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# San Juan Cruises

Seattle | Bellingham

## Sitemaps

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## Posts

- [Blog](https://whales.com/more-info/blog/) - Our blog includes whale reports, bird cruise sightings and company news.
- [T36's & T37's in the Bay!](https://whales.com/t36t37s-in-the-bay/) - Members of T36 & T37 Biggs orca pod in Bellingham Bay on the evening of 7/30/26 by Lincoln Humphry July 27 - Naturalist Lauren It was the perfect WA day, just warm enough with some interesting cloud coverage and whales close to home!! We had a great sea lion cuddle puddle of 5 lions
- [Sequoia & Salix are a Rare Sight](https://whales.com/sequoia-salix/) - The T100's at Patos Island Lighthouse on 6/24/26 by Lincoln Humphry T30 A&C Sequoia and Salix on 6/22/26 In Rosario Strait by Leo Solomon July 20 -Naturalist Lauren We made a grand lap through a lot of the islands today. We started out going north over the top of Orcas Island, stopping to see
- [A Very Exciting Week for Whales!](https://whales.com/freenettle/) - Members of T37’s, T37B’s and T123’s in top two rows, showing exciting behavior, and Nettle in top Center, where it got slightly beached before getting free. All on 7/16/26 by Lauren Rasmussen The T77's by Cherry Point on the Friday sunset whale watch 7/17/26 on bottom row by Lincoln Humphry July 14 -Naturalist Lauren Reports
- [Plenty of Whales, and some Sheep!](https://whales.com/porposing-and-sheep/) - The T123 females porposing to catch up with Stanley in Presidents Channel, and Mouflon Sheep on Spieden Island on 7/11/26 by Lincoln Humphry July 7 - Naturalist Lauren We love whales close to home! The T49A’s made quite the journey from yesterday's trip west bound near Victoria, BC. We caught up with this pod
- [Still Seeing Orcas Every Day](https://whales.com/still-seeing-orcas-every-day/) - First Row: T100's spooking seals on White Rock on 6/5/26 by Lincoln Humphry Second Row: T46B's and their months old calf "Pi" in the Strait of Juan De Fuca by Leo Solomon July 30 - Naturalist Lauren How can't you love a gray day that turns into blue skies, as you arrive on scene
- [One of the Coolest T-Parties We've Seen!](https://whales.com/coolest-t-party/) - Top two rows - The epic T-Party meet up of 12 orcas on 6/28 by John Wargowski 3rd row - some individuals from the T-Party in Bellingham Bay during the dinner cruise by Lincoln Humphry 4th row - the gray whale in Lopez Sound on 6/27 by Lincoln Humphry June 23 - Naturalist Elliot
- [Orcas Everyday, Including a Special Pod, the T2C's](https://whales.com/orcas-everyday-including-a-special-pod-the-t2cs/) - Jetsam and Flotsam meeting up with the T65A's in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, by Lincoln Humphry June 16th- Naturalist Kara Started the trip today with a blank slate: no reports for whales anywhere. We were vigilant in our journey today through the center of the islands while the crew scanned with binoculars
- [Big Mama Breach!](https://whales.com/big-mama-breach/) - First Five: Post-breach activity with Big Mama the humpback: tail and pectoral slaps, and fluking Last Four: T36s and T36B orcas: resting, logging, and some of the juveniles lightly porpoising Between Lummi and Sucia Island area by Lincoln Humphry on 6/11/26 June 10th- Naturalist Kara Kara didn’t even manage to finish the morning introduction
- [Attack Right off the Dock!](https://whales.com/attack-right-off-the-dock/) - The T123's Bigg's orcas hunting a seal named Betsy right at our dock at the start of our trip on 6/4/26 by Elliot Shaughnessey-Lively June 3 - Naturalist Lauren A gorgeous overcast day exploring the heart of the San Juan’s. We saw so many critters today from lounging harbor seals, sunbathing cormorants, sneaky sea lions
- [Fun Humpback Action](https://whales.com/fun-humpback-action/) - Galaxia and Allusion surfacing together by Stuart Island, by Elliot Shaughenessy-Lively May 29th - Naturalist Kara Windy reports and an unknown destination had us sailing for smooth waters today, sticking to the interior of the San Juan Islands. We enjoyed some sleepy stellar sea lions and a nesting pair of pelagic cormorants before getting a
- [T123's in the Bay!](https://whales.com/t123s-in-the-bay/) - Top Row: T123's on 5/23/26 in Bellingham Bay by Kurt Leipold Bottom Row: T60's and T69D2 on 5/22/26 near Sidney Island by Lincoln Humphry Naturalist Kara all week May 22nd We had to make a far run today. Orcas were reported heading west into Canadian waters around Sidney Island. We had many sightings of harbor
- [Double Days & Double Headers](https://whales.com/double-days-2/) - T-124A1 + T90 (tail slapping) and offspring, as well as T49A's, and a loan humpback on the way home on 5/16/26. 5/15 - Naturalist Elliot Wow, quite the rainy start at the dock, so loud we couldn’t hear each other talk! Folks boarded in ponchos and rain hats, preparing for a wet whale
- [An Epic Weekend of More Whales](https://whales.com/an-epic-weekend-of-more-whales/) - A pair of humpbacks on 5/8/26 near Sinclair Island by Lincoln Humphry Epic T-Party action from T90s, T86A1’s and T86A3’s on 5/11/26 by Tami Jean W May 8th Today’s schedule was a little thrown off because we got reports of two humpback whales on the east side of Sinclair Island, not very far off
- [Let the Season Begin!](https://whales.com/let-the-season-begin/) - Gray whale in Bellingham Bay, Big Mama and an unidentified fellow humpback, bald eagles, and the Schooner Zodiac with Mt Baker on our first whale watch of 2026. By Lincoln Humphry May 1st What a day to start off our first trip of the season! Beautifully warm sunny weather and calm waters. In what
- [The 5 Coolest Islands in the San Juans](https://whales.com/the-5-coolest-islands-in-the-san-juans/) - Orcas In an area famous for orca whales, one might assume this island is named for them. However it is a total coincidence. The name "Orcas" is a nickname derived from the full name: Juan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, the Viceroy of New Spain (pre Mexico) who sent Francisco de Eliza to
- [The Two Most Epic Whale Species in the Northwest](https://whales.com/two-most-epic-whales/) - We asked our naturalists to choose their favorite species in the San Juans, and tell us a little about their connection to them. They chose these whales, and who can blame them. They're incredible animals. West Coast Bigg's Killer Whales Orcas, or killer whales, are a toothed whale in the oceanic dolphin family. Which
- [A Steller Finale Week for 2025 Whale Watching](https://whales.com/steller-finale/) - T60 D & E (Onca and Lynx) celebrating a porpoise hunt in Cattle Pass on 9/26 Sea lions at Whale Rocks, and an eagle by Eagle Bluff on 9/26 by Lincoln Humphry Sept 22nd An incredible day of multi-species. Our crew today were the lucky finders of both a minke and humpback whale down
- [Victory Lunges & Surprise Orcas](https://whales.com/lunges-surprises/) - Three lunge feedings from a humpback, presumed Victory, at McCarthur Bank on 9/16 by Lincoln Humphry Sept 15th Today was a wildly successful day, watching three different species of whale! Early reports of orcas allowed us to make a leisurely stop at the Sinclair buoy, where we watched five Steller sea lions vying for
- [Orcas in Deception Pass & The Quest for the Fin Whale](https://whales.com/fin-whale-orcas-in-deception/) - Biggs orcas T60D&E - Onca and Lynx, Vocal Stellers, and a Cooper's Hawk on 9/13/25 by Kurt Leipold Sept 8th The overcast morning started with no reports, so we decided to wait to plan our route once we got to Viti Rocks in Rosario Strait, our go-to first stop for wildlife. As we arrived
- [Lots of Our Best Wildlife in the Salish sea](https://whales.com/lots-of-our-best/) - Top Row: T100 Biggs pod porpoising right off the Chuckanut Coast on 9/1 by Kurt Leipold Middle Row: Humpback Aerie and Stellers in the Straight of Juan de Fuca on 9/3 by Lincoln Humphry Bottom Row: T100's with T124D's in a T-Party by Deception Pass on a foggy 9/6 by Leo Solomon Sept 1st
- [T49A's, T75B's, and More Daily Sightings](https://whales.com/orcas-sucia/) - Top two rows: T124D's and T65A5 west of San Juan Island on 8/30 by Kurt Leipold Bottom Row: T75B's off of Sucia Island on 8/31 by Lincoln Humphry Aug 25 We hauled all the way to meet up with the T49A’s on the west side of Samuel Island, losing cell service as we arrived. The
- [Excellent Sightings All Week, Including a Double Species Breach Day!](https://whales.com/double-speices-breach/) - An epic double species, double breach day of the T75B Biggs orcas and a humpback on 8/24 by Kurt Leipold Aug 18 A lovely day on the water:, harbor seals, and porpoises extremely close to whales, and saving the Salish Sea one abandoned bucket at a time. We started our cruise at Viti
- [Interesting T109A's and T18/19's All Week](https://whales.com/t109-t18/) - Top Row: The T18's with T19 with Galiano's unique dorsal, on 8/4/25 by Lincoln Humphry Next Tow Rows: The T109A's with active calf on 8/8/25 by Lincoln Humphry Aug 4th We were out a naturalist today with a lot of sickness going around. A visit with the T18s in the heart of the islands
- [Longer Trips but Worth It for Whales](https://whales.com/lots-of-travel/) - The T109A's with an active calf off of Dungeness Spit and the Olympics on 7/29/25 by Lincoln Humphry July 28th Today there were early reports of whales on the west side of San Juan Island so we quickly made our way through the middle. We traveled through Peavine pass, and saw some harbor
- [Humpback action in Canada and T65B's on several outings](https://whales.com/stitch/) - BCX0519, Stitch off Patos Island, and some Steller sea lions on 7/26/25 by Lincoln Humphry July 21 A beautiful day on the water! It’s not everyday the Strait of Georgia seems like a lake, minus some of the current around Boiling Reef. We started our day strong at Viti Rocks. We saw pigeon
- [Biggs, Biggs, and More Biggs](https://whales.com/more-biggs/) - The T36A’s on 7/17: led by T36A Leland with offspring: Kailas, Storm, & Squall; off Clark & Barns. by Lincoln Humphry July 14 We headed out on the water today for some reports of whales way up north into Canadian waters. We had a bit of a rough start with some big waves getting out
- [A Double T-Party Day & A Double Species Day](https://whales.com/double-days/) - The T77's in San Juan Channel on 7/11 by Lincoln Humphry July 7th No early reports today, so Captain Michael spread out to cover different ground from the rest of the PWWA and our sister boats. We started off at Eliza Rocks, where there were quite a few mom and baby pairs resting at the
- [Massive T-Party and Incredibly Active T109A2's](https://whales.com/breach-city/) - A truly awesome showing from the T109A2 pod in San Juan Channel on 7/10/24 July 7 Second day Of T65Bs, but we had to travel all the way to Saturna for them! It was a rough day for whale reports with no sightings until 1pm. We had headed north in the morning to
- [So Many Orcas - Near & Far!](https://whales.com/orcas-near-far/) - Upper Left: Chainsaw approaching us on 7/2 by Allen Nichols Upper Center: Flapjack spy hopping on 7/2 by Lincoln Humphry Upper Right: Cerulean and BCY1157 traveling together on 7/2 by Lincoln Humphry Bottom Left and Center: T36 Biggs pod right off shore in Bellingham Bay on July 4th by David Abraham Bottom Right: T36 Biggs
- [There's Nothing Quite Like Humpback Breaching](https://whales.com/humpback-breaching/) - June 23rd Starting at our go to wildlife spot, Viti Rocks, we saw a couple mother and pups! It was very cute to see, here in the middle of pupping season now. Two sleepy Stellers on the navigation marker, one was pretty large and the other one was a juvenile. Saw a kingfisher and a
- [Daily Orcas - T65B's and T99's Frequented this Week](https://whales.com/daily-orcas-t99/) - The 99's off of Cypress and Cone Islands on 6/18/25 by Lincoln Humphry June 16th We were glad to have a report to start from early in the morning, saying there were whales going east from Patos Island, so we headed North to go look for that group. We stopped at Viti for our
- [A Bunch O' Orcas, Puffins, and One Curious Sea Lion!](https://whales.com/orcas-puffins-curious-sea-lion/) - Top Row: Incredible action shots from the bird watch on 6/12/25 by Jamie Kinney 2nd Row: The T75B's with Mt Baker on 6/9/25 by Lauren Rasmussen Bottom Row: The T46B's & T123's on 6/12/25 by Lauren Rasmussen June 9th What a day to see some orca whales! We departed Bellingham Bay with few reports but
- [Incredible Humpback Breaching & Biggs Orcas Right in Bellingham Bay](https://whales.com/incredible-hb-breaching/) - Absolutely epic shots of Zephyr the humpback breaching on 6/3/25 by Yves Eberhard. T123 Biggs Orcas around Lummi Island and Bellingham Bay by Lincoln Humphry. A majestic eagle and T Party of T124D’s and T124A2s by Kurt Leipold. June 2nd It was a slightly windy day crossing the bay, with lots of birds rafting
- [An Epic T-Party, Rare Triple Humpback, and More Breaching!](https://whales.com/epic-t-party-triple-humpback/) - Top Center: Orca Breach from the T-Party on 5/30/25 by Karen Randolph Others: A T-Party meet up of T046Bs, T123s, T124A2s on 5/30/25 Biggs pods near Sucia Island lined up with Mt Baker. Stanley with his massive dorsel fin. Steller sea lions cuddling and barking on a navigation marker. By Lincoln Humphry May 30th
- [Daily Orcas & Big Mama and Her New Calf!](https://whales.com/daily-orcas-big-mama-and-her-new-calf/) - Top Row: A humpback with Mount Rainier, and T75B's, both south of Cattle Pass on 5/23. By Lincoln Humphry Bottom Row: Big Mama the humpback and her new 8th calf showing some pectoral fin on 5/25. By Kurt Leipold 5/23 Standard Viti rocks start, with double crested cormorants, glaucous winged gulls, pigeon guillemots and
- [Two Days of Humpbacks, Two Days of Orcas, Finishing off with Breaching!](https://whales.com/two-days-of-humpbacks-plus-breaching-orcas/) - First 5: Raptor the Humpback off Saturna Island on 5/17/25 by: Lincoln Humphry Last Photo: A T124A Breaching on 5/19/25 by: Kara Drovdahl May 16th We went North through Hail’s Pass, stopping at Point Migley on Lummi Island to look at hauled out harbor seals. There were so many! North of Lummi we saw three
- [All the Species in One Weekend!](https://whales.com/all-the-species/) - First 5 shots are from Saturday May 10th with a gray pair traveling together. PC: Lincoln Humphry The last 4 are from Mothers Day Sunday, with the T124A2s and T87. PC: Kurt Leipold May 9th We went through the middle of the Islands, and through Spieden Channel to watch a humpback on the west side
- [Inaugural Whale Watch Weekend of 2025](https://whales.com/inaugural-whale-watch-weekend-of-2025/) - Gorgeous Bird Sightings from Kurt Leipold on the 4/27 La Conner Cruise Screenshots of Naturalist Emily's Videos of Chainsaw and fellow T60's as well as Schooner the Humpback All naturalist notes from Emily Lekburg Friday, May 2nd Today is the first whale watch of the 2025 season!! We have all been looking forward to hanging
- [That's a Wrap! What a Season.](https://whales.com/thats-a-wrap/) - Some excellent shots from Jim Bachman on 9/21 and 9/29, our final tour of the season. Sept 15 We didn’t see any whales today, but we saw lots of other wildlife. On our way south we got to see lots of harbor porpoise. It was also low tide at Viti, and there were so
- [Plenty of Pods of Transients & A Lucky Ferry](https://whales.com/lucky-ferry/) - We lucked out with some amazing action from the T37's on Sept 12. Sept 8 We rushed the middle of the islands for an early report of orcas heading south from Friday Harbor. The hope was to catch them before they headed into rough seas in the strait. When we arrived, we lucked out with
- [Orcas and Humpbacks All Week, Some in the Same Day!](https://whales.com/orcas-and-humpbacks-all-week-some-in-the-same-day/) - Sept 1 Today was a great day. We decided to go see the T36B’s and T137s and it’s a good thing as we got to see the T36B baby still orange. The calf was born this year. And was very playful. We saw it jump out of the water multiple times! All the whales were
- [Another T-Party and lots of Other Orca Sightings!](https://whales.com/another-t-party-and-lots-of-other-orca-sightings/) - Top Row: Leo Soloman's photos from the 8/27/24 transient orca T-Party. Bottom Row: Kurt Leipold's shots of humpbacks Valiant and Scuttle on 8/25/24. Aug 25 What. A. Day. We started off watching the T75Bs, who were heading north in San Juan Channel. They were swimming close together, giving glimpses of their eye patches and
- [So many pods! T49A's twice, and the tail end of T-Party!](https://whales.com/t49as-and-the-tail-end-of-t-party/) - Shots from Helen Nickerson on 8/18/24 of the T49A's near Waldron Island Aug 18 Rough reports today after our out of season August rain storm, with a lot of fog in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Haro Strait. These are usually easy locations for us to get early whale sightings. Today was a
- [Lots of T60's and some T49's](https://whales.com/lots-of-t60s-and-some-t49s/) - The T60's cruising past Anacortes back toward Bellingham with us. 8/12/24 Aug 11 Sealions gave us a pretty good show this morning. They were all trying to get up onto the marker, but also taking turns and playing in the water. We saw a few surfacings of a lone female (T002B). Lone females are super
- [All four species of whales, with humpbacks breaching a few times!](https://whales.com/all-four-speices/) - Aug 4 We made the quick pit stop at Viti Rocks to look at a variety of bird species and harbor seals. Soon after, we went towards Sinclair to look for a humpback that was lost about 20 minutes before. We ended up spotting it going north by Sinclair, and it turns out when we
- [Minkes and Humpacks Appear more often as Summer Caries On](https://whales.com/minkes-and-humpacks-appear-more-often-as-summer-caries-on/) - Kurt Leipold capturing humpback Uluka on 7/28/24 July 28 Today was a long run out to the Strait of Juan de Fuca to see if we could spot a humpback that was last reported by a PWWA vessel 30 mins before we arrived. We found the whale already 5 miles from its last known
- [Far and Near, Whales Abound!](https://whales.com/far-and-near-whales-abound/) - July 21 We went real far east today to Swanson Channel south of Pender Island in Canada today. We were watching the T46Bs again today, a lot farther than we saw them yesterday. We got some great looks at their eye patches and the lighting was perfect to see their spouts. On the way,
- [Interesting Activity from Several Orca Sightings](https://whales.com/interesting-activity-from-several-orca-sightings/) - A shot from Laurie Russel on 7/16/24 July 14 We came upon three pods this day! The T49A’s were at Friday Harbor, and on the way back we saw the T75B’s and T77’s at Blakely Shoal. July 16 We started off with seals at Viti Rocks and then quite the show from some sea
- [More Great Time with Transients and Baker Views](https://whales.com/more-great-time-with-transients-and-baker-views/) - Nice diversity of shots from Kurt Leipold on 7/6/24 June 30 Lucky day today! T46 Bs were spotted at Clark and Burnes, very close to home. This group of whales is interesting because a large portion of the pod are very young. Both the matriarch and the next oldest female had calves this last year!
