rainy skies was no deterrent to visitors of San Juan Island to come on a whale watch, as marine mammals obviously love the water!  Passengers were happy as clams to board M/V Sea Lion with high hopes for the day and I was thrilled to hear reports of whales booming on the radio in our bridge!  We headed south through San Juan Channel and curved over towards Salmon Bank.  Captain Pete was in communication with other...

Image
Southern Resident Orcas

J pod Orcas back on the West Side and a Humpback Whale in SJ Channel!

Erick | M/V Kestrel | July 10, 2020 | 2:00pm

Wohoo! Another beautiful day out in the San Juans! It felt a little bit like summer out there in the Salish Sea but there was still a cool breeze coming from the south. Capt. Brian and I took an excited group out on M/V Kestrel to go find some wildlife! We first headed east and soon saw a blow out near Lopez Island! As we got closer, we saw that it was Humpback Whale headed south! We watched this giant whale swim quickly towards Cattle...

Start your next adventure today! View All Tours