Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | April 24th, 2022 | 12:30pm

Continuing our weekend stretch of beautiful weather, it made our decision to travel towards Vancouver Island that much easier. Shortly after leaving the dock, we received word that there was a Gray Whale over by D’Arcy Island. This excited us and off we went!

Scanning the islands and the waters along the way, we stopped at Spieden Island to check out the world’s largest sea lions! These Steller’s Sea Lions were not only snoozing and...

Maxx K. | M/V Sea Lion | 04/12/2022 | 12:30pm

    I’m never going to forget today’s tour. 

    It’s not unusual to start a tour without any whale sightings. None of our whales are tagged and we rely on sightings and word of mouth to spot them. The fact of the matter is however, whales are here in the Salish Sea all year round, it’s just a matter of if there are individuals or vessels scanning the water to find them. Well, today we were insanely fortunate as a mere 5 minutes before...

Haleigh | M/V Sea Lion | October 10, 2021 | 12:00 pm

For our Sunday afternoon departure, we departed from Friday Harbor following up on a report of two Humpback Whales along the West side of San Juan Island. We arrived on scene with these whales traveling north very close together. As they made their way, we got beautiful looks during each surfacing of their humps, notched dorsal fins, and white-marked flukes. One of these whales was ID’d as Vivaldi (MMX0128) for their fair white...

Haleigh | M/V Sea Lion | October 5, 2021 | 12:00 pm

It’s peak Humpback Whale watching season in the Salish Sea! Our Humpbacks are incredibly special because in the 1900’s, they were entirely whaled out of the area. Due to the increase in bait fish over the last couple of decades, more Humpbacks are returning each summer season. Females that return occasionally bring their calves back with them, teaching those young cetaceans that the Salish Sea is a viable feeding ground. With this...

Haleigh | M/V Sea Lion | September 20, 2021 | 1:30 pm

For our classic whale watching excursion, we decided to travel north through the San Juan Channel. Reports of some killer whales were far up north towards Saturna Island, meaning we needed to make a straight shot there. We passed by Jones Island, Spieden Island, and eventually Waldron Island, leaving Saturna straight off of our bow. As we neared closer, we caught sight of some exhalations! 

These Bigg’s Killer Whales were...

Jordan | M/V Kestrel | 07/05/2021 2:00pm

Perfect day out today!

Captain Pete and I jumped on the boat and headed north through the San Juan Channel. Heading up near Canada, we stopped by Flattop Island and checked out a whole group of Harbor Seals lounging in the water. Their beady little eyes stared up at us from the surface as they sleepily enjoyed the warm day.

Then, we saw 4 bald eagles! They all perched high in the treetops as they surveyed their surroundings in search for their...

Olivia | M/V Kestrel | July 4th, 2021 | 14:00

We left the dock as quickly as possible today knowing that the Bigg’s Killer Whales we saw at the very end of our first trip were aiming for Canada. With Covid-19 restrictions still in place, this means we would be unable to view once they crossed that border. We aimed straight for Battleship Island, finding 13 orcas playing around together in U.S. waters. These families included the T034’s, T037’s, and T065A’s. 

These mammal-eating...

Olivia | M/V Kestrel | July 4th, 2021 | 10:00am

Setting out this holiday morning, we were one of the first vessels in the Pacific Whale Watch Association to leave the dock in search of whales and other wildlife. Making sure to scan as many bodies of water around the salish sea as we could, including inner waterways, our travels first took us to New Channel where the Cactus Islands sit. We immediately stumbled upon an amazing experience I have never witnessed before. Over a dozen...

Haleigh | M/V Osprey | June 26, 2021 | 5:30pm

The Salish Sea supports an abundant, diverse ecosystem full of lengthy kelp beds, speckled phytoplankton, small schooling fish, and our larger marine mammals! Using our knowledge of the environment, we can predict where certain animals will congregate or where they’ll be moving. Combining this knowledge, we are further directed by visual sightings reporting cetaceans or pinnipeds to the Pacific Whale Watch Association. By sharing...

Olivia | M/V Osprey | June 25th, 2021 | 12:30pm

With the sunshine on our side, we immediately decided to make the decision to head north around the top of San Juan Island with some rumors of a baleen whale lurking in the air. This brought us all the way towards County Park, just north of Lime Kiln Lighthouse. Coming on scene, we quickly discovered that this baleen was none other than a Humpback Whale! 

This filter feeding ocean giant was slow traveling north along the westside...