- [A Three Whale Species Day, A Rainbow Cloud and Much More.](https://whales.com/a-three-whale-species-day-a-rainbow-cloud-and-much-more/) - Bald Eagles, T75B's & a rainbow cloud on 6/25/24 June 23 Right as we started serving lunch, Casey and I saw a spout in the distance. Turns out it was the T37 killer wales. They were going for depper dives and hard to track. Then we realized the T34’s were with them, and we even
- [Active Orcas, Humpacks and Greys Galore!](https://whales.com/active-orcas-humpacks-and-greys-galore/) - Incredible shots from Betsy Stewart and her Sony A1 w/ 200-600 lens on 6/22/24 June 16 Reports on whales were super fast this morning and incredibly close to port. We made a slow journey by Viti Rocks and Peapod Rocks during lunch to give us a little time. Lots of bald eagle activity today, scaring
- [Big Mama and Moon Walking](https://whales.com/big-mama-and-moon-walking/) - June 10 We first stopped at a buoy to find 2 sleepy Sea lions. They were super cute, one was using the other as a pillow. We got info that there were whales going against the current, traveling slow north of orcas island near Point Doughty. We were afraid that they were going to turn
- [First Long Week of 2024 Cruising](https://whales.com/first-long-week-of-2024-cruising/) - Stellers vying for space & T124C Cooper on 6/5/24 cruising up the west side of Orcas. Two humpbacks near Deception Pass, with one spy hopping on 6/7/24. (Bottom left and center Photos by Matt Nobles) June 5 Starting a cruise with juvenile Stellers vying for buoy space off Sinclair Island, is certainly not uncommon, but
- [A Weekend with Baleens](https://whales.com/a-weekend-with-baleens/) - June 1 An interesting day with humpbacks, Divot and her new calf by Lopez Island. After getting one of our standard starts to the tour with looks at Steller sea lions on a buoy, we made our way to Lopez Channel where we came on scene with the pair of humpbacks. The calf was incredibly
- [A Long Weekend with Lots of Looks at Whales.](https://whales.com/5918-2/) - The T124's with the new calf actively hunting, and vocal seals on May 25th. May 25 A standard start to the day, with some hauled out harbor seals on Viti rocks. They were doing the classic banana pose. We also stopped by a navigation marker to check out some snoozing sea lions. We went through
- [The Grey Whale Saves the Day & The T100's Visit the Puffins](https://whales.com/the-grey-whale-saves-the-day-the-t100s-visit-the-puffins/) - The T100's and Tufted Puffins by Smith Island on May 18th May 17 Today there were rough seas of five foot swells in the Straight of Juan De Fuca where whales had been spotted, so we avoided the area for calmer seas up north of Orcas Island to see what we could find. We saw
- [Hi Again to the T90's and Three More Humpbacks](https://whales.com/hi-again-to-the-t90s-and-three-more-humpbacks/) - The T90's Eagle, Piglet, Tigger & Kanga, and some pigeon guillemots May 11 We saw three humpbacks today! They were seen pretty far South down in the Straight of Juan De Fuca. We circled the unique and spooky Smith Island, famous for being home to the Tufted Puffin seen on our birding cruises. Here we
- [Our First Whale Watch Weekend Was a Success!](https://whales.com/our-first-whale-watch-weekend-was-a-success/) - Inaugural Whale Day Brings Playful Orcas May 4th, 2024 This past Saturday was the first whale watch for 2024, so hopes and enthusiasm were running high on the Victoria Star. Soon after our departure from Bellingham , we got a view of some cormorants and gulls at Viti Rocks our go-to first spot on a
- [Whale Watching Begins This Weekend!](https://whales.com/whale-watching-begins-this-weekend/) - We run weekends in May (4th-27th) to being our whale watching season, then we're going out daily for the rest of the summer. We have the only whale watching via Bellingham, Washington, and the only tours in the region that provide a fresh prepared lunch on board, and have a full bar available. We depart
- [Photos From August 27th Bird Watching Cruise](https://whales.com/photos-from-august-27th-bird-watching-cruise/) - We had a great bird watching cruise this past weekend, a trip that took us through the middle of the San Juans, then north to Sucia and Patos Islands. We saw a nice variety of birds, with seals, sea lions and a Humpback whale as well. Thanks to Jim Bachman for his incredible photos from
- [New Evening Whale Watching Tour Added This Summer](https://whales.com/new-evening-whale-watching-tour-added-this-summer/) - This summer we have added a new whale watching tour that will go out Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays during July and August. It's a great chance to see the islands when summer weather is at it's peek, while having a great chance of seeing whales and other wildlife. The evening is capped with a delicious,
- [Whales & Wildlife Report: Great Orca & Humpback Whale Sightings Continue](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-great-orca-humpback-whale-sightings-continue/) - The season is going great so far, with lots of great orca and humpback whale sightings. We've now done 4 Deluxe whale watching tours, plus several school field trips, and have seen orcas and/or humpbacks on every trip so far, with tours taking us west and north of the San Juan Islands so far. With
- [Whales & Wildlife Report: A Great Weekend Of Humpback Whale Sightings](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-a-great-weekend-of-humpback-whale-sightings/) - This weekend was a reminder that summer isn't too far away - beautiful sunny weather in the San Juans, the perfect setting for whale watching. Saturday and Sunday were all about humpback whales - we had great sightings both days up north of Patos Island, very close to the Canadian border. We have a few
- [An Unforgettable Day Of Orca & Humpback Whales In The San Juans](https://whales.com/an-unforgettable-day-of-orca-humpback-whales-in-the-san-juans/) - I started working for San Juan Cruises as finals week was wrapping up, not really knowing what I was getting into. As a student at Western Washington University, I was looking for a fun summer job so I could stay in Bellingham for summer break. I had never been whale watching before applying, so I
- [Whales & Wildlife Report: Transient Orca Whales On Bellingham Bay (T65A's) - 6/23/17](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-transient-orca-whales-on-bellingham-bay-t65as-62317/) - Today we were fortunate to have an amazing morning with a group of transient orca whales (T65A's) only 20 minutes after leaving the dock. We were the first vessel with them, meeting up with them in the waters between Lummi and Eliza Islands. There were 5 adults and a baby - all were quite playful
- [Bird Watching Cruise Report - July 7, 2017](https://whales.com/bird-watching-cruise-report-july-7-2017/) - We set out on Friday to go to Smith Island, the only place in the San Juan Islands that has a nesting colony of tufted puffins. Unfortunately, the weather was too windy to venture out of the protection of the islands. Smith Island is a few miles south of the San Juans in unprotected waters.
- [The 2017 Whale Watching Season Is Underway - Humpbacks & Orca Whales](https://whales.com/the-2017-whale-watching-season-is-underway-humpbacks-orca-whales/) - Our 2017 season kicked off with decent weather, but excellent whale sightings! We found a playful, active Humpback on Saturday, just north of Saturna Island in the Canadian Gulf Islands, and Sunday was Orca whales - lots and lots of Orcas (J-Pod) on the west side of San Juan Island. Thanks to Jim Bachman, we
- [Whales & Wildlife Report: A Season Of Great Transient Orca Whale Sightings](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-a-season-of-great-transient-orca-whale-sightings/) - It's been an amazing, and interesting whale watching season so far. Our success rate for seeing whales on our whale watching tours has never been better - since we started in early May we have seen whales on nearly 98% of our tours. While we have occasionally seen the resident pods of orca whales, most
- [Whales & Wildlife Report: Transient Orcas Seen On 5 Of Our Tours Yesterday (8/20/17)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-transient-orcas-seen-on-5-of-our-tours-yesterday-82017/) - Yesterday was a great day - we saw whales on all 5 of our cruises, including our Deluxe and Express whale watching tours, the Sucia Island picnic cruise, the evening crab dinner cruise and a private charter. It was a group of transient Orcas (T65A's) out in the northern San Juans. While our success rate
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - Great Sightings Every Day For The Last Two Weeks](https://whales.com/whale-report-great-sightings-every-day-for-the-last-two-weeks/) - We are definitely in the midst of prime whale watching season, with great sightings over the past two weeks. We've primarily spotted Transient / Bigg's Orca whales, as well as Humpback and Minke whales. Combined with beautiful, sunny weather it's been quite a summer, but it's not over yet. We're running for a few more
- [Whales & Wildlife Report – Season Summary: One Of Our Best Whale Watching Seasons Ever](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-season-summary-one-of-our-best-whale-watching-seasons-ever/) - This season turned out to be one of our best ever, with sightings on nearly 95% of our whale watching cruises. We had three different whale watching tours, all of which were popular, with folks enjoying frequent sightings of Orca, Humpback and/or Minke whales. If you came out with us this summer, thank you! We
- [2018 Season Off To A Great Start, With Lots Of Orca And Humpback Whale Sightings](https://whales.com/2018-season-off-to-a-great-start-with-lots-of-orca-and-humpback-whale-sightings/) - Our whale watching tours have been very successful, with sightings of transient orcas, humpback whales, minke whales, and a few gray whales so far. The resident orcas are back as well, and with the weather becoming more and more summerlike each day, now's a great time to join us on one of our tours! (The
- [Photos From Our 2018 Season (So Far...)](https://whales.com/photos-from-our-2018-season-so-far/) - This season has been one of the best - lots of great whale and wildlife sightings and the weather has been pretty amazing as well. We've been fortunate to have some great photographers on board, including loyal customers and members of local photography groups. We also just completed a film shoot, from which we'll have
- [Things To Do In Friday Harbor During Our Deluxe Whale Watching Tour Visit](https://whales.com/things-to-do-in-friday-harbor-during-our-deluxe-whale-watching-tour-visit/) - On our Deluxe Whale Watching Tour we make a stop every day in Friday Harbor, usually from about 11:15 am until 1:00 pm. This is enough time to explore the town, taking in the shops, artist galleries and museums that make this town the hub of activity in the San Juan Islands. We've put together
- [More Photos From Our Summer Cruise Season](https://whales.com/more-photos-from-our-summer-cruise-season/) - It's been a great season - it's gone by way too fast, but we still have tours going through the end of September. Below we've included some of the best photos of the last month or so - we also post photos regularly on our Instagram and Facebook pages.
- [Celebrate Spring With A Deception Pass Crab Lunch Cruise From La Conner - April 8th Thru 21st](https://whales.com/celebrate-spring-with-a-deception-pass-crab-lunch-cruise-from-la-conner-april-8th-thru-21st/) - Planning to visit the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival this year? Make your visit even better by taking in the beautiful flowers, then joining us aboard the M/V Chinook for a scenic lunch cruise from the Channel Lodge in La Conner. This 2 1/2 hour cruise features our signature Dungeness crab lunch, unparalleled scenery, fun and
- [Whales Seen On Every Whale Watching Tour So Far This Season!](https://whales.com/whales-seen-on-every-whale-watching-tour-so-far-this-season/) - So far the 2019 season is off to a great start, with whales seen on all of our Deluxe Whale Watching tours. The first weekend we saw Transient/Bigg's Orca whales both days, and then this past weekend we went up near the Canadian Gulf Islands and saw Humpback whales. We've got a few school field
- [Our 2020 Season Starts In April - Join Us On A Deception Pass Crab Cruise From La Conner](https://whales.com/our-2020-season-starts-in-april-join-us-on-a-deception-pass-crab-cruise-from-la-conner/) - Planning to visit the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival this year? Make your visit even better by taking in the beautiful flowers, then joining us aboard the M/V Chinook for a scenic lunch cruise from the Channel Lodge in La Conner. This 2 1/2 hour cruise features our signature Dungeness crab lunch, unparalleled scenery, fun and
- [J-Pod Is Back!](https://whales.com/j-pod-is-back/) - We saw J-pod twice yesterday on our cruise between Bellingham and Victoria. We saw them on the way over near Viti Rocks, close to Lummi Island, then saw them again on our return trip, near Salmon Bank of the southern tip of San Juan Island. On our Victoria cruise we look for Orca whales on
- [Whale Sightings This Week](https://whales.com/whale-sightings-this-week/) - After a brief appearance of K and L Orca pods earlier this week we have been looking at J pod the last few days. On Wednesday we saw them just off Lummi Island, just a few minutes away from Bellingham. Then, for the rest of the week, we saw them off the west and south
- [Whale Sightings June 9 - 15](https://whales.com/whale-sightings-june-9-15/) - The past week has been a great week for whale watching. We’ve seen a variety of resident Orca whales (including a "Superpod", where all three local pods of whales were spotted together - over 60 whales at one time!), transient Orca whales and Minke whales. We’re in the middle of peak whale watching season and
- [Whale Watching July 8 - July 14](https://whales.com/whale-watching-july-8-july-14/) - We had a great week of whale watching, starting off with a Superpod (all three resident pods of Orca whales clustered together) on July 9th. K pod then disappeared for the rest of the week, but we had frequent sightings of the other two pods (J & L) nearly every day. Throw in some sun
- [Victoria Star - Lions Club Christmas Ship](https://whales.com/victoria-star-lions-club-christmas-ship/) - Each year the local Lions Club takes the Victoria Star 2 out into the San Juan Islands, bringing cheer to the kids in the San Juan Islands and Gulf Islands in British Columbia. This year they are set to go December 13th and 14th. Last year's trip was filmed by Lions Club International - to
- [Whale Watching May 22 - May 31](https://whales.com/whale-watching-may-22-may-31/) - The whale watching has been excellent over the last two weeks, with frequent Orca and Minke whale sightings. Just as impressive is the weather we have had, calm conditions in the islands and lots and lots of sun! Temperatures are supposed to sneak into the low 80's this week, and will hopefully extend into our
- [The First Trip Of Our 2008 Season](https://whales.com/test/) - Under partly cloudy skies we began our first trip to Victoria for the 2008 season. The Orca whales are back, so we are hoping to catch a glimpse of them on our way to and/or from Victoria today. You can take advantage of our early season discounts by traveling during May and early June. You
- [Orca Whales Spotted Again Today!](https://whales.com/orca-whales-spotted-again-today/) - The Orcas were back again today, near Long Island in south Rosario Strait. Passengers aboard the Victoria Star 2 saw them on the way over to Victoria this morning, and we should be able to see them on today's whale watch aboard the Island Commuter 2 as well.
- [Saltimbanco - May 29th Through June 1st In Victoria](https://whales.com/94/) - Saltimbanco - May 29th Through June 1st In Victoria Saltimbanco -from the Italian "saltare in banco", which literally means "to jump on a bench"-explores the urban experience in all its myriad forms: the people who live there, their idiosyncrasies and likenesses, families and groups, the hustle and bustle of the street and the towering heights
- [24th Annual Jazzfest 2008 In Victoria, BC](https://whales.com/95/) - In a couple of weeks (June 20 - 29th) Victoria will have the 24th annual Jazzfest. They have a great lineup this year, with Maceo Parker, Pink Martini, Dave Brubeck, Susan Tedeschi, Ivan Lins, Jesse Cook, Naturally 7, Divine Brown, Monty Alexander, Andy Bey and Wynton Marsalis. For more information, go to the official
- [Saving Luna Documentary At Seattle Film Festival](https://whales.com/saving-luna-documentary-at-seattle-film-festival/) - Saving Luna - June 7th & 8th - Seattle Film Festival Two objective journalists follow the story of Luna, an orca separated from its pod who starts interacting with humans on Vancouver Island. Tourists see a goofy friend, scientists see trouble, conservationists see a cause, and to the native tribe Luna is a chief’s spirit.
