Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

Jordan | M/V Kestrel | 09/05/19 | 11:00am

The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, random dogs were barking in the distance; it was looking like a great start to our whale watch!

Captain Gabe and I took our new friends out of Friday Harbor on the Kestrel. We headed down south through the San Juan Channel towards Cattle Point.

Along the way we stopped to watch a big bait ball! Swarms of birds were pecking at the surface of the water and diving down to catch fish that were balled...

Olivia | September 4th, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 1:30pm

What an incredible day aboard M/V Sea Lion! Captain Sarah, Co-Naturalist Jordan and I headed north through the San Juan Channel in hopes to see some whale reports that were rumored from the morning. Initially we were going to head around the tip of San Juan Island and into Haro Strait, when we last minute heard of some Bigg’s Killer Whales that were closer and coming our way.

All along our trip, both heading north and later on in...

Piper | Tuesday, September 3, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 1:30 PM

Captain Pete and naturalists Olivia and I were aboard the M/V Sea Lion today with a fabulous group of folks which were ready to head out and see some Salish Sea wildlife! We left the marina and headed northwest towards Moresby Island in the Canadian Southern Gulf Islands. Along our route we spotted some harbor porpoises surfacing off Spieden Island, with their tiiiiiiiny dorsal fins popping up here and there. We also had...

Erin | M/V Kestrel | 11:00 AM | Tuesday, September 3, 2019

What a wonderful trip aboard Kestrel this afternoon! We began our trip with no firm reports of whales in the area, so we decided to head north in search of some whales. Right after we left the harbor, we saw a bald eagle perched in one of the treetops! It was an adult bald eagle, with a bright white head and some white tail feathers. As we headed through San Juan Channel, we saw some upwelling occurring around us. Upwelling...

Piper | Monday, September 2, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 1:30 PM

Today was a beautiful, sunny holiday Monday and Captain Pete, Erin, and I had an awesome group of guests aboard the Sea Lion. We had a report of orcas coming south towards San Juan Island from Canadian waters and so we went north to meet up with them!

When we were in San Juan Channel on our way to the orcas, just north of Jones Island, we came across two humpback whales traveling along! These two large baleen whales were only...

M/V Kestrel | Monday, August 2nd, 2019 | Naturalist Alexandria | 11AM

We had quite an adventurous day on the water today!  We left Friday Harbor this morning after getting suited up in our exposure suits.  After spending less than 3 minutes or so leaving the harbor we were treated to two humpback whales swimming by! 

We were so excited at the fact that we had these whale so close!  We got to hang out with them for a nice chunk of time, probably about 20 minutes or so.  During this...

Erin | M/V Sea Lion | 1:30 PM | Sunday, September 1, 2019

What an incredible trip aboard the M/V Sea Lion today! We travelled north out of Friday Harbor in pursuit of some killer whale reports in Canada! As we made our way toward Sidney Island, we went through some upwelling zones, which create whitewater and smooth patches. We also saw some harbor porpoises pop up in San Juan Channel. We crossed the border between the U.S. and Canada and went to a place called Hugh's Passage. After...

Laura C. | M/V Kestrel | 9/1/2019 | 11:00am 

We had a lovely day aboard M/V Kestrel exploring the diverse wildlife found in the Salish Sea!  The radio was booming with reports of whale sightings so Captain Gabe was excited to tell passengers of the great news!  As our vessel left Friday Harbor, I was talking to passengers about the unique wildlife we were hoping to see just as a harbor seal came into view!  The harbor seal was basking on the rocks right near the harbor and was...

Erin | M/V Kestrel | 3:00 PM | Saturday, August 31, 2019

It was such a beautiful afternoon in the Salish Sea! We headed south out of Friday Harbor and travelled through some very active upwelling zones. Upwelling is caused when water runs into structures that are above and below the surface. We especially see upwelling when the tide is either ebbing or flowing. The tide was flowing, so there were some areas of whitewater that were pretty intense! It is magnificent to be able to see...

Laura C. | M/V Sea Lion | 8/31/2019 | 1:30 pm

Today was a marvelous day aboard M/V Sea Lion!  With several reports of whales in the area, we headed northbound through San Juan Channel full of excitement and anticipation of our upcoming wildlife sightings!  As we rounded San Juan Island into the Haro straight we found harbor porpoises cruising through the area in search of some fish!  These animals prefer areas with strong upwelling and current changes providing more prey availability...