May 2, 2024 – The search was on from the moment we left the dock. You just never know where whales might turn up. We headed north hoping to follow up on an earlier report but to no avail. As we travelled between Spieden and the Cactus Islands we checked out some Bald Eagles. We headed along the Stuart Island shoreline and checked out the cliff face at Lover’s Leap near the Turn Point Lighthouse. It is so deep right there we can drive the boat up to within almost an arms length from the wall. While checking this out Captain JB was on the radio coordinating with other boats. We decided to head t ..read more

May 1, 2024 – Happy May Day and WOW was this trip one for the books. Not only was it a gorgeous sunny day, but we had a fantastic encounter with a group of Bigg’s Killer Whales in Spieden Channel. The T49As and T19 and T19B were just finishing up a sea lion hunt when we arrived on scene. For almost an hour, the whales hung out and socialized in one place with several of the younger whales very active at the surface, lunging, tail lobbing and even a breach from T49A6 “Charlie”. Suddenly, T19B “Galiano”, one of the largest males in the population, was fully airborne! We had several huge bre ..read more

April 28, 2024 – It was quite the windy day but despite the challenging weather, we had encounters with two separate groups of Bigg’s Killer Whales and several other amazing animals! We spent some time exploring Spieden Island where we spotted a Steller Sea Lion with the largest octopus! It was thrashing the octopus around to break off chunks and swallowing them down! We also spotted several juvenile bald eagles with their mottled coloring soaring above us and some Mouflon Sheep Rams on the shoreline! We spent some time watching two male killer whales, T49C “Nielson” and his 16-year-old n ..read more

April 23, 2024 – What a day! In one trip, we had separate encounters with three different groups of whales! We started out from Friday Harbor with a report of two groups of whales in Haro Strait. We spent a quick few surfacings with a family of Bigg’s Killer Whales known as the T36As. Then we scooted over to visit with the larger group of whales that consisted of a mother and son known as T19 “Nootka” and T19B “Galiano”. These two have been traveling consistently with another family of whales known as the T49As for the past few weeks. It was a blast to see the whole group traveling together in ..read more

April 22, 2024 – Today we lots of sunshine and blustery winds. Our first stop was at Spieden Island where we checked out some exotic game animals. There were dozens of Mouflon sheep grazing on the hillside. We had several rams with their full curl horns and many ewes with their lambs from this spring. At the east end of the island we found lots of Steller Sea Lions. There were some in the water and a couple dozen on the rocks. From there, Captain Ivan, decided to follow up on a report of Orcas. We headed up to Canada and cruised between the beautiful Islands of Saturna and Mayne to our east an ..read more

April 18, 2024 – We started the day with sightings of a couple of Bald Eagles soaring over the harbor. As we picked up speed we headed north with a report of a 2 Humpback whales. Captain JB was in contact with the boat on scene and they were going to stay with them until we got there. Unfortunately, the whales went on a long dive and disappeared in the choppy seas. With the help of all the passengers we did a huge search swinging up into Canadian waters just in case the whales had changed direction. We eventually headed to Java Rocks near Saturna Island to check out some Harbor Seals that were ..read more

Welcome to the pristine waters of the San Juan Islands, a haven for wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Nestled in the Salish Sea off the coast of Washington State, this breathtaking archipelago offers some of the best whale watching opportunities in the world. If you’re ready to embark on an unforgettable adventure to witness these majestic marine mammals in their natural habitat, you’ve come to the right place. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve into everything you need to know to make the most of your whale watching experience in the San Juan Islands. Why Choose the San Jua ..read more

April 10, 2024 – We had a sunny and crisp afternoon on the water. We headed south in San Juan Channel and started our trip at Whale Rocks with an abundance of Steller Sea Lions hauled out and in the water. Spring is an incredible time of year to enjoy the largest sea lion species in the world. They’ll be less plentiful in the area as we head into summer. From there we heading north in San Juan Channel and encountered two different family groups of killer whales. These whales are known as the T36As and the T49As. We had thirteen whales in total! Not everyone was accounted for, but we eventually ..read more

April 4, 2024 We set out on a blustery day everyone was excited to see what the day would bring. Our first encounter was with a young Humpback that was identified as “Sakura.” From the spotting records we know they were born in 2022. When we first got there it happened to be hanging out in rough spot of water and it was a being a shy whale. Eventually they worked their way into calmer waters and did a beautiful fluke up dive not too far from our boat. Sakura then got on a more regular surfacing pattern as they travelled along the Stuart Island shoreline.   After leaving Sakura we went to ..read more

We’ve been enjoying a classic spring in the Pacific Northwest here in the San Juan Islands. As we head into April, our daylight hours are stretching into the evening . We’re nestled in the rain shadow of the Olympic Peninsula so we don’t get the same amount of rain as our neighbors in Seattle and Olympia. We’ve been enjoying. sun filled spring and are excited for more sun-filled afternoons right around the corner! We’ve had whales on the vast majority of our trips so far. It’s nice to see some of our most familiar Bigg’s Killer Whale families return to see how they’ve grown. This is also a gr ..read more