- [Superpod! All Three Orca Pods (J, K and L) Seen Yesterday!](https://whales.com/superpod-j-k-and-l-orca-pods-seen-yesterday/) - Yesterday we saw all three resident Orca pods for the first time this season. J, K and L pods were seen by our whale watching passengers aboard the Island Commuter 2 yesterday. They were seen just north of Stuart Island - the first appearance of K and L pods this season in the San Juan
- [Whale Sightings June 16 - June 24](https://whales.com/whale-sightings-june-16-june-24/) - It’s been another great week for whale watching . We had another rare "Superpod" sighting on Sunday, June 21st, where all three pods of resident Orca whales were together in one huge group. Other days we’ve spotted J and K pods on their own. We have also had a young Sea Lion (perhaps a Stellar
- [We Have A New Boat - The Viking Star](https://whales.com/we-have-a-new-boat-the-viking-star/) - We have added a 3rd boat to our "fleet" - the 58-foot, 49-passenger Viking Star. It is currently available for daytime and evening charters, dinner cruises, Bellingham and Chuckanut Bay tours, company outings and private tours. We will have more detailed information on our website soon, however, if you'd like information right away please give
- [Whale Watching July 1 - July 7](https://whales.com/whale-watching-july-1-july-7/) - The Orca sightings have been pretty good this month so far, with J & K pods being seen on a regular basis. On the one or two rare occasions we haven't seen them this month, we have had sightings of minke whales, porpoise, bald eagles and a wide variety of sea birds. After a few
- [Whale Watching July 15 - July 21](https://whales.com/whale-watching-july-15-july-21/) - Another great week with fabulous weather - sunny with temps in the mid-to-upper 70's and great whale sightings. Yesterday we saw Orca whales just off Lime Kiln Park on San Juan Island, and a rare (for this time of year) Gray whale sighting just off Vancouver Island. The rest of the week was filled with
- [Our Victoria Star Salad Dressing Recipe](https://whales.com/our-victoria-star-salad-dressing-recipe/) - For many years, our guests have raved about the Victoria Star Salad Dressing featured on all of our dinner cruises. After dozens of requests over the past decade, we've finally decided to share our secret recipe with you. Victoria Star Salad Dressing ½ cup Sugar ½ tsp Salt 2 tbsp Celery
- [Whale Watching July 22 - July 28](https://whales.com/whale-watching-july-22-july-28/) - Yet another great week of whale watching, possibly the best of the season. We saw Orca and Minke whales on a regular basis on both boats, the Island Commuter 2 (our Friday Harbor/Whale Watching boat) and the Victoria Star 2 (our Victoria, BC boat). There was one "Superpod" sighting (all three resident pods clustered together)
- [Victoria - Festival 150](https://whales.com/victoria-festival-150/) - Victoria, BC - Festival 150 August 01, 2008 - August 04, 2008 What better place to celebrate B.C. Day long weekend than in Victoria? This year, British Columbians (or anyone else) have extra incentive to journey to the capital city during the holiday weekend: Festival 150. The Provincial Capital Commission, along with community partners and
- [Whale Watching July 29 - August 3](https://whales.com/whale-watching-july-29-august-3/) - It's been yet another great week out in the San Juan Islands. Lots of whales, including Orca whales (mostly J & L pods), some transient Orcas and a couple of Minke whale sightings. With perfect weather forecasted this week (clear skies and temps in the upper 70's / low 80's), it should fabulous out in
- [Whale Watching August 4 - August 11](https://whales.com/whale-watching-august-4-august-11/) - Yet another great week of whale watching! Usually the peak whale watching season is May - mid-July, however, it seems like the sightings are getting better and better as we get further into the summer season. This photo was taken by our captain on August 6th. For the last 7 days we have been seeing
- [Poem Called "Victoria Star Ship"](https://whales.com/poem-called-victoria-star-ship/) - This poem was written by one of the passengers aboard the Victoria Star last week: Victoria Star Ship Welcome aboard the Victoria Star Ship We hope you are having a great trip Although the day is cloudy and grey We expect the sun to burn the clouds away The waves are capped with white There
- [Whale Watching August 12 - August 19](https://whales.com/whale-watching-august-12-august-19/) - The week started off great, with "superpod" sightings and great weather. The Orca sightings tapered off the last few days, but there was still plenty of wildlife to be seen out in the islands, including a tiny new baby porpoise. It looks like the weather should improve later this week. Our Friday Harbor/Whale Watching tours
- [Whale Watching August 20 - August 24](https://whales.com/whale-watching-august-20-august-24/) - Despite the rain and clouds the past few days the whale sightings haven't been too bad. We were unable to see them on Friday - they were just too far out of our range. However, we saw Minke and Orca whales every other day, including another Superpod sighting (all three resident pods of Orca together).The
- [Whale Watching August 25 - September 1](https://whales.com/whale-watching-august-25-september-1/) - Yesterday was the last day of the season for our Friday Harbor / Whale Watching tours aboard the Island Commuter 2. The season ended on a big high note, with several Superpod sightings through the week, as well as a few transient Orca sightings. We are still running our trips to Victoria daily through September
- [Whale Watching September 2 - September 8](https://whales.com/whale-watching-september-2-september-8/) - The resident Orca pods have become a little more difficult to find this past week, however, we've been luck to find transient Orcas just outside of Victoria. The weather has been beautiful too, making this possibly the best time of the season to see the San Juan Islands and Victoria. The forecast is good through
- [Whale Of A 'Purpose' Orca Whale Blog](https://whales.com/whale-of-a-purpose-orca-whale-blog/) - I just came across a great Orca whale blog site called Whale Of A 'Purpose' written by a local whale enthusiast that is packed with great photos and lots of tips on identifying whales. With the sun out today, looking at this blog makes me wish we were still running tours....spring is just around the
- [Bellingham Bay Webcam](https://whales.com/bellingham-bay-webcam/) - Bellingham Cold Storage has a webcam with a great view of Bellingham Bay and Fairhaven (off in the distance). Note: The view will look better when you click through.
- [Spring Is Here - Cruises To Victoria & The San Juan Islands Just Around The Corner](https://whales.com/spring-is-here-cruises-to-victoria-the-san-juan-islands-just-around-the-corner/) - We are gearing up for our 2009 operating season! Cruises to the San Juan Islands and whale watching will start May 15th, and our cruises to Victoria will start on June 20th. You can find information on both services throughout our website. If you would like a print brochure mailed to you, please click here.If
- [Bellingham Main Post Office Hosts Passport Fair Saturday 3/28](https://whales.com/bellingham-main-post-office-hosts-passport-fair-saturday-328/) - Those who are planning to travel outside of the U.S. but don't yet have their passport are encouraged to attend the Passport Fair at the Bellingham main post office Saturday, March 28. The event is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 315 Prospect St. People can have their passport pictures taken for $15. Adults
- [The Island Commuter 2 Starts Running To The San Juan Islands Today!](https://whales.com/the-island-commuter-2-starts-running-to-the-san-juan-islands-today/) - Today is the first day of operation for our San Juan Island Commuter service to the San Juan Islands (Eliza, Sinclair, Blakely, Orcas, Lopez and San Juan Island/Friday Harbor), as well as our whale watching tours from Friday Harbor. The weather is going to be great this weekend, with lots of sun and temperatures in
- [Whale Watching May 15 - May 17](https://whales.com/whale-watching-may-15-may-17/) - Our San Juan Island Commuter service to the San Juan Islands, as well as our whale watching tours, began this season on Friday and it's been a great start to the season! The weather has been perfect, with lots of sun and temperatures in the mid-to-upper 60's. Best of all though, the Orca whales have
- [Bicycling to South Beach on San Juan Island](https://whales.com/bicycling-to-south-beach-on-san-juan-island/) - One of the most popular activities on San Juan Island is bicycling. The island is relatively flat, with rolling countryside and just a few gradual hills. With our San Juan Island Commuter service to Friday Harbor, you have nearly 5 hours (on a day trip) to explore the island. For many cyclists, it is possible
- [The Black Cat Farm of Eliza Island](https://whales.com/the-black-cat-farm-of-eliza-island/) - The Black Cat Farm of Eliza Island Eliza Island is the first stop we make on our San Juan Islands cruise to Friday Harbor aboard the Island Commuter 2. Now home to over 100 summer homes on the 141 acre island with only five year-round residents, this island has a storied history. Named after
- [Whale Watching June 1 - June 17](https://whales.com/whale-watching-june-1-june-17/) - Over the last two weeks we have moved from operating only weekends, to our current 7-days/week service. The whale watching has been very good over the last two weeks, with Orca and Minke whales seen most often, along will occasional Gray and Humpback whale sightings. The weather continues to be great as well, with calm
- [Whale Watching June 18 - July 9](https://whales.com/whale-watching-june-18-july-9/) - We seem to have hit the peak season for Orca Whale watching over the past two weeks, with frequent sightings of all 3 local pods (J, K and L pods). Yesterday (July 8) we even saw what we call a "Superpod" - a gathering of all three local pods of Orca whales! With excellent weather
- [Travel & Leisure Magazine - Victoria In Top 10 US/Canada Cities](https://whales.com/travel-leisure-magazine-victoria-in-top-10-uscanada-cities/) - In the latest issue of Travel & Leisure Magazine, Victoria, BC was named #8 in a list of top 10 US & Canadian cities. Top Ten Cities: 1. New York 2. San Francisco 3. Quebec City 4. Charleston 5. Santa Fe 6. Chicago 7. Savannah 8. Victoria 9. Montreal 10. Seattle
- [Whale Watching August 19 - August 26](https://whales.com/whale-watching-august-19-august-26/) - The orca whale sightings have remained strong through the month of August, with frequent sightings of the 3 local pods (J, K & L pods), as well as transient orcas and minke whales. We are entering the final 2 weeks of our operating season, with our San Juan Whale Watching Tours ending on September 7th.
- [New Baby Orca Spotted In Puget Sound](https://whales.com/new-baby-orca-spotted-in-puget-sound/) - BREMERTON, Wash. A baby orca has been born in the L pod of Puget Sound killer whales. The new orca was photographed Saturday near Port Townsend and confirmed as a new calf by the Center for Whale Research. It has been assigned the number L-113 and is the fourth baby orca spotted this year. The
- [Five Orcas Born In 2009, Already One Newborn In 2010](https://whales.com/five-orcas-born-in-2009-already-one-newborn-in-2006/) - After Orca populations in the San Juan region dropped a bit in 2008, they rebounded in 2009 with the births of five Orca calves, and 2010 is off to a great start with the birth of another calf on January 3rd. There are now 88 resident Orca whales in the San Juan Islands. To read
- [Victoria San Juan Cruises New 3 Day/2 Night San Juan Islands Exeprience Tour](https://whales.com/475/) - We are pleased to offer a brand new 3 day/2 night San Juan Islands Experience tour aboard the Viking Star this season. The package includes: 3 days of cruising in the San Juan Islands, plus whale watching, aboard the Viking Star 2 nights accommodations in Friday Harbor at the Earthbox Motel & Spa 2 breakfasts,
- [Victoria, BC Featured On NBC's Today Show](https://whales.com/victoria-bc-featured-on-nbcs-today-show/) - NBC's Today Show is in Vancouver during the Winter Olympics, and Matt, Meredith, Ann and Al took a float plane trip to Victoria for the afternoon, taking in Afternoon Tea at the Empress Hotel and fish n' chips along Victoria's inner harbour. Interestingly, our vessel, the Victoria Star and float planes like the one featured
- [Bellingham Farmer's Market Opens This Weekend](https://whales.com/bellingham-farmers-market-opens-this-weekend/) - Winter is out the door and it's time to enjoy spring with the opening of the Bellingham Farmer's Market. The market is "an open-air gathering place where fresh produce, tasty food, fabulous crafts, eye-catching flowers and plants, and festive music attract thousands of visitors each year." It's open from 10am - 3pm every Saturday, from
- [What's That Big Red Thing At Fairhaven Shipyard? (Bellingham Herald)](https://whales.com/whats-that-big-red-thing-at-fairhaven-shipyard-bellingham-herald/) - We have had a bunch of people ask us about the big thing loaded onto the floating drydock next to us at the Alaska Ferry Terminal. The answer was revealed in yesterday's Bellingham Herald - it's a caisson for graving dock #6 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton. Read more: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/04/04/1366743/out-about-whats-that-big-red-thing.html#ixzz0kFAzYtWR
- [Gray Whales Battle Orcas During Migration (National Geographic)](https://whales.com/gray-whales-battle-orcas-during-migration-national-geographic/) - (National Geographic): Every spring, a series of epic battles are fought in the waters off America's West Coast. It's the season when killer whales hunt their largest prey; migrating gray whales. National Geographic: Killer Whale/Orca Whale Info Page Gray Whales Battle Orcas During Migration Video
- [Island Commuter Service To The San Juan Islands Starts Friday April 30](https://whales.com/island-commuter-service-to-the-san-juan-islands-starts-friday-april-30/) - Our Island Commuter service from Bellingham to the San Juan Islands starts up again on April 30th. Beat the summer crowds with a trip out to the islands! We offer departures every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday from April 30 - June 7, with daily service starting on June 11. Departing at 9:3o am, we
- [Free Willy: Escape From Pirate's Cove DVD](https://whales.com/free-willy-escape-from-pirates-cove-dvd/) - Although it wasn't filmed in the San Juan Islands like before, the latest Free Willy movie, Escape From Pirate's Cove, is sure to interest Orca lovers of all ages. It was released on DVD a couple of weeks ago and features Bindi Irwin (daughter of the late Steve Irwin) and veteran actor Beau Bridges. It
- [Article In Bellingham Herald - Our New San Juan Experience Tour](https://whales.com/article-in-bellingham-herald-our-new-san-juan-experience-tour/) - The Bellingham Herald visited our office a few days ago to talk about our new "San Juan Experience" 3 day/2 night tour that we will be running this summer. We are busy prepping the boat inside and out, getting it ready for the upcoming season. To read the Bellingham Herald article, click here.
- [Lady Washington In Bellingham May 5-16](https://whales.com/lady-washington-in-bellingham-may-5-16/) - The Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain will be back in Bellingham for a couple of weeks in May. The Lady Washington appeared in the film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl as the HMS Interceptor. For information about tours and purchasing tickets for 3-hour sails, visit the Historical Seaport website.
- [Spring Splash - Sunday, May 2nd In Friday Harbor](https://whales.com/spring-splash-sunday-may-2nd-in-friday-harbor/) - The Port of Friday Harbor is celebrating it's 60th Anniversary with the Spring Splash Festival and Opening Day Boat Parade this Sunday, May 2nd. If you'd like to travel from Bellingham to Friday Harbor this Sunday for the festival, click here for schedule and price info. Activities Lady Washington Hawaiian Chieftain Seaplane Rides Diving Demonstrations
- [First Whale Watch Of 2010 - Orca Whales Seen West Of San Juan Island](https://whales.com/first-whale-watch-of-2010-orca-whales-seen-west-of-san-juan-island/) - Today was our first whale watching trip of the 2010 season, and our passengers were treated to a great day with Orca whales from J-pod, just off the western side of San Juan Island. The rain managed to stay away and the winds were calm - all in all not a bad start to the
- [Opening Day Of Boating Season Today In Bellingham](https://whales.com/opening-day-of-boating-season-today-in-bellingham/) - Today was the opening day of boating season in Bellingham, and a parade of boats, including a small fire boat, cruised by the terminal. With boats on the water, and the sun peeking through the clouds, it's a sign that summer is just around the corner!
- [San Juan Summer Splash Festival & Orca Whales](https://whales.com/san-juan-summer-splash-festival-orca-whales/) - This summer we will have a couple of college interns riding our vessels to the San Juan Islands and Victoria, taking lots of photos and reporting on events, whale sightings and other happenings. Our first report comes from John, a Western Washington University student in their Recreation Program), who writes about his day aboard the
- [Mother's Day Cruise To Victoria](https://whales.com/mothers-day-cruise-to-victoria/) - This report comes from John, a WWU student who is doing an internship with our company this season. He rode to Victoria with us on Mother's Day, and wrote a bit about the cruise, and took some great pictures as well. "A happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there - I hope it
- [Victoria - Full Of Live (Video)](https://whales.com/victoria-full-of-live-video/) - Tourism Victoria has put together a great video that shows off the sights, sounds and activities of Victoria, BC.
- [Recent Orca Whale Sightings](https://whales.com/recent-orca-whale-sightings/) - We started our cruises to Victoria, the San Juan Islands and whale watching on April 30th this season, and have had lots of great whale sightings so far. Of the three resident pods of Orca whales, we've seen J and L pods so far, but have also been lucky with finding transient Orcas and a
- [Gray Whale Spotted Off Smith Island Yesterday (5/21)](https://whales.com/gray-whale-spotted-off-smith-island-yesterday-521/) - On our whale watching tour yesterday (5/21) we spotted a Gray Whale just off Smith Island (which is located between Lopez and Whidbey Islands). We still have space for our upcoming whale watching tours on Sunday and Monday and the weather forecast is pretty decent (especially Monday).
