Olivia Esqueda | Friday, March 14th, 2025 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30pm
This was the first tour of the year for both me and Captain Gabe, and it was definitely an exciting one! We started off the trip by heading north through San Juan Channel, where there has been an increase of whale activity over the past few days. Right away we were spotting many different birds including Pelagic Cormorants, Common Murres, Harlequin Ducks, Rhinoceros Auklets, and many, many more! Most notably, we saw at least a dozen Bald Eagles throughout our entire tour perched up in the pines on varies islands, standing out amongst the green and gray with those white feathered heads.
Our first official stop on the tour was at a place known as White Rock where there were heaps of Harbor Seals hauled out thermoregulating on the shoreline. This invoked many discussions about the Salish Sea ecosystem, conservation, and the very vital role these seals play in balancing the food web. We continued into Boundary Pass and eventually headed west towards Turn Point Lighthouse. Throughout the entire tour, we were gifted pristine views of Mount Baker, also known as Koma Kulshan, the volcano in the North Cascades. This presented such an awe-inspiring backdrop to… everything.
After rounding the lighthouse, we drifted across the Haro Strait, weaving between Canadian islands before ducking into Mosquito Pass. This pass brought us right by Roche Harbor, and back into Spieden Channel where we were able to chat about the history, geology, and unique wildlife on Spieden Island, which included the non-native Mouflon Sheep, Fallow Deer, and Sika Deer. My personal favorite part of Spieden Island? All the Steller’s Sea Lions hauled out this time of year! They are the world’s largest sea lions and so neat to watch in the wild.
As we headed back to Friday Harbor and about to get ready to dock, we received a rumor from a friend riding on the WA State Ferry that they were seeing two orcas! After verifying with the passengers that everyone was okay with possibly extending past the four-hour tour mark, off we went to find some whales. Not 20 minutes later, we spotted a male and female orca from the Bigg’s Killer Whale population! This was so exciting for everyone on board. We chatted about the differences between the two ecotypes we can potentially find in these waters, the IDing process, recent population trends, their intelligence, and so much more! What a wonderful last-minute surprise we were able to give to our guests. I’m already looking forward to the next trip!