Erick | Sunday, May 19, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 5:30PM

On our second trip this Sunday, Captain Gabe and I took our lovely group of folks north through San Juan Channel and towards Boundary Pass. We made our first stop at Green Point on Spieden Island. Here there were a few Steller Sea Lions enjoying the warm rocks of the late afternoon. Up on hillside there was a herd of Mouflon Sheep grazing as well. These are sheep that were brought here to be part of an exotic game hunting ranch...

Erick | Sunday, May 19, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00

What a beautiful sunny day to start the week with! Captain Pete and I headed out with a full group to go find the amazing creatures that are our neighbors in the Salish Sea. We started north through San Juan Channel and made our first stop at Green Point on Spieden Island. Here we saw a few adult male Steller Sea Lions just emerging from the water to take a rest on the rocky shoreline. Soon these furry giants will all go north for...

Erick | Friday, May 17, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 11:00AM

Captain Gabe and I had an early trip on this day. It started out as cloudy, but you could see some blue skies poking out up there as well. We left with a full boat and headed north to see what we could find. We made our first stop at Flattop Island to look at a bunch of Harbor Seals sunning themselves on the rocky shoreline. They were all huddled on the eastern side since it seems seals hate to be in the wind, so they avoid it at...

Piper | Thursday, May 16, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00 PM

Today was one of those rare Spring days when we get to leave the dock with a sighting already reported. That never means we will definitely see whales, but it for sure increases our chances. Sometimes the animals give us the slip, but with the sun shining down strong Captain Gabe, myself, and an awesome group of people headed south into San Juan Channel, through Cattle Pass and out into the beautiful Strait of Juan de Fuca! We...

Erick | Tuesday, May 14, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00

Today, we were back in our normal spring weather – so gray skies with light drizzles through out the day. I love this weather because the low-lying clouds scrap along the tree line and the mist that you walk through cools down the temperature and the colors of the islands. Captain Pete and I left with a good group of folks out of Friday Harbor to find out what sort of marine life was out there today. We started out going north in...

Sarah | 05/11/2019 | M/V Kestrel | 03:00pm

What amazing demonstration of how reports can change throughout the day! As we came back to Friday Harbor after a spectacular morning tour, a report of orcas far to the north in the Canadian Gulf Islands came in over the radio. Captain Gabe and I remained cautiously optimistic that the killer whales might be in range for us on our afternoon departure, but it would take a little bit of luck and some cooperative whales!

We left Friday harbor...

Erick | Friday, May 10, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 11:00AM

Out here as the weather is getting sunnier and warmer, we are starting to run our Adventure Tours aboard M/V Kestrel. Captain Gabe and I took an excited, adventurous group out to find all the amazing creatures in the Salish Sea. We started by going north on the flat, calm waters of San Juan Channel. We made our first stop at Green Point on Spieden Island to see the group of Steller Sea Lions gathered out there. They were sleepily...

[Sarah | 05/04/2019 | M/V Kestrel | 10:00am and 2:00pm]

Today’s two adventure tours were super special. We got to spend the whole day exploring the Salish Sea looking for all sorts of wildlife and enjoy some incredible spring weather.

Our 10:00am trip left the dock with a rumor of killer whales around the Strait of Georgia. Reported by some fisherman, there were no commercial whale watch boats with the orcas, so we had to go on a search pattern to find them. We motored up north...

Piper | 04/28/2019 | M/V Sea Lion | Noon

I'm back for another season on San Juan Island and what a great day to kick off the summer aboard the M/V Sea Lion! Captain Pete and I were onboard with a great group of folks today, the sun was shining bright, and the wind had relaxed after a very breezy Saturday. We started off the day with a report of orcas near Sucia Island so when we left Friday Harbor we headed north through San Juan Channel. Just before entering President Channel we...

[Sarah | 04/24/2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm]

Springtime in the San Juans is absolutely magical. The Salish Sea is in flux and there is such an interesting mix of our overwintering wildlife still lingering and some of our summertime species just arriving to our nutrient-rich waters. These conditions make the spring one of my favorite times to be on the water as the ecosystem is so incredibly dynamic and you just never know what you’ll see or where you’ll end up.

We started our tour...