- [Transient Orcas Spotted Today (Sunday 5/23)](https://whales.com/transient-orcas-spotted-today-sunday-523/) - The Island Commuter is out this afternoon viewing a group of transient Orcas, just south of Vancouver Island. Hopefully our Victoria Star passengers will also see them on our 5pm departure from Victoria as well!
- [Memorial Day Weekend Trips To The San Juan Islands & Victoria, BC](https://whales.com/memorial-day-weekend-trips-to-the-san-juan-islands-victoria-bc/) - The long holiday weekend is coming up - a perfect time to take a trip to the San Juan Islands or Victoria, BC. We still have space available on our cruises this Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday. Reservations for our trips to the San Juan Islands or Victoria can be made through our website, or
- [Transient Orca Whales Spotted Today (Sunday 5/30)](https://whales.com/transient-orca-whales-spotted-today-sunday-530/) - Despite the so-so weather forcast, it's turned out to be a decent day out on the water. Today we found a group of transient Orca whales just outside of Friday Harbor, during our whale watching tour. After watching them frolic for a while, we headed north to check out the wildlife at the north end
- [Transient Orca Whales Again (5/31)](https://whales.com/transient-orca-whales-again-531/) - On today's whale watch we spotted transient Orca whales again - this time they were just south of Lopez Island. Usually the resident Orca whales (J, K & L pods) are the ones we see most often this time of the year, with transient Orcas making a rare appearance here and there. This season seems
- [Essence Of Bellingham Photo Competition - Fairhaven Morning](https://whales.com/essence-of-bellingham-photo-competition-fairhaven-morning/) - The City of Bellingham just concluded their "Essence Of Bellingham" photo competition, and one of winners was "Fairhaven Morning" by Ken Salzman. It nicely captures Taylor Street Dock, Bellingham Bay, the Alaska Ferry Terminal, and if you look carefully enough, one of our vessels - the Victoria Star 2. Mayor Dan Pike said about the
- [Orca Whales At Turn Point Lighthouse - 6/13/10](https://whales.com/orca-whales-at-turn-point-lighthouse-61310/) - The weather was beautiful yesterday afternoon - we had a great day on the water. We were lucky to spot J-pod near the Turn Point lighthouse on Stuart Island. We also spotted a few Minke whales as well. We're in the middle of peak season for whale spotting, so now's a great time to go
- [All 3 Resident Pods Of Orca Whales Spotted Yesterday!](https://whales.com/all-three-resident-pods-of-orca-whales-spotted-yesterday/) - Yesterday we had a chance to see all 3 pods of Orca Whales - J, K and L pods! In other exciting Orca news, K pod has a new member - K43 has been identified and is thought to be about 5 months old. (Photo courtesy of NW Cable News)
- [Lots & Lots Of Whales!](https://whales.com/lots-lots-of-whales/) - The Orca whale sightings have been great over the last couple of weeks. On one of our Victoria cruises we even hit what our captain called a "trifecta", with sightings of 3 different species - Orcas, Minkes and a Gray whale. The weather has been kinda so-so in recent days, but the forecast is calling
- [Orca & Minke Whales Sighted Over The Last Two Days](https://whales.com/orca-minke-whales-sighted-over-the-last-two-days/) - Great whale sightings continue, with J & K pods located near Vendovi Island/Viti Rocks on Tuesday, and Orca and Minke whales found just west of San Juan Island yesterday. We are now seeing them frequently on our dedicated whale watching tours on the Island Commuter, as well as our trips to/from Victoria on the Victoria
- [Great Whale Sightings On The Way To & From Victoria Yesterday](https://whales.com/great-whale-sightings-on-the-way-to-from-victoria-yesterday/) - Yesterday we were lucky enough to see J-pod twice from the Victoria Star 2. First, we saw them on the way to Victoria, just off Bird Rocks, then we saw them on the way back at Salmon Bank. We saw the same group on the Island Commuter, during our whale watching tour from Friday Harbor.
- [Chuckanut Bay Cracked Crab Cruises Sold Out This Friday/Saturday](https://whales.com/chuckanut-bay-cracked-crab-cruises-sold-out-this-fridaysaturday/) - Summer's here and it's the perfect time to get out on the water! Nothing beats a beautiful sunset as we cruise through Chuckanut & Bellingham Bays. Our Chuckanut Bay Cracked Crab dinner cruises, running every Friday and Saturday at 6:30 pm, are sold out this weekend, but we still have space on the rest of
- [Another A Beautiful Day In The San Juans - Whales Off Sinclair Island 7/15/10](https://whales.com/another-a-beautiful-day-in-the-san-juans-whales-off-sinclair-island-71510/) - It was a beautiful day in the San Juan Islands yesterday - lots of sun, calm waters, whales, and snow-capped Mt. Baker in the background. This photo was taken just off San Juan Island. We've also included a short video taken by Eric, one of the deckhands aboard the Island Commuter 2, near Sinclair Island,
- [Orca Whales Spotted West Of San Juan Island (7/18)](https://whales.com/orca-whales-spotted-west-of-san-juan-island-718/) - Both of our vessels, the Island Commuter 2 and the Victoria Star 2, found two pods of Orca whales on Sunday (7/18). J pod and L pod were traveling together off the west side of San Juan Island, between Kellett Bluff and Salmon Bank.
- [Orca Whales Seen Yesterday Near False Bay (San Juan Island)](https://whales.com/orca-whales-seen-yesterday-near-false-bay-san-juan-island/) - Despite the fog yesterday, we were able to find Orca whales on our whale watching trip yesterday. They were out in the waters between False Bay and Eagle Pt., off the west side of San Juan Island. We offer daily whale watching trips from Bellingham, Orcas Island (Lieber Haven) and San Juan Island (Friday Harbor)
- [Victoria San Juan Cruises Video Feature On "Talk It Up TV"](https://whales.com/victoria-san-juan-cruises-video-feature-on-talk-it-up-tv/) - Talk It Up TV just released a feature on our company, which you can view here:
- ["Super-Pod" Of Orca Whales Seen 8/13](https://whales.com/super-pod-of-orca-whales-seen-813/) - On our return trip from Victoria yesterday (8/13) we were lucky to find a "super-pod" of Orca whales - all three resident pods of Orcas seen in the same location! They were near Seabird Pt. / Discovery Island. Initial reports today are good as well - factor in the 80+ degree temperatures and it all
- [Orcas From All 3 Local Pods Spotted Yesterday (8/18)](https://whales.com/orcas-from-all-3-local-pods-spotted-yesterday-818/) - Yesterday we were lucky enough to spot members of all three local pods of Orca whales (J, K and L pods). They were seen just to the west of San Juan Island (Salmon Bank). We'll be back out today aboard the Victoria Star and Island Commuter 2.
- [Beneath The Salish Sea Film At The Pickford 9/22](https://whales.com/beneath-the-salish-sea-film-at-the-pickford-922/) - Join marine biologist and cinematographer Florian Graner on an underwater odyssey through Puget Sound and discover the wonders living around Whidbey Island, Hood Canal, and in the greater Salish Sea. Packed with information about life in the oceans using the latest stealth diving equipment and state of the art HD cameras, get close and personal
- [Orca Baby Born In The San Juan Islands](https://whales.com/orca-baby-born-in-the-san-juan-islands/) - A new baby was born in L-Pod - L-47 (Marina) recently gave birth to Orca baby L-115. Our captain got this great shot of mother and child on one of our recent trips to Victoria.
- [Whale Sightings - Friday August 27th](https://whales.com/whale-sightings-friday-august-27th/) - Yesterday (Friday) we spotted a group of transient Orca whales just off Waldron Island, the found a Minke whale near Flattop Island. We'll be out there again today, looking for whales on our whale watching trips from Friday Harbor, as well as our tours to/from Victoria, BC
- [Orca Whales (J & L Pods) Seen Yesterday (9/4)](https://whales.com/orca-whales-j-l-pods-seen-yesterday-94/) - Typically Orca whale sightings start to taper off in the San Juan Islands as we enter September, but perhaps due to the strong salmon run in the area, they seem to be sticking around. As a result we've been seeing Orca whales every day on our whale watching trips over the last week or so.
- [Island Commuter Service To The San Juans / Whale Watching Extended To 9/19](https://whales.com/island-commuter-service-to-the-san-juans-whale-watching-extended-to-926/) - We have extended our San Juan Island Commuter service from Bellingham to the San Juan Islands, as well as whale watching tours, through September 19th. Our last two trips of the season aboard the Island Commuter 2 will depart from the Alaska Ferry Terminal in Bellingham this Saturday and Sunday at 9:30 am. Now's a
- [Four Resident Orca Calves Receive Names](https://whales.com/four-resident-orca-calves-receive-names/) - Courtesy of the Friday Harbor Whale Museum: After several weeks of public voting with more than 7,500 votes counted, four Southern Resident Community Orca calves have new names! The newly named babies are: Moby (J-44), Star (J-46), Sooke (L-112), and Cousteau (L-113). (click to read more)
- [Victoria San Juan Cruises Is Closed For 2010 - Cruises To Resume May 2011](https://whales.com/victoria-san-juan-cruises-is-closed-for-2010-cruises-to-resume-may-2011/) - Thank you to everyone who took one of our sightseeing tours during the 2010 summer season. We are currently developing our schedule and pricing information for 2011, and will be updating our website shortly.
- [Best Island Destination Vacation In Washington: San Juan Island](https://whales.com/best-island-destination-vacation-in-washington-san-juan-island/) - I just stumbled upon a great article about the San Juan Islands - it's packed with information on activities, accomodations, and the history of this unique section of Washington State. Although we are currently closed for the winter, we will resume service into the islands in May 2011. It's not too early to start planning
- [Kasakta (L-82) Gives Birth To Baby Orca (L-116)](https://whales.com/kasakta-l-82-gives-birth-to-baby-orca-l-116/) - L-Pod has a new member, L-116, born to Kasakta (L-82). It was sighted just off the west side of San Juan Island recently. The photo to the left, taken by Jeanne Hyde from shore near the Lime Kiln Lighthouse, shows mother and calf. For more information visit the Friday Harbor Whale Museum's news page. More
- [PBS Special: Fixing The Future Features Bellingham](https://whales.com/pbs-special-fixing-the-future-features-bellingham/) - Fixing the Future, a new one-hour PBS special airing November 18th (check local listings), is set to predominately feature Bellingham. Host David Brancaccio visited communities across America using innovative approaches to create jobs and build prosperity in our new economy. There will be a special preview showing at the Mt. Baker Theater, hosted by Sustainable Connections with
- [Bellingham Daily Photo - Harris Avenue In Fairhaven](https://whales.com/bellingham-daily-photo-harris-avenue-in-fairhaven/) - Just stumbled across a fun and interesting photo blog called Bellingham Daily Photo - yesterday they featured Harris Avenue, the main street that runs through the Fairhaven Historic District (and down to the Bellingham Cruise Terminal, where we're located). (Photo courtesy of another great local website, Fairhaven.com) .
- [Holiday Port Festival This Weekend At The Bellingham Cruise Terminal](https://whales.com/holiday-port-festival-this-weekend-at-the-bellingham-cruise-terminal/) - The 20th Annual Holiday Port Festival at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal is this weekend, December 3-5. The free, family-friendly event will feature performances by local bands, choirs and dance groups, free horse-drawn wagon and fire truck rides, kids' art activities, Santa, and of course, the gingerbread house display. This year, the festival will host our
- [Gift Certificates For Our 2011 Season Available](https://whales.com/gift-certificates-for-our-2011-season-available-for-up-to-20-off/) - Treat your family, friends or co-workers to a unique Northwest experience. We are offering gift certificates for our 2011 season. Our tours will run May through September this year. --Our brand new San Juan Adventure cruise, which includes a tour through the San Juan Islands, whale watching, a 2 hour shore visit in Friday Harbor,
- [San Juan Cruises #1 Bellingham Attraction On Tripadvisor](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-1-bellingham-attraction-on-tripadvisor/) - San Juan Cruises recently made it to the top of the list on Tripadvisor's top attractions in Bellingham - thanks to everyone who has written a review for us so far! There are lots of other great local businesses on the list too - including the American Museum of Radio and Electricity, Mindport, Mount Baker
- [Natural History Cruise: Birds & Whales in the San Juan Islands](https://whales.com/natural-history-cruise-birds-whales-in-the-san-juan-islands/) - Join our guest on board naturalist, David Drummond, for an insightful and lively look at the birds, wildflowers and mammals of the San Juan Archipelago.  Venture into the San Juan Islands with us aboard the Viking Star, cruising our beautiful backyard islands with wildflowers like the Nooka Rose, while watching colorful Yellow-rumped Warblers flit and sing amongst
- [Morning Showers Give Way To Sun On Our First Cruise Of The Season](https://whales.com/morning-showers-give-way-to-sun-on-our-first-cruise-of-the-season/) - We kicked off our 2011 season today with our first San Juan Adventure cruise into the San Juan Islands. After some early morning showers, the skies cleared and we've even seen a little bit of sun. If you're looking for a last-minute Mother's Day gift, why not take her for a fun day in the
- [San Juan Islands / Whale Watching Report - 5/08/2011](https://whales.com/san-juan-islands-whale-watching-report-5082011/) - Our second trip of the season started off on a discouraging note when we heard that the Orca whales were going to be too far for us to see. However, we later heard that there were a couple of Humpback Whales off Mandarte Island in Haro Strait, so we were on our way. The photo
- [San Juan Islands / Whale Watching Report - 5/14/2011](https://whales.com/san-juan-islands-whale-watching-report-5142011/) - Today ended up being a great day in the San Juan Islands, with rain only coming for a short spell in the afternoon. The day started off with a group of Harbor Seals and Bald Eagles on Viti Rocks. Later, we found a fun group of Minke whales south of Lopez Island, several Dall's porpoises
- [San Juan Islands / Whale Watching Report - 5/15/2011](https://whales.com/san-juan-islands-whale-watching-report-5152011/) - The weather could have been better - it was a rainy, foggy day out on the water (calm though - winds were light). However, that didn't matter much when we were treated to the sight of Minke Whales at Salmon Bank (west of San Juan Islands) and later, Orca Whales (J-Pod). They were breaching, splashing,
- [San Juan Islands / Whale Watching Report - 5/16/2011](https://whales.com/san-juan-islands-whale-watching-report-5162011/) - We are underway doing our San Juan Adventure cruise for a tour group, and just 1 1/2 hours into the trip we are already on the scene with a group of Orca whales (J-pod) right in the heart of the San Juans. Check back later for photos!
- [San Juan Islands / Whale Watching Report - 5/19/2011](https://whales.com/san-juan-islands-whale-watching-report-5192011/) - We went out on a educational whale watching field trip today with 3 Western Washington schools and had a great day out in the islands. We found a group of playful seals out on Matia Island, but the highlight of the day was a group of Orca whales up north near Active Pass. We were
- [San Juan Islands / Whale Watching Report - 5/21/2011](https://whales.com/san-juan-islands-whale-watching-report-5212011/) - It was a great day for whale watching in the San Juan Islands! We normally pick a route in the morning, on the way to Friday Harbor, that has the best chance for seeing Orca whales. Well, we did that, finding a group just off the west side of San Juan Island. After watching them
- [4th Of July Fireworks Cruise Aboard The Victoria Star](https://whales.com/4th-of-july-fireworks-cruise-aboard-the-victoria-star/) - There is no better place to view the big 4th of July fireworks show than on the Victoria Star 2. Our 100 foot vessel be going out from 8:30 - 11:00, cruising around the bay before setting in close to Squalicum Harbor for the extravaganza. We've got plenty of indoor and outdoor viewing areas, a snack
- [San Juan Islands / Whale Watching Report - 5/28/2011](https://whales.com/san-juan-islands-whale-watching-report-5282011/) - The Victoria Star 2 is still out on our San Juan Adventure cruise today, but we just got word from our captain that they found a group of playful transient Orca whales just off Patos Island this afternoon. Check back later, when we will have photos of this group.
- [Victoria Star 2 Salad Dressing Recipe](https://whales.com/victoria-star-2-salad-dressing-recipe/) - For many years, our guests have raved about the Victoria Star Salad Dressing featured on all of our dinner cruises. We posted our salad dressing recipe here a few years ago, but after recent requests for the recipe we've decided to post it here again. Victoria Star Salad Dressing ½ cup Sugar ½ tsp Salt
- [San Juan Islands / Whale Watching Report - 6/04/2011](https://whales.com/san-juan-islands-whale-watching-report-6042011/) - Lots of Minke whales in the islands today, with two sightings this morning - a few seen just south of Lopez Island, and another group at Salmon Bank, near San Juan Island. It's been a beautiful day out in the islands, and is supposed to be equally nice over the next couple of days! Nice
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/05/2011](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-6052011/) - Sunday was another great day in the San Juan Islands, with glassy smooth waters most of the day. We were first on the scene with a group of playful Minke whales, that circled the boat for about 45 minutes. As we made our way towards Friday Harbor for our daily 2 hour shore visit, we
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/10/2011](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-6102011/) - The whales were back on Friday! They were too far out of our range to reach the past few days, but on Friday our passengers witnessed an active J-pod of Orca whales jumping and spy-hopping just to the northwest of San Juan Island. We were able to spend a good amount of time with them,
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/11/2011](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-6112011/) - Another great cruise today, with resident Orca whales (J-pod) viewed by our passengers SW of San Juan Island. It's been a nice day, with clouds and fog giving way to blue skies on our return trip through the islands back to Bellingham.
