Captain Brian and I finished out a stellar whale watching season here in the San Juans by going five for five on whale sightings in November. These last two trips of the season we were privileged to spend sometime with humpback whales and clear skies! Humpback whales are considered to be the fifth largest whale in the world, here in the North Pacific averaging 45 feet in length and 90,000lbs. Largely solitary, it is unusual to see them traveling in groups, like our orcas, but not totally uncommon. On November 21st were were lucky enough to see a pair of whales traveling together, which appeared to be a mother calf pair. When born, calves are right around the size of a pick-up truck: 15 feet long and right around 2,500-3,000 pounds, but they double in length within their first year of life, reaching a length of right around 30 feet by this time of year. We enjoyed beautiful views of Mt. Baker and Turn Point lighthouse on Stewart Island as the whales surfaced and fluked. On the way back to Friday Harbor we caught up with some Steller's sea lions foraging in Spieden Channel. The bird activity was also out of control as the gulls swooped in for scraps from the sea lions. On November 28th we again were treated to a beautiful day as we cruised around Spieden Island, the Cactus Islands, through John's Pass, and then out into a wide open section of water known as Boundary Pass. Boundary Pass separates Canadian and U.S. Territory, and as long as we do not discharge goods or passengers we are welcome to cross the border on our tours...No passports required! We enjoyed gorgeous vies of Mt. Baker and the islands as we scanned for whales and other wildlife. Alas our search proved to be fruitless, until we were headed south down San Juan Channel, back to Friday Harbor, when.... KWOOFF! The exhalation of a humpback whale proved that wildlife can pop up anywhere and everywhere, even right outside of the harbor! This particular whale was moving very quickly south at about 8-10 kts, very fast for a humpback, coming up to breathe often and taking shallow dives as it cruised. We were giddy to see the whale's 15-foot-wide tail up at the surface on a number of occasions. It really was a magical way to end this incredible 2015 season. Naturalist Sarah McCullagh, M/V Sea Lion, San Juan Safaris