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/12/2011](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-6122011/) - Another great day out in the islands on Sunday - sun was out and we saw a group of Orca whales just south of Lopez Island.
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/15 & 6/16](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-615-616/) - We were able to see a transient group of Orca Whales in nearly the same location two days in a row, up near Echo Bay / Sucia Island. Lots of other wildlife were seen on the cruises, and the weather has been great, especially in the afternoons after the morning clouds have burned off.
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/18](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-618/) - Lots of whales in the San Juan Islands today! Our passengers looked beyond the initial rain and fog this morning and were greeted by a nice day out in the islands. Not much sun, but the rain stopped and the fog lifted. We made our way out west of San Juan Island and found Orca
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/20](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-620/) - Lots of whales again today, including our first look at K-pod (one of the three resident pods of Orca whales), just off the west side of San Juan Island. We also saw a Minke whale on a day where the waters were flat calm and the sun was bright overhead. Sounds like the weather is
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/23 & 6/24](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-623-624/) - Lots of Orcas out in the islands the last two days - J-pod were spotted just west of San Juan Island yesterday, then today they were in the center of the islands, just north of Sinclair. They were very active this morning, leading our captain to describe the scene as "black & white popcorn". We
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/25 (Whales Everywhere!)](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-625-whales-everywhere/) - Wow, it was a great day yesterday! We started off the day by finding J-pod during our San Juan Adventure cruise, out near the Canadian Gulf Islands. The weather was beautiful, with plenty of sun and temperatures up near 70. In the evening we were back out with two of our boats, one on a
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/26](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-626/) - It was a picture-perfect day in the San Juans yesterday, with lots of sun and glassy-smooth waters. We went out quite a ways yesterday, up towards the Canadian Gulf Island, in search of Orcas. One group of resident Orcas, J-pod, has been fairly easy to find recently, but we were also able to see part
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/28 & 6/29](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-628-629/) - We keep seeing whales - recent sightings have included members of J-pod and K-pod out west of San Juan Island. The weather was just s0-so, but there's nothing that makes people happier than seeing lots of whales jumping and playing out in their natural habitat. Weather is looking better over the next few days -
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/30](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-630/) - Lots of whales yet again yesterday (6/30) - we wound our way through the islands, before coming across a group of Orca whales just west of San Juan Island. If you don't have plans for the weekend, come join us on our San Juan Adventure day cruise, or our Chuckanut Bay Cracked Crab dinner cruise.
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/1](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-71/) - It wasn't the best of starts today - a little cloudy and gray, but we heard reports of whales out in the San Juan Islands, so we knew it'd be a good day. Since it looked like we would cross paths with the Orcas in the afternoon, we made an earlier-than-normal 2 hour stop in
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/2](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-72/) - Our cruise today left just an hour ago, and we are already watching a group of Orca whales (J-pod) just west of Lummi Island. It's a beautiful day out in the islands - clear skies and lots of sun!
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/3](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-73/) - The weatherman forecast rain on Sunday, and I guess he was right because it did rain overnight. However, for our day cruise in the San Juan Islands, it was beautiful from start to finish. It was topped off with watching the entire J-Pod orca whale group, just west of San Juan Island. It's been a
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/6](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-76/) - Summer's finally here - lots of sunshine out in the San Juan Islands, and lots of Orca whales! We saw members of K and L pods on Wednesday, just south of Lopez Island. Preliminary reports from the boat today (Thursday 7/7) say that there's a chance we may see a "Super Pod" today - members
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/7 - SUPERPOD!](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-77-superpod/) - Yesterday we had our first Superpod sighting, which is when we see members of all three resident pods of Orca whales (J, K and L pods) in the same spot. It was an exciting to watch they swim and frolic, an experience that normally only happens a few times each season. If you're on the
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/9 Whales On Our Crab Cruise!](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-79/) - Lots of whales yet again out in the San Juans on our 8 hour San Juan Adventure cruise - we found all three resident pods (J, K and L) in the waters just north of Stuart Island. They weren't together, so we can't technically call this one a "Superpod", but they were especially active. Then,
- [K Pod Has A New Calf - K-44!](https://whales.com/k-pod-has-a-new-calf-k-44/) - One of the three resident pods of Orca whales, K-pod, now has a new member! Here are the details, courtesy of the Friday Harbor Whale Museum: "On July 6, a new calf was spotted by Jeanne Hyde, The Whale Museum's Orca Adoption Program Coordinator, at 6:47 a.m. from shore on the west side of San
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/10](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-710/) - We heard reports all morning with the locations of all three resident pods of Orca whales (J, K and L pods). Unfortunately, they weren't all in the same place, so we had to pick which group to see. We decided to look for K pod, which was out on the west side of San Juan
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/12 & 7/13](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-712-713/) - It's great when all three resident pods of Orca whales are centered in the San Juan Islands, as they've been for the past 3 weeks or so. Over the last two days we've seen members of all three pods, a group (J Pod) just south of Lopez Island off Davidson Rocks, and K & L
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/14 & 7/15](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-714-715/) - More Orca whales out in the San Juans the last two days, capped off with a great show from J-pod just off the west side of San Juan Island yesterday.
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/16](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-716/) - On Saturday's cruise there was a bit of fog, so we went straight over to Friday Harbor for our 2 hour shore visit. Afterwards, the fog had cleared, allowing us to have great views of two groups of Orca whales just west of San Juan Island - J-Pod and L-12's. While it wasn't a typical
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/17](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-717/) - Whale sightings have been very consistent over the last week, with lots of Orca sightings just west of San Juan Island over the past week. On Sunday's cruise we were able to watch members of J-pod and L-pod for quite a while. Looks like great weather over the past few days, so if you don't have plans
- [Bellingham Alive - Best Of The NW 2011 Voting](https://whales.com/bellingham-alive-best-of-the-nw-2011-voting/) - If you have a minute, please visit the Bellingham Alive / KAFE website and vote for San Juan Cruises in several categories: Best Event Venue Best Wedding Venue Best First Date Spot
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/18-23](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-718-23/) - We fell a little behind with our recent whale & wildlife sighting reports, but it wasn't due to a lack of whales in the area. It's been a great week, with Orca whale sightings each day, mostly on the west side of San Juan Island. The weather's been absolutely perfect the last couple of days
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/24](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-724/) - You couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day in the San Juan Islands on Sunday - clear skies and calm waters. We met up with a fun, playful Minke whale just south of Lopez Island that entertained the passengers for quite a while. The Orca whales were just out of range, but initial reports
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/29](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-729/) - More whales in the San Juan Islands yesterday - J & K pods were spotted just west of San Juan Island. We stuck with K pod most of the time. It was a beautiful, sunny day - it took a while but summer seems to have finally arrived!
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/3](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-82/) - This is what summer's all about - sun, blue skies, and salty ocean breezes. For us it also means beautiful scenery in the San Juan Islands and Orca whales. This is definitely the time of the season to take a trip with us! Yesterday we saw lots of Orca whales, members of J & K
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/4](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-84/) - Yesterday was a beautiful day on the water, with Orca whales spotted just west of San Juan Island. We found the L-12 subgroup of Orca whales and were able to spend close to 40 minutes with them, before heading over to Friday Harbor for our 2 hour shore visit. The forecast is calling for at
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/5-8/7](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-85-87/) - Lots and lots of whales in the San Juan Islands over the weekend. We had sightings of J-pod each day, and also saw K-pod 2 of the 3 days, mostly out on the west side of San Juan Island. It was a little foggy each morning, but that eventually burned off, leaving us with lots
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/8 (Humpbacks!)](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-88-humpbacks/) - Just got a report from our captain saying they found 2 Humpback whales today out west of San Juan Island - we don't see them too much this time of year, so it was a rare treat for our passengers. We will have photos soon - we'll post them here, as well as our Facebook
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/10](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-810/) - Another great day with the whales yesterday! The bulk of the adult whales we saw just went about their business, although it's always exciting to see dorsal fins rise out of the water all around the boat. However, there was a baby in the group that had energy to spare, jumping out of the water
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/11](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-811/) - There's been all kinds of whales in the San Juans over the past few weeks. Yesterday we had a chance to watch several Minke whales, just off the west side of San Juan Island (Salmon Bank). We're back out today (8/12) on another San Juan Adventure tour through the San Juan Islands, then in the
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/13](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-813/) - On Saturday we saw a group of four transient Orca whales just off San Juan Island - another great show on what was a beautiful day out in the islands. Today (Sunday) we are seeing transient Orcas again - we will post a full report when the boat returns this evening.
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/14](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-814/) - The best day of the season so far! We ended up going south of the islands for our whale watch/nature search. Not only did we get a chance to watch a transient group of Orca whales spy hop, tail slap and breach all around the boat, we also witnessed a harbor seal scurry and hide
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/15-8/17](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-815-817/) - We've had lots of whales this week to go along with some outstanding weather. We saw members of L pod on Tuesday, then yesterday we saw J & K pods near Jones Island. Sounds like we'll be seeing them today as well. Our cruise this coming Sunday is currently sold out, but we still have
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/18](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-818/) - Once again we found J & K pods, up near Turn Point in the NW corner of the San Juan Archipelago. We were able to spend quite a bit of time with this group. Looking forward to a great weekend of sun, and whales!
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/19 & 8/20](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-819-820/) - Our San Juan Islands/Whale Watching tours could not have been any better the last couple of days. We didn't just see whales, we saw all 3 resident pods of Orcas - over 80 of them in all! They were spotted up in the NW corner of the San Juan Archipelago. With sun and temperatures just
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/22](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-822/) - Unfortunately, we've got a temporary break in summer today, with cooler temps and rain. However, rain doesn't affect the whales one bit and we found a group of transient Orcas today, just off the east side of Orcas Island. We happened to catch them having a bit of lunch, a real Animal Planet style experience
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/23](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-823/) - Another great day of whale watching yesterday (Tuesday). This time it wasn't Orca whales, it was Humpbacks! We found a pair of them just off Clark Island on our way out to the islands, then after our stop in Friday Harbor we saw them again near Peavine Pass. It's pretty rare to see Humpbacks this
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/25](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-825/) - On Thursday (8/25) we were able to see all three pods of resident Orca whales (J, K and L pods), up in the NW corner of the San Juan Islands. The warm weather is expected to continue all the way through the weekend - a great time to cool off and enjoy some great scenery
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/27](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-827/) - It was an Orca whale double-header on Saturday (8/27) - we found members of K and L pods on our way out to the San Juan Islands, then after our two hour visit in Friday Harbor, we saw them again just a few minutes after departure.
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/28](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-828/) - The resident Orca whale pods were just outside our range today, but we were able to find a group of 5 transient Orca whales, up in the Canadian Gulf Islands (near Saturna). This group were fun to watch and we had a good amount of time with them, before we continued our journey on to
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 9/3](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-93/) - We've seen lots of wildlife over the past few days - porpoises, Stellar sea lions, Minke whales and bald eagles. The highlight though was yesterday, when we were able to see all 3 resident pods of Orca whales, up by Turn Point in the NW corner of the islands. We're out on a private charter
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 9/4](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-94/) - Lots of whales out in the San Juan Islands yesterday - J's and K's were spotted up in the NW corner. Beautiful weather all day long as well!
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 9/9](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-99/) - We are currently offering our San Juan Adventure cruise Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, so we didn't have any tours over the last few days. It was great to get back out there yesterday though - amazing weather and two pods of resident Orca whales (J & K pods), spotted in the southwest corner of the
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 9/10](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-910/) - On Saturday (9/10) we were able to find the L-12 group of Orca whales just off Eagle Pt. on the west side of San Juan Island. They were too far out of our range in the morning, so we cruised over to Friday Harbor for our 2 hour shore visit first, but were able to
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 9/11](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-911/) - Yesterday, without a doubt, was the best day of the season. Clear skies, temperatures in the low 80's, calm waters and a "super-pod" of Orca whales. A super-pod is when members of all 3 resident pods of Orca whales (J, K and L pods) are all gathered in one place. This only happens a few
- [San Juan Cruises / Whales & Wildlife Report - 9/16](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-whales-wildlife-report-916/) - At this point of the season we're just running our tours Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, so we haven't been out in the islands for a few days. Yesterday we were welcomed back by all three pods of resident Orca, just off the west side of San Juan Island. We'll be back out today and tomorrow,
- [San Juan Cruises Featured In Professional Mariner Magazine](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-featured-in-professional-mariner-magazine/) - Our company was recently featured in Professional Mariner Magazine - it's a trade publication, but it gives a nice overview of our San Juan Adventure cruise, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into operating our tour.
- [Gift Certificates For Our 2012 Season Available](https://whales.com/gift-certificates-for-our-2012-season-available/) - Treat your family, friends or co-workers to a unique Northwest experience. Our tours will run May through September next year. There are two options available: --Our 8-hour San Juan Adventure day cruise, which includes a narrated tour through the scenic San Juan Islands, whale watching & wildlife viewing, a 2 hour shore visit in Friday
- [New Orca Calf In J-Pod Born In December](https://whales.com/new-orca-calf-in-j-pod-born-in-december/) - In mid-December J-16 (aka "Slick") gave birth to her fifth calf (J-48). There are now 89 resident Orca whales in the San Juan Islands. Photo (Photo by Candace Emmons / NWFSC)
- [Our 2012 Season Is Just A Few Months Away](https://whales.com/our-2012-season-is-just-a-few-months-away/) - We're busy gearing up for the 2012 season, which will start on May 5th this season for our San Juan Adventure cruise, and June 1st for our Chuckanut Bay Cracked Crab dinner cruises. We will also be doing several holiday cruises, including our popular 4th of July Fireworks cruises aboard the Victoria Star 2 and
- [Vote For Us In King 5's "Best NW Escapes" Contest](https://whales.com/vote-for-us-in-king-5s-best-nw-escapes-contest/) - The deadline is Sunday, April 15th! Please take a second and vote for San Juan Cruises as the "Best NW Whale Watch" in King 5's "Best NW Escapes" contest. If you've taken one of our cruises, or just want to support a local Bellingham/Whatcom County business, we'd love to have your vote. Just click on
- [Bellingham Bay Rendezvous - April 28 & 29](https://whales.com/bellingham-bay-rendezvous-april-28-29/) - Cruise season in the San Juan Islands opens April 28-29, 2012 at the 2nd annual Bellingham Bay Rendezvous. Charter vessels from throughout the Salish Sea travel to Bellingham for this two-day celebration to show off their boats and honor maritime history at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal (355 Harris Ave),which also hosts the Alaska Ferry. TICKETS ON SALE
- [First Day Of The Season / Whales & Wildlife Report - All 3 Pods! - 5/5/12](https://whales.com/first-day-of-the-season-whales-wildlife-report-all-3-pods-5512/) - What a day so far on the Victoria Star 2! The boat is still out on this season's first San Juan Adventure cruise, and we just got a report that we were able to see members of all 3 local pods of Orca whales (J, K and L pods). There's been a little light drizzle,
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - Whales Again! - 5/6/12](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-whales-again-5612/) - Another beautiful day out in the San Juan Islands! Just heard from the captain that we saw Orca whales again - 2-for-2 for the season so far. Today the crew brought a camera, so we hope to update this post with a few photos from today's tour. We'll be out again next weekend - hope
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 5/19/12 & 5/20/12](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-51912-52012/) - After seeing a Gray whale on a private charter we did on Friday, we were excited to get into the weekend for our public tours, in hopes of seeing more whales. We didn't find any Orca or Gray whales on Saturday or Sunday, we did find some active Minke whales at Salmon Bank (just off
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 5/21/12 (Orca Whales - K-Pod)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-52112-orca-whales-k-pod/) - We had a local middle school on board today for a 6 hour whale watching field trip (I don't remember going on field trips this fun when I was a kid!). It was an overcast day with occasional rain, but shortly after getting underway we started to hear reports of one of the resident Orca
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 5/26/12 (Orca Whales - Transient Group)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-52612-orca-whales-transient-group/) - It's a bright, beautiful day in the San Juan Islands today. With a full boat of passengers anticipating a warm, fun filled day we were excited to hear reports of a transient group of Orcas coming through the area. Sure enough, we found them just 1 1/2 hours into the trip. A group of approximately
- [San Juan Cruises' Ski To Sea Team Finishes 188th](https://whales.com/san-juan-cruises-ski-to-sea-team-finishes-188th/) - Ski to Sea weekend was a blast this year, with lots of activity all along the course, as well as the finish line in Fairhaven. The weather cooperated and towards the end it was sunny and warm for all of the kayakers coming into Marine Park. We were proud to have sponsored the San Juan
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 5/30/12 - 6/01/12 (Orca Whales - Transient & Resident Groups)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-53012-60112-orca-whales-transient-resident-groups/) - Our public San Juan Adventure whale & wildlife cruises run daily starting today, so if you're looking for a fun day trip in the San Juan Islands give us  a call. There have been plenty of whales in the area - we took out several school groups this week, where we were able to see
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/8/12 (Orca Whales - J-Pod)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-6812-orca-whales-j-pod/) - It was a little gray this morning, but things brightened up quickly as the clouds began to dissipate and the sun came out. It wasn't too long before we found Orcas. Just about 30 minutes into the cruise J-pod was spotted near Viti Rocks on the west side of Lummi Island. Since we found them so early
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/9/12 (Orca Whales - J-Pod)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-6912-orca-whales-j-pod/) - It was another great day in the San Juan Islands - we spotted J-pod once again near the Lime Kiln lighthouse on the west side of San Juan Island. All in all a great, mostly sunny, day in the islands!
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/10/12 (Orca Whales - J-Pod)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-61012-orca-whales-j-pod/) - It was another sunny, beautiful day in the San Juan Islands aboard the Victoria Star 2. We had a great group of folks on board as we meandered through the islands, heading towards the north end of San Juan Island. Once there, we found our friends from J-pod again, thrilling our passengers as they swam
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/10-6/15 (Orca Whales - J-Pod)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-610-615-orca-whales-j-pod/) - It's been a great week of whale watching, with Orcas seen on our San Juan Adventure cruise every day this week. It was our friends in J-pod that were seen in various locales in the San Juans, primarily in the waters to the west of San Juan Island. Sounds like they're in the area again
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/16-6/17 (Orca Whales - J-Pod & A Humpback Whale)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-616-617-orca-whales-j-pod-a-humpback-whale/) - Another great weekend of whale watching in the San Juan Islands. On Saturday and Sunday we saw J-Pod, one of the three resident pods of Orcas. We've gotten to know this pod very well over the past two weeks, with sightings just about every day. However, while watching a group of Orcas off to one
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/21 (Orca Whales - J-Pod & Transient Group)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-621-orca-whales-j-pod-transient-group/) - It's been an outstanding week for whale watching, topped off with a double-header of Orcas yesterday. We spotted J-Pod near Kellett Bluff on San Juan Island, then later stumbled across a group of transient Orcas in San Juan Channel. Our boat's back in the islands today, with initial reports looking favorable once again. We've had consistent sightings
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/22 (Orca Whales - J-Pod)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-622-orca-whales-j-pod/) - Our boat is still out on today's San Juan Adventure cruise, and the news from the captain has been great so far. We were able to find J-pod again, this time off the west side of San Juan Island. He mentioned that there have been reports of other whales in the area, so we might
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/23 (Orca Whales - Transient Group)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-623-orca-whales-transient-group/) - Today we saw the best whale show of the season! A group of transient Orcas passing through the islands were spotted between Lopez and Blakely Islands. For nearly an hour it was just us and them - no other boats in the area, as we watched them jump out of the water all around us.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/24 (Orca Whales - J-Pod)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-624-orca-whales-j-pod/) - After a day with a transient group of Orcas yesterday, we were back with our friends in J-pod today. We spent close to an hour with them up near Stuart Island. They were fairly active today, thrilling our passengers in calm, partly sunny conditions.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/25-6/29 (Orca Whales - J-Pod, L-Pod & Transient Group)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-625-629-orca-whales-j-pod-transient-group/) - We are a little behind on our whale and wildlife report this week, but that doesn't mean we haven't been seeing Orca whales on our cruises. It's been an outstanding week for sightings in the San Juan Islands. Here's what we've seen this week: 6/25 - Orca Whales: J-Pod near Deception Pass 6/26 - Orca
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 6/30 (Orca Whales - J-Pod)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-630-orca-whales-j-pod/) - Yesterday was the 9th day in a row that we saw Orca whales out in the San Juan Islands. It was J-Pod once again - we had a great time watching them just off the NW side of San Juan Island. Looking forward to another great day in the islands today!
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/1 (Orca Whales - J & L Pods)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-71-orca-whales-j-l-pods/) - Light morning clouds made way for afternoon sun and blue skies yesterday (7/1) as we wound our way through the San Juan Islands. It's been a great week for whale watching, with Orca sightings every day, so we were full of optimism that we'd see them once again. With the help of our spotting network,
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/2 thru 7/6 (Orca Whales - J & L Pods)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-72-thru-76-orca-whales-j-l-pods/) - Another great week of Orca whale watching - whales were seen every day, mostly off the west coast of San Juan Island, and mostly J-pod (with members of L-pod being seen on occasion). What made these trips even better was the bright sunshine and warm temperatures - summer is finally here! Other wildlife seen along
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/7 (Orca Whales - J Pod)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-77-orca-whales-j-pod/) - Lots of whales and lots of sun in the San Juan Islands yesterday. We had a great time on our San Juan Adventure cruise with J-Pod yesterday (one of three resident pods of Orca whales). Then, during our Chuckanut Cracked Crab Dinner Cruise, we saw them again, just off the west side of Lummi Island.
- [Bike Tours, Beer Tasting Cruises, Whale Watching & More!](https://whales.com/bike-tours-beer-tasting-cruises-whale-watching-more/) - We have lots of great ways to get out on the water this summer. In addition to our popular San Juan Adventure cruise (whale watching, 2-hour stop in Friday Harbor and complimentary BBQ chicken lunch) we have our Chuckanut Bay Cracked Crab dinner cruise going out every Friday and Saturday evening. We will be offering
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/10 (Orca Whales - J & L Pod)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-710-orca-whales-j-l-pod/) - We had to go a bit further than usual today, into the Canadian Gulf Islands, but we were able to find Orca whales on this bright, sunny Wednesday. We found J-Pod, as well as a few members of L-Pod, up by Pender and Saturna Islands. Looking forward to more great days of sun and whales
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/11 - 7/13 (Orca Whales - J-Pod) / Chuckanut Crab Cruise](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-711-713-orca-whales-j-pod/) - Three more outstanding days of Orca whale watching this week - J-Pod each day! On the 11th we found them at Salmon Bank, SW of San Juan Island. The next two days we saw them further north. On the 12th they were near Turn Point, and yesterday they were up near Saturna Island (in the
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/14 (Orca Whales - J-Pod)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-714-orca-whales-j-pod/) - This time we went south, finding J-Pod between Davidson Rock and Salmon Bank (just off Lopez and San Juan Islands). It was a beautiful day in the islands, and we all had a great time watching whales for close to an hour.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/15 & 7/16 (Orca Whales - J & L-Pod)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-715-716-orca-whales-j-l-pod/) - Not even noon yet and we're getting reports of "black n' white popcorn" to the north of the San Juan Islands - Orca whales spotted by the Victoria Star, jumping all over the place, on our San Juan Adventure cruise. https://whales.com/Cruises/San-Juan-Adventure-Full-Day-Cruise.aspx. Today it was J & L pods that we spotted - yesterday it was J
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/17, 7/18 & 7/19 (Orca Whales - J, K & L-Pods)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-717-719-orca-whales-j-k-l-pods/) - It's been another fabulous week of whale watching, topped off by a "Super Pod" - a gathering of all three local pods of Orca whales. We found them just west of Lummi Island, not too far away. It gave us over an over to view them, thrilling our passengers with an abundance of activity. It
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/20 & 7/21 (Orca Whales)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-720-721-orca-whales/) - Two more great days of whale watching! Yesterday it was L-Pod, seen off the SW coast of San Juan Island, and today (Saturday) under sunny skies we found members of two pods of Orca whales up near the Canadian Gulf Islands.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/25 & 7/26 (Orca & Minke Whales)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-725-726-orca-minke-whales/) - Our successful run of seeing whales on our tours continued this week - we've seen them every day during the month of July! On Wednesday (7/25) we saw a group of Minke whales just off the SW coast of San Juan Island, then on Thursday (7/26) we went north of the San Juans to see
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/27 & 7/28 (Orca Whales - Super Pod!)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-727-728-orca-whales-super-pod/) - Two more amazing days out in the San Juan Islands - beautiful weather and lots of whales! On Friday we found two pods of Orcas (J and K) up near Spieden Island, but that was topped yesterday with a Super Pod sighting - all three pods of Orca Whales (J, K and L) near Burroughs
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 7/31 (Minke Whales)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-731-minke-whales/) - There isn't a cloud in the sky - an absolutely gorgeous day in the San Juans. While the Orca whales are just a bit out of our range today, we were able to see a group of about 6 Minke whales off the SW coast of San Juan Island. Our passengers got some great views
- [First Bellingham Bay BREWS Cruise A Big Hit!](https://whales.com/first-bellingham-bay-brews-cruise-a-big-hit/) - We had the first of 5 Bellingham Bay BREWS Cruises last night, and it was a great time on the water. Each brewery brought 3-4 different beers to sample - a variety of their most popular beers, as well as beers unavailable in their bars. A delicious assortment of snacks was included as part of
- [Other Wildlife That We See In The San Juan Islands](https://whales.com/other-wildlife-that-we-see-in-the-san-juan-islands/) - While one of the main goals on our San Juan Adventure cruise is to see whales, there is lots of other wildlife that we see quite often. Bald eagles are abundant in the region, as are Steller sea lions, Harbor porpoises, Harbor seals and a variety of sea birds. Speiden Island, home of exotic wildlife
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/3 (Humpback Whale)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-83-humpback-whale/) - As if beautiful, blue skies, warm sun and amazing scenery weren't enough, we were able to find a Humpback whale on our San Juan Adventure cruise today, up on the north end of the San Juan Islands. It took a bit of searching, but it was well worth the effort. After having a great time
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/4 & 8/5 (Minke Whales)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-84-85-minke-whales/) - We've had a couple of great days out in the San Juans, with lots of sun and warm temperatures (it's always refreshing to be out on a boat when it's 85 degrees out!). We've had good views of Minke whales over the weekend. Lots of other things to see too - lighthouses, bald eagles, seals
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/6 (Orca Whales - J-Pod)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-86-orca-whales-j-pod/) - Orca whales are back in the San Juan Islands - we found J-Pod up off to the NW of San Juan Island. We had a great time with them, with whales seen all around the boat. After a bit of morning cloudiness, the skies cleared, making for a nice, warm afternoon in Friday Harbor and
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/8, 8/9 & 8/10 (Minke Whales & Orca Whales)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-88-89-810-minke-whales-orca-whales/) - We've had three great days of whale watching to close out the week. Minke whales were seen on Wednesday's cruise, Orca whales on Thursday, and Minkes again today (Friday). The Orca sighting was particularly special, because we had our first look at a new calf J-49. This brings the resident Orca whale population up to
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/11 (Minke Whales & Orca Whales)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-811-minke-whales-orca-whales/) - The last few days we've seen either Orca whales or Minke whales, but not both on the same trip. That changed today - we did see both, with the Orcas spotted SW of San Juan Island (J-Pod) and a Minke whale seen SW of Lopez Island. Clear skies and plentiful wildlife made this an outstanding
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/13 (Orca Whales)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-813-orca-whales/) - Another beautiful, warm day in the San Juan Islands. After meandering through the islands, taking in the incredible scenery, we found Orca whales (L-Pod) up off the NW end of San Juan Island. We had quite a bit of time with them, before heading into Friday Harbor for our two hour shore visit and our
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/17 (Harbor Porpoises & Bald Eagles)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-817-harbor-porpoises-bald-eagles/) - It was a hot, sunny day in the San Juan Islands, but it was a bit cooler on the boat as we cruised around Patos and Spieden Islands today. We were able to find a playful group of Harbor porpoises up near Patos Island, and bald eagles were seen several times throughout the day. There
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/19 (Transient Orca Whales)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-819-transient-orca-whales/) - After a few days seeing porpoises, bald eagles, seals, sea lions and other wildlife, it was great to find Orca whales once again. We found two transient groups - the first was up near the Turn Pt. lighthouse, then we ventured toward Gooch Island just over the border and found another group. To learn more
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/20 (Orca Whales - K-Pod)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-820-orca-whales-k-pod/) - Beautiful day in the San Juan Islands today, with Orcas spotted near Kellett Bluff at the north end of San Juan Island. K-pod, one of three resident pods of whales, was found under sunny skies.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/22 (Orca Whales - J & K Pods)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-822-orca-whales-j-k-pods/) - We had a great day in the San Juans yesterday, spotting two resident pods of Orca whales (J & K Pods) near False Bay, off the west coast of San Juan Island.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/25 & 26 (Orca Whales - Transient Orcas & L-Pod)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-825-26-orca-whales-transient-orcas-l-pod/) - What a great weekend for whale watching in the San Juans! On Saturday we found a transient group of Orcas just north of Lopez Island, in Upright Channel. Then today, we had spent a long time with most of L-Pod, over 30 whales, near Battleship Island in the north end of the San Juans. Now's
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/27 (Orca Whales - J-Pod)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-827-orca-whales-j-pod/) - What a day! We were only a couple of hours into our cruise when we found J-pod in the Strait of Georgia, about halfway between Pt. Roberts and Patos Island. They were very playful today, with lots of breaches (whales jumping out of the water) and spy-hopping (where they come straight up out of the
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/28 (Minke Whale)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-828-minke-whale/) - The Orca whales were just a bit out of our range today, but we were fortunate enough to find a Minke whale just off the south end of San Juan Island. Overall it's been a great day in the islands so far, with a bit of sun and calm waters.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 8/30 (Orca Whales - J & K Pods)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-830-orca-whales-j-k-pods/) - We were able to find two pods of Orca whales, J & K pods, close to each other just off False Bay on San Juan Island. We spent quite a while watching them, before heading into Friday Harbor for our daily 2 hour shore visit, and the 2 hour cruise through the islands back to
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 9/1 (Orca Whales - L Pod + Steller Sea Lions)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-91-orca-whales-l-pod-steller-sea-lions/) - A beautiful, sunny day in the San Juan Islands - we found members of L-Pod SW of San Juan Island, then on our way into Friday Harbor we watched a group of about 16 Steller sea lions on Whale Rocks.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 9/6 (Orca Whales - L Pod)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-96-orca-whales-l-pod/) - A glorious day in the San Juans yesterday - sun, blue skies and warm temperatures. Absolutely amazing! To top it off we found Orca whales - the L-12 group, in the False Bay area on the west side of San Juan Island. The weather's supposed to be the same today and tomorrow - hope you'll
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 9/10 (Orca Whales - J & L Pods)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-910-orca-whales-l-pod/) - Just heard from our captain on today's San Juan Adventure cruise - we saw Orca whales twice before our stop in Friday Harbor. The first group (J-Pod) was found near the US/Canada border, just north of Stuart Island. After watching them for a while we turned south for our shore stop in Friday Harbor, and
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 9/11 (Minke Whales & Dall's Porpoises)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-911-minke-whales-dalls-porpoises/) - A stunning day in the San Juans today - sun, blue skies and lots of wildlife. We have seen Minke whales and Dall's porpoises on today's cruise, and the day isn't finished yet!
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 9/12 & 9/13 (Pacific White Side Dolphins & Orca Whale "Super Pod")](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-912-913-pacific-white-side-dolphins-orca-whale-super-pod/) - Two spectacular days in the San Juans! As if the sun and beautiful scenery in the 172 island archipelago weren't enough, we found lots of wildlife the last two days. On Wednesday we had a rare sighting of 6-8 Pacific White Side dolphins - one of our crew members took some video, which we hope
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 9/14 (Minke Whales & Steller Sea Lions)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-914-minke-whales-steller-sea-lions/) - We headed out to Salmon Bank on the SW side of San Juan Island and found a group of 4-6 Minke whales who were feeding. Had a chance to watch them for a while before heading in for our stop in Friday Harbor, pausing a bit to take a look at some Steller Sea Lions.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 9/16 (Orca Whale "Super Pod")](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-916-orca-whale-super-pod/) - All of the resident Orca whales were back today and we were lucky enough to see what we call a "Super Pod" - all three resident pods were seen in the same area. Boundary Pass on the NW side of the San Juans was the place to be today - blue skies, sunshine and lots
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 9/22 (Orca Whales - J & L Pods)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-922-orca-whales-j-l-pods/) - It was nice to be back in the San Juan Islands with a group of resident Orcas today. We found J and L pods off the SW side of San Juan Island, with the clouds giving way to sunny skies and flat-calm conditions on the water.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - 9/24 (Orca Whales - J & K Pods)](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-924-orca-whales-j-k-pods/) - Another beautiful, calm day in the San Juan Islands, with two of the three resident pods of Orca whales spotted in the NW corner of the archipelago. We had a great time watching J and K pods from all sides of the boat, before our 2 hour shore visit in Friday Harbor, and the leisurely cruise home.
- [Gift Certificates For Our 2013 Season Available](https://whales.com/gift-certificates-for-our-2013-season-available/) - Treat your family, friends or co-workers to a unique Northwest experience with a San Juan Cruises gift certificate. Our tours will run May through September next year. There are several options available: --Our 8-hour San Juan Adventure day cruise, which includes a narrated whale watching tour through the scenic San Juan Islands, a 2 hour
- [Book The Victoria Star For A Holiday Party!](https://whales.com/book-the-victoria-star-for-a-holiday-party/) - The Victoria Star is available for holiday parties this December. With festive decorations and hundreds of twinkling lights, the vessel is perfect for a family or company party. You can bring on your own food, use a caterer, or leave the cooking to us with one of our delicious meal options (including cracked crab, BBQ
- [UnWINEd On The Bay Schedule For 2013](https://whales.com/unwined-on-the-bay-schedule-for-2013/) - We've released the schedule of our popular unWINEd On The Bay wine tasting cruise series. There will be even more cruises this season, due to popular demand, for a total of 10 cruises every Thursday throughout the summer. Many of the favorite themes will be back from last season, as well as a couple of
- [$5 Off Adult Whale Watch Adventure Tickets In 2013](https://whales.com/5-off-adult-whale-watch-adventure-tickets-in-2013/) - This season, if you book your Whale Watching Adventure cruise with us at least a day in advance, either online or by phone, you'll receive a $5 discount off each adult fare. Just use code W5 when booking online. All reservations made over the phone at least a day in advance will automatically receive this
- [New Bird Watching Cruises On Saturdays Throughout The Summer](https://whales.com/new-bird-watching-cruises-on-saturdays-throughout-the-summer/) - We are excited to announce a new series of Bird Watching Cruises aboard the newly-remodeled Salish Sea this summer. On these day cruises you'll have a chance to view an amazing variety of birds while we cruise through Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands, under the Deception Pass bridge, and through the Swinomish Channel. Naturalists
- [Sucia Island Picnic Cruises On Sundays From Bellingham](https://whales.com/sucia-island-picnic-cruises-on-sundays-from-bellingham/) - One of the true island gems of the San Juan's lies up north on the Canadian border. San Juan Cruises can take you out to this exclusive jewel that is only accessible by private yacht or charter vessel. Bring your friends and family out for a beach picnic and nature walk on this stunning island.
- [Evening Magazine "Best Northwest Escapes" Contest](https://whales.com/evening-magazine-best-northwest-escapes-contest/) - It's that time of year again - King 5 / Evening Magazine in Seattle are running their "Best Northwest Escapes" contest. If you've taken one of our cruises in the past, we'd really appreciate your vote! Here's the link: http://nwescapes.king5.com/san-juan-cruises/biz/587257
- [San Juan Island Voted Top Island In The US By TripAdvisor](https://whales.com/san-juan-island-voted-top-island-in-the-us-by-tripadvisor/) - Big news from TripAdvisor yesterday! San Juan Island Voted Top Island 2013 TRIPADVISOR TRAVELERS’ CHOICE ISLANDS AWARD Friday Harbor, San Juan Islands, Washington, March 26 - Good things come in pairs, today San Juan Island was acknowledged as the top Island in the United States by TripAdvisor® Travelers’ Choice® Islands awards. Yesterday, President Obama established
- [The Chrysalis Inn & Spa / San Juan Cruises Whale Watching Package](https://whales.com/the-chrysalis-inn-spa-san-juan-cruises-whale-watching-package/) - The Chrysalis Inn & Spa and San Juan Cruises have teamed up for a great overnight hotel & whale watching package. Enjoy a night or two in one of Bellingham's finest hotels, with an amazing view of Bellingham Bay, Lummi Island and the San Juan Archipelago. Then hop aboard the Victoria Star 2 for a
- [Opening Weekend - Whales, Birds & Lots Of Sunshine!](https://whales.com/opening-weekend-whales-birds-lots-of-sunshine/) - It was a great opening weekend for our Whale Watching Adventure cruise to Friday Harbor, as well as our first Bird Watching / Deception Pass cruise of the season. On the bird watching cruise we saw nearly 50 varieties of sea birds, several of which are shown here. We also did two whale watching tours
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - May 11, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-may-11-2013/) - It was a bright, beautiful day in the San Juans yesterday. After hearing a few reports from our spotting network, we headed north towards Sucia and Patos Islands. Although we searched and searched, we were unable to find whales. However, we did see LOTS of other wildlife, including seals, Bald eagles, Stellar sea lions and
- [Bird Watching Cruise Report - May 11, 2013](https://whales.com/bird-watching-cruise-report-may-11-2013/) - Another beautiful Saturday cruising through the scenic San Juan Islands, looking for birds, rewarded us with a number of interesting avian encounters. While most of the wintering waterfowl have now moved north to their breeding grounds, thousands of Brant were still present in Padilla Bay; an important wintering area for them, where the sheltered, shallow
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - May 12, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-may-12-2013/) - What better way to celebrate Mother's Day than a cruise in the San Juan Islands? It may have been raining a bit in town, but the San Juans, being in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, were dry, and we even got a bit of sunshine in the afternoon. The highlight though was the
- [T63 "Chainsaw"](https://whales.com/t63-chainsaw/) - Great view of transient Orca whales off East Point just now. Chainsaw is a 35 year old male with notches in his dorsal that look like a saw blade.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - May 16 & 17, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-may-16-17-2013/) - We had a couple of school field trips this week, on Thursday and Friday, and we saw lots of whales both days. On Wednesday it started out cool and overcast, with a few sprinkles of rain. By noon, it had turned into a warm and perfect sunshine day. After a 70 day absence, J Pod (one
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - May 18, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-may-18-2013/) - We were one of the first boats out in the islands yesterday, so without any early whale sightings from our spotting network, we decided to head north to the most likely place to find them. We cruised out between the San Juan and Canadian Gulf Islands, finding groups of Steller sea lions, Dall's porpoises and
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - May 19, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-may-19-2013/) - We're still underway on today's Whale Watching Adventure cruise, but we were able to find a group of Orca whales (J-pod) out on the west side of San Juan Island. We're now making our way towards Friday Harbor for today's 2 hour shore visit. We're still running weekends only, so hopefully you can join us
- [Bird Watching Cruise Report - May 18, 2013](https://whales.com/bird-watching-cruise-report-may-18-2013/) - The early morning weather seemed a little ominous, but luck was on our side and the rain stopped shortly before our departure, and (mostly) stayed away for the duration of the cruise. Birds were plentiful as usual, with all the "core" breeding and resident species of the Salish Sea observed in plentiful numbers. Pigeon Guillemots
- [San Juan Explorer 3-Day San Juan Islands Cruise June 10-12](https://whales.com/san-juan-explorer-3-day-san-juan-islands-cruise-june-10-12/) - Are you looking for a fun, scenic, multi-day trip exploring the San Juan Islands? If so, we'd love to have you aboard for our 3-day, 2-night San Juan Explorer tour, happening June 10-12. Cruise the pristine waters and narrow passageways aboard the Viking Star, view Orca whales and other wildlife, talk with our knowledgeable captain
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - May 23 & 24, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-may-23-24-2013/) - The past two days we have taken school groups from throughout Western Washington on whale watching field trips aboard the Victoria Star 2. We were thrilled to find a Humpback whale (BCY-0324) on Thursday off Lime Kiln Park, on the west side of San Juan Island. Then on Friday we spotted a group of 6
- [Had a great look at 4 Minke Whales!](https://whales.com/had-a-great-look-at-4-minke-whales/) - We just left the Salmon Bank area after some incredible viewing of 4 Minke Whales! They were feeding all around the boat and surfaced right next to us several times. Best of all, the seas were flat and it wasn't raining.
- [Bird Watching Cruise Report - May 25, 2013](https://whales.com/bird-watching-cruise-report-may-25-2013/) - Harlequin Ducks were certainly one of the star birds this week, with no fewer than thirty-six spotted at three different sites, far more than we have typically been encountering on our bird cruises, although we have seen at least a few on every trip so far. The largest concentration was in the vicinity of Chuckanut
- [Fantastic views of J-Pod today!](https://whales.com/fantastic-views-of-j-pod-today/) - We just arrived in Friday Harbor after some fantastic looks at J-pod on the southern end of San Juan Island. They were pretty spread out when we first arrived but we sat with a large male, J26, and watched him chase some fish. Then a female and calf joined in on the frenzy and the
- [It was sunny and warm with the whales today!](https://whales.com/it-was-sunny-and-warm-with-the-whales-today/) - After leaving Bellingham in windy overcast conditions, the clouds parted over the islands. By the time we found J-Pod on the south end of San Juan, the wind had died to almost nothing, and the whales put in a heck of a show! Breaching, spy hopping, and tail slapping repeatedly throughout our time with them.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - June 10 & 11, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-june-10-11-2013/) - Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day in the San Juan Islands. Orca whales turned out to be a bit elusive, but we were able to find an active group of Minke whales out on the west side of San Juan Island. Today, passengers on two of our boats had a great time watching a group
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - June 12 & 13, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-june-12-13-2013/) - There weren't any Orca whales to be found on the 12th or 13th, but that doesn't mean there weren't whales out there. On Wednesday we found a group of 3 Minke whales out on the west side of San Juan Island. That was topped by a rare sighting (for this time of the year) of
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - June 15, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-june-15-2013/) - It's a beautiful, sunny day in the San Juan Islands today. The resident Orca groups were out of range today, but were first on the scene with a group of transient Orca whales up near Sucia Island. We had a good half hour or so with them, with no other vessels around. We followed them
- [A whale of a Crab Cruise!](https://whales.com/a-whale-of-a-crab-cruise/) - We had quite the evening on Bellingham Bay for our Chuckanut Bay Crab Cruise. The seas were flat calm and the sun was shining. Instead of heading straight into Chuckanut, we altered course for the south end of Lummi Island for an extra bonus on the cruise, Orca whales! They were Transient Orca, the same
- [Feeding Time With Transient Orca Whales (June 16, 2013)](https://whales.com/feeding-time-with-transient-orca-whales/) - It's not everyday that we get to see the Transient Orca whales, but for guests aboard today's whale watch we got a great look and the whales were here to impress. As the captain eased the boat on scene, the whales were reluctant, but as the time passed it got a bit more interesting. With
- [Bird Watching Cruise Report - June 8, 2013](https://whales.com/bird-watching-cruise-report-june-8-2013/) - It is now late spring, and the resident birds of the Salish Sea are primarily focused on one activity now: nesting. Glaucous-winged Gulls have decorated many of the smaller islands and rocks with their twiggy cups. Pelagic Cormorants cram their nests into the narrowest of crannies and crevices on steep and inaccessible (to those lacking
- [The Residents are back!](https://whales.com/the-residents-are-back/) - We headed out to Salmon Bank to confirm a report of Transient Orca traveling down the west side of San Juan Island. We were able to locate the whales and after a couple of surfacings of a large male, we were able to identify him as L41 Mega! We started seeing other whales in the
- [Glass Calm and A Double Header](https://whales.com/glass-calm-and-a-double-header/) - To say that it was calm today would be an understatement, as smooth as glass, it made whale watching with local resident orca whales quite the treat. Today the L-12 subgroup put on an exciting show, with a few of the whales slapping their tails on the surface and some of the younger calves breaching.
- [Bird Watching Cruise Report - June 15, 2013](https://whales.com/bird-watching-cruise-report-june-15-2013/) - Our June 15 bird cruise was blessed both with beautiful weather and many interesting encounters. Four different active Bald Eagle nests and three active Osprey nests along our route hold the promise of wobbly-legged fuzzy young soon to come; for now, it is a treat just to see the impressive adult raptors incubating their eggs
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - June 29, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-june-29-2013/) - Lots and lots of Orca whales today - all of L pod was spotted just off Kellett Bluff on San Juan Island. Lots of breaching and feeding activity, all on flat calm and sunny skies. What a fabulous day in the islands - can't wait to get back out there tomorrow on another Whale Watching
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - June 30, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-june-30-2013/) - Under bright blue skies, sailing through calm waters, we toured through the islands before finding a group of Minke whales near Hein Bank, SW of San Juan Island. Passengers enjoyed non-stop sunshine throughout the day, and with temps in low 80's (cooler on the water though). Looks like this beautiful weather is supposed to last
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - July 5th, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-july-5th-2013/) - Another beautiful, sunny day in the San Juan Islands! Today we found the L-22 group of resident Orca whales, just off the west side of San Juan Island (near False Bay). Several whales were spotted, in a playful mood on glassy calm waters.
- [Bird Watching Cruise Report - June 22, 2013](https://whales.com/bird-watching-cruise-report-june-22-2013/) - Our June 22 bird cruise was blessed again with pleasant weather, interesting folks, breathtaking scenery, and repeated encounters with the typical summer avifauna of the salish sea. Eagles and Ospreys are still incubating their eggs; we check three active Eagle nests and three active Osprey nests during our cruise, and are eagerly anticipating the sight of young birds any
- [Bird Watching Cruise Report - June 29, 2013](https://whales.com/bird-watching-cruise-report-june-29-2013/) - As one would expect of a birding cruise, our primary focus is on waterbirds, and the trip is, of course, full of Auklets and Guillemots and Murrelets and Oystercatchers and Gulls and Terns and Cormorants and Harlequin Ducks and others. This past saturday we also spotted a few Common Murres, just beginning to wander back
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - July 6th & 7th, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-july-6th-7th-2013/) - Our captain said it's been like Groundhog Day out there, with sightings of the L-22 resident group of Orca Whales, as well as Minke Whales, in the same location both days this weekend. With sunny skies and lots of whales seen, it was a great weekend in the San Juan Islands.
- [Sucia Island Picnic Cruise - July 7, 2013](https://whales.com/sucia-island-picnic-cruise-july-7-2013/) - Thirty-five people joined us on our first Sunday Picnic Cruise to Sucia Island yesterday. Â It was tons of fun - we arrived at 10:45 with sunny blue skies and flat water after first observing the harbor seals and bald eagles on Puffin Island. Arriving at low tide, crew/naturalist Victoria took the children and some of
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - July 8th & 9th, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-july-8th-9th-2013/) - Two more great days of whale watching in the San Juan Islands. Sunday we saw our L-22 friends just west of San Juan Island, then today we found a larger group from L-pod - about 10 Orca whales up by Battleship Island. With plenty of whales and plenty of sun in the forecast, we hope
- [J's and K's in Rosario Strait! (July 12th)](https://whales.com/js-and-ks-in-rosario-strait/) - Shortly after we got underway from Bellingham this morning we received a report that a group of orcas had been sighted off of Orcas Island moving in a southerly direction. We quickly went to find out if the report was true, and to everybody's delight, it was. As we rounded Sinclair Island we could see
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - July 13th, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-july-13th-2013/) - Another perfect day in the San Juans - we had a nice Orca Whale viewing near Eagle Pt on the west side of San Juan Island. It was L-Pod today, with several whales spotted. Lots of sun and not much in the way of wind to report - doesn't get much better!
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - July 14th, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-july-14th-2013/) - Yet another amazing day out in the San Juan Islands. We had a great time viewing Orca Whales (the L-22 group) out near Pile Pt. on the west side of San Juan Island. Blue skies, sun and whales - doesn't get much better!
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - July 18th & 19th, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-july-18th-19th-2013/) - Two more outstanding days in the San Juan Islands. On Thursday we spotted a group of transient Orca whales off the west side of San Juan Island, near False Bay. Then today we found two of the resident groups of Orcas, K and L pods up north in Boundary Pass.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - July 20th, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-july-20th-2013/) - Local Orca whale group K-pod was seen by our passengers on today’s Whale Watching Adventure cruise, up near Turn Point.
- [Bird Watching Cruise Report - July 13, 2013](https://whales.com/bird-watching-cruise-report-july-13-2013/) - One of the most interesting sightings of this cruise was this Common Murre spotted near Colville Island, just south of Lopez Island. Unlike most Common Murres that we encounter, this one was adorned with a lengthy antenna - if it hadn't been swimming and moving about, one could easily mistake it for a remote-controlled toy!Â
- [Bird Watching Cruise Report - July 20, 2013](https://whales.com/bird-watching-cruise-report-july-20-2013/) - Our bird cruise is getting birdier! As eggs hatch and juveniles fledge, the populations of our typical Salish Sea breeding birds are soaring. Glacuous-winged Gull chicks, for example, are now numerous at several of the sites we visit - the Glaucous-winged Gull is the only gull that breeds in our area (although several other Gull species are also
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - August 3rd, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-august-3rd-2013/) - We had a great time watching Minke Whales today in several locations, as well as seals, eagles and a rare sighting of a Tufted Puffin. Orca whales were out of range for us today, but with lots of sun and abundant wildlife, it was a great day in the San Juans.
- [Bird Watching Cruise Report - July 27, 2013](https://whales.com/bird-watching-cruise-report-july-27-2013/) - We left the harbor on another wonderful summer day. We cruised to Chuckanut Bay to observe the nesting Pigeon Guillemots and the Glaucous-winged gulls. The Glaucous-winged gulls have chicks that are a ball of fluffy grey. Â Glaucous-winged gulls are the only gulls that stay here year round and nest here. The other gulls that we
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - August 12th, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-august-12th-2013/) - Orca whales are back in abundance now! This past weekend we had sightings of all 3 pods of resident Orca whales - so great to have them all in the area once again. Today we spent time with K-Pod just south of Lopez Island, then found a Minke whale a little later. Overall a great
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - August 17th, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-august-17th-2013/) - It started a little gray this morning, but the skies soon cleared for a sunny, beautiful day in the San Juans. We ventured out west of San Juan Island, and found L-Pod near the Lime Kiln lighthouse.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - August 18th, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-august-18th-2013/) - SUPER POD! We were fortunate enough to see all three local pods of Orca whales on Sunday - J, K and L pods. When all three resident groups of Orcas get together in one area we call it a "super pod". It only happens a few times each season - what a thrill it was!
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - August 22nd, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-august-22nd-2013/) - Yesterday was a great day for whales - we found a group of transient Orcas on our Whale Watching Adventure cruise in the San Juan Islands. Included are a few photos taken by Eric Creitz.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - August 24th, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-august-24th-2013/) - Although there was a bit of light rain last night, it was dry all day long today and partly sunny - great conditions for whale watching in the San Juans. Today we ventured up into the Canadian Gulf Islands and were able to spend 35 minutes or so with a group of transient Orca whales.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - August 25th, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-august-25th-2013/) - We had to venture north today once again, into the Canadian Gulf Islands, but we were able to see several different transient groups of Orca Whales. It delayed our arrival into Friday Harbor by a few minutes, but it was well worth it after seeing so many whales. Today (Monday) is looking good as well,
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - August 26th, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-august-26th-2013/) - We were first on the scene with an active group of transient Orca whales today, up north again by Waldron Island.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - August 30th, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-august-30th-2013/) - Had a great show just west of San Juan Island (Middle Bank area) yesterday - 7 transient Orca whales were viewed (T-137's and T-185's).
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - September 1 & 2, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-september-1-2-2013/) - Still lots of whales to be seen - yesterday it was a Humpback whale that we had the opportunity to watch for about 45 minutes in Rosario Strait. Then today (Monday) we found a small group of transient Orca whales near the Lopez Island Ferry Dock. We still have a few weeks to go in
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - August 31st, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-august-31st-2013/) - Local radio station KISM joined us for our Whale Watching Adventure cruise on Saturday, which turned out to be a great day for sun and Orca whales! Take a look at a few photos from the cruise, taken by Jen Irwin of Cascade Radio Group.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - September 8, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-september-8-2013/) - Lots of whales and lots of sun today! We were able to have long looks at J and L pod (2 of the three resident pods of Orca whales). They were out off the southwest side of San Juan Island. This is shaping up to be a great week - resident and transient Orca whales
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - September 13, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-september-13-2013/) - Friday the 13th was far from unlucky for us and our guests aboard the Victoria Star 2 today - we spent nearly 2 hours with a group of transient Orca whales, following them from just south of Shaw Island all the way up to the Wasp Islands. We're sold out tomorrow, but tickets are still
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - September 14, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-september-14-2013/) - Despite the fog (which cleared in the afternoon), we had a great day out in the islands. We started the day by cruising through the middle of the San Juans, then started hearing reports of resident Orcas to the north. We went up close to Point Roberts, and were rewarded by seeing members of all
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - September 15, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-september-15-2013/) - There was a bit of fog again this morning, but it dissipated as we made our way into the San Juan Islands. We journeyed through the middle of the archipelago, before heading out towards the southwest side of San Juan Island. Once there, we found a group of active Orca whales, and were able to
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - September 19, 2013](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-september-19-2013/) - Super Pod! We saw all three local pods of Orca Whales on Thursday - a "super pod" is what local whale watchers call a gathering of members of J, K and L pods in one area. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it's very cool! Lots of activity all around the boat
- [Christmas Ship 2013 With The Bellingham Lions Club](https://whales.com/christmas-ship-2013-with-the-bellingham-lions-club/) - The Bellingham Lions will be taking out the Victoria Star 2 again for their annual Christmas Ship cruise in the San Juan and Canadian Gulf Islands. Santa will be aboard, delivering gifts and cheer to children throughout the islands. It's a tradition that's now in it's 66th year. Whatcom Magazine just ran a nice feature
- [10% Off 2014 San Juan Cruises Gift Certificates](https://whales.com/10-off-2014-san-juan-cruises-gift-certificates/) - Looking to get your holiday shopping done early? San Juan Cruises has gift certificates available for our 2014 season. It’s the perfect holiday gift for friends, family or co-workers. Gift certificates for our Whale Watching Adventure Cruise, Chuckanut Cracked Crab Dinner Cruise, Sucia Island Picnic Cruise, unWINEd On The Bay Wine Tasting
- [2013 Bellingham Central Lion's Club Christmas Ship A Huge Success](https://whales.com/2013-bellingham-central-lions-club-christmas-ship-a-huge-success/) - The Victoria Star 2 arrived back last night after a wonderful weekend in the San Juan and Gulf Islands, spreading joy, toys and treats to kids throughout the Salish Sea. Volunteers with the Bellingham Lion's Club dressed as pirates and clowns, handing out handmade toys and balloon swords, and of course Santa was on board
- [New La Conner / Deception Pass Lunch Cruise Introduced](https://whales.com/new-la-conner-deception-pass-lunch-cruise-introduced/) - We are excited to introduce a brand new cruise for 2014 - our La Conner / Deception Pass Lunch Cruise from Bellingham, WA. We'll be going out six Saturdays during the months of June, July and August, departing Bellingham at 10:30 am. This tour aboard the Salish Sea gives you a great opportunity to visit
- [Follow Local Resident Orca Whale L-87 On NOAA's Website](https://whales.com/follow-local-resident-orca-whale-l-87-on-noaas-website/) - In late December the Northwest Fisheries Science Center tagged local resident Orca L-87 with a satellite linked tag. According to the Center, "The information gathered from this tag will address the data gap in winter distribution identified in the Recovery Plan as well as provide information for improving Critical Habitat designation. This technique has been
- [January 10 Update On Orca Whale L-87's Recent Movement](https://whales.com/january-10-update-on-orca-whale-l-87-on-noaas-website/) - NOAA issued an update on resident Orca Whale L-87, nicknamed Onyx, on January 10th. It looks like Onyx, as well as the members of J-pod with him, are in the same area. However, the chart below shows their movement, with them circling Texada and Lasqueti Islands. We will continue to post updates here, or you
- [January 14 Update On Orca Whale L-87's Movement - Headin' West](https://whales.com/january-14-update-on-orca-whale-l-87s-movement-headin-west/) - NOAA's latest update on resident Orca Whale L-87, nicknamed Onyx, shows that he's moving west, along with members of J-Pod. As of January 14th, they were out near Cape Flattery, the northwesternmost point of the contiguous United States. The whales were definitely on the move over the last four days, travelling about 300 miles or
- [January 16 & 22 Update On Orca Whale L-87's Movement](https://whales.com/january-16-22-update-on-orca-whale-l-87s-movement/) - NOAA issued two updates in the past week showing the movement of Onyx (L-87), along with members of J pod. They covered quite a distance, including the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Saratoga Passage to the east of Whidbey Island, and down south near Tacoma. It is fascinating to see just how far they go
- [January 27 Update On Orca Whale L-87's Movement / New Animated Map](https://whales.com/january-27-update-on-orca-whale-l-87s-movement-new-animated-map/) - It's been interesting following local Orca whale L-87's movement over the last month or so. Unfortunately, the tag stopped transmitting a few days ago. Battery failure doesn't seem to be the cause, so most likely the tag fell off. To conclude this tracking effort, NOAA has added an animated map that shows the movement of
- [Local Orca Whale Group J-Pod Seen On Today's Whale Watch!](https://whales.com/j-pod-granny-seen-on-todays-whale-watch/) - We took a local school on a whale watching field trip today and were lucky enough to find members of the local resident Orca whale group J-Pod. They were up north of the San Juans - it was a bit of a trek getting up there, after searching in the heart of the islands for
- [Bird Watching Cruise Report - May 3, 2014](https://whales.com/bird-watching-cruise-report-may-3-2014/) - Migrants of May (Photos courtesy of Jim Bachman) What a beautiful day we had two weeks ago out on the Salish Sea. Our travels started out on the South side of Bellingham out of Fairhaven. We crossed Bellingham Bay heading south. Here we encountered dozens of Bonaparte’s gulls in their full breeding plumage. They are
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - May 25, 2014 - Humpback & Orca Whales Spotted!](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-may-25-2014/) - Hope everyone's having a great Memorial Day weekend. Our Whale Watching Adventure cruise is off to a great start - we started the day heading south past Lummi, Eliza, Vendovi, Sinclair and Cypress Islands. Then, just 90 minutes into the cruise, we found a Humpback whale! After a good look we started hearing reports of
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - May 31, 2014 - Sunshine & Orca Whales!](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-may-31-2014-sunshine-orca-whales/) - It's been an amazing day in the San Juan Islands today - lots and lots of sunshine, calm waters and Orca whales! We found several members of resident group J-pod up near Turn Point, off the west side of Stuart Island near the lighthouse. After a great time watching them swim off-shore, we headed into
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - June 1, 2014 - Orca Whales Seen!](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-june-1-2014-orca-whales-seen/) - Another great day in the San Juan Islands with clear sunny skies and calm seas. We were able to have a great look at members of J-pod today, this time on the west side of San Juan Island near Lime Kiln. It sounds like this great weather is set to last through the week -
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - June 2, 2014 - J-Pod Resident Orcas!](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-june-2-2014-j-pod-resident-orcas/) - Another gorgeous day in the San Juan Islands - out on the west side of San Juan Island we had a great time watching two members of local Orca whale group J-pod.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - June 3, 2014 - Two Pods Of Resident Orcas!](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-june-3-2014-two-pods-of-resident-orcas/) - Just got a report from our captain aboard the Viking Star, which is in the middle of a 3-day tour of the islands. We're seeing members of J and L pods just off Lime Kiln State Park on San Juan Island. It's great to see many of the resident Orcas back in the area!
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - June 6, 2014 - Humpbacks & Orca Hydrophone Recordings](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-june-6-2014-humpbacks-orca-hydrophone-recordings/) - It has been an incredible week of whale watching - we've been seeing members of J and L resident pods of Orca whales, and yesterday we had a chance to see two Humpback whales near Hein Bank (west of San Juan Island). Earlier in the week we took a tour group on a 3 day
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - June 7, 2014 - More Humpbacks](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-june-7-2014-more-humpbacks/) - We had a great time yesterday on our Whale Watching Adventure cruise, having a wonderful opportunity to watch a couple of Humpback whales (a mom and a baby). There were several breaches and tail slaps, which were very exciting for our guests (and crew). They were out on the west side of San Juan Island,
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - June 8, 2014 - Transient Orca Whales](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-june-8-2014-transient-orca-whales/) - It was a decent day out in the San Juans yesterday, mostly sunny with just a bit of breeze towards the end of the day visit the site. We had a beautiful cruise up in the north end of the island, taking in some of the exotic wildlife on Spieden Island. Then, as we prepared
- [Bird Watching Cruise Report - June 7th and 8th, 2014](https://whales.com/bird-watching-cruise-report-june-7th-and-8th-2014/) - We had bird cruises this month on both Saturday and Sunday. Our Saturday trip was full, so we added a Sunday Cruise. On both days our trips were similar with bird sightings and our route remained identical. We traveled across Bellingham Bay and then turned north into Hale Passage between Lummi Island and the Lummi
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - June 13 & 14, 2014 - Orca & Humpback Whales](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-june-13-14-2014-orca-humpback-whales/) - The past couple of days have been awesome – sightings of resident Orca group J-Pod yesterday, as well as a Humpback whale today outside of Friday Harbor (we happened to be the first boat on the scene today with the Humpback) project management web based.
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - June 15, 2014 - Transient Orca Whales](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-june-15-2014-transient-orca-whales/) - We had a great day today – the weather was halfway decent (little-to-no rain, like was in the forecast for the day). We headed up north and took a look at Spieden Island with all of it’s interesting wildlife, which can be seen fairly easily from the boat from this source. We then received reports
- [Whales & Wildlife Report – Orca Mike and a Calm Cruise on June 19th](https://whales.com/orca-mike-and-a-calm-cruise-on-june-19/) - The day started out with Mother Nature giving us a pass, no wind and smoothe water meant good cruising. Before we even got underway we had a great report of Orca whales. Eager to go catch up with them the Victoria Star 2 shot across Bellingham Bay on a mission but a perfect look at
- [Whale & Wildlife Report: Double Header](https://whales.com/whale-wildlife-report-double-header/) - A bright sunny Saturday morning meant the start of a bright beautiful cruise on board the Victoria Star 2. We set out on a trek through the middle of the islands and got a great start with a look at a bald eagle, and a harbor seal eating a fishy morning snack. The rest of
- [Whales & Wildlife Report - June 22, 2014 - Orca Whales Right Away Today](https://whales.com/whales-wildlife-report-june-22-2014-orca-whales-right-away-today/) - It only took about 35 minutes before we found a group of Orca whales today (thanks to an early morning report from our naturalist who lives on Lummi Island). By the time we got underway they had moved south, but we were able to catch up to them between Guemes and Sinclair Islands. Initial reports

## Pages

- [Home](https://whales.com/) - Breathtaking sights on the horizon... There are many ways to get on the water with us - whale watching tours, trips to Friday Harbor, crab dinner cruises on Chuckanut Bay or in the Swinomish Channel, beer & wine tasting cruises, picnics on Sucia Island, and private charters. Come aboard for an adventure in the San
- [Bird Watching Cruise](https://whales.com/cruises/cruises-from-bellingham/bird-watching-cruise/) - Bird enthusiasts - join us for a day in the San Juans as we search for puffins, bald eagles and more.
- [Salish Trading Post](https://whales.com/more-info/salish-trading-post/) - Northwest Gifts & More At The Bellingham Cruise Terminal Open inside the Bellingham Cruise Terminal in Fairhaven, the Salish Trading Post will offer a wide selection of: Gifts from the Northwest / Salish Sea region T-Shirts, Hats, Jackets Postcards, Greeting Cards Hours / Contact Info: Open Daily All Summer! 9am - 6pm Phone: (360)
- [Bellingham Bay BREWers Cruise](https://whales.com/cruises/cruises-from-bellingham/bellingham-bay-brewers-cruise/) - On Wednesday evenings throughout the summer join Boundary Bay and other NW breweries for a fun, unique beer tasting cruise.
- [Chuckanut Cracked Crab Dinner Cruise](https://whales.com/cruises/cruises-from-bellingham/chuckanut-cracked-crab-evening-cruise/) - Enjoy an evening cruising on Chuckanut Bay while enjoying a delicious Dungeness crab dinner.
- [La Conner Tulip Festival Cracked Crab Lunch Cruise](https://whales.com/cruises/cruises-from-la-conner/la-conner-tulip-festival-cracked-crab-lunch-cruise/) - Scenic crab lunch cruise from La Conner - Deception Pass
- [Sucia Island Picnic Cruise](https://whales.com/cruises/cruises-from-bellingham/sucia-island-picnic-cruise/) - Scenic cruise to Sucia Island State Park, includes a picnic lunch and nature walk.
- [Deception Pass Crab Cruise](https://whales.com/cruises/cruises-from-la-conner/deception-pass-crab-cruise/) - 2.5 hour lunch or dinner cruise from La Conner Washington with views of Deception Pass and San Juan Islands.
- [unWINEd On The Bay - Wine Tasting Cruise](https://whales.com/cruises/cruises-from-bellingham/unwined-on-the-bay-wine-tasting-cruise/) - Thursday evening wine tasting cruises on Bellingham Bay.
- [Whale Watching](https://whales.com/whale-watching/) - San Juan Cruises has three whale watching tours - a Deluxe Whale Watch including a free salmon lunch and Friday Harbor visit, a Half-Day Whale Watching tour with a free lasagna lunch, and an Evening Whale Watching tour that includes our delicious lasagna and Caesar salad dinner.
- [Sunset Whale Watch](https://whales.com/cruises/cruises-from-bellingham/sunset-whale-watch/) - Sunset Whale Watching Cruise San Juan Islands cruise with lasagna / Caesar salad dinner Fully narrated whale watching tour through the scenic San Juan Islands (guaranteed whale sightings or your next cruise is half off) Experienced wildlife guides on board each cruise Includes a complimentary dinner on board, with freshly baked lasagna (Traditional Meat or
- [Cruises from Bellingham](https://whales.com/cruises/cruises-from-bellingham/) - Cruises departing the Bellingham Cruise Terminal / Alaska Ferry Terminal in Bellingham, WA. Cruises departing from Bellingham: Whale Watching Lunch Cruise DetailsBook Now Friday Harbor Day Cruise DetailsBook Now Chuckanut Cracked Crab Dinner Cruise DetailsBook Now Sunset Whale Watch Cruise DetailsBook Now Bellingham Bay BREWers Cruise DetailsBook Now unWINEd On The Bay - Wine
- [Cruises](https://whales.com/cruises/) - Experience Bellingham Bay & The San Juan Islands Come aboard for one of our fun and scenic cruises. See below for details about the various cruises which depart from either Bellingham or La Conner. ​ Cruises departing from Bellingham: Whale Watching Lunch Cruise DetailsBook Now Friday Harbor Day Cruise DetailsBook Now Chuckanut Cracked Crab Dinner
- [July 4th Fireworks Cruise](https://whales.com/cruises/cruises-from-bellingham/july-4th-fireworks-cruise/) - View Bellingham's big fireworks show from the water, with a delicious crab dinner included.
- [Friday Harbor Day Cruise](https://whales.com/cruises/cruises-from-bellingham/friday-harbor-cruise/) - Scenic San Juan Islands cruise to Friday Harbor with 3-hour shore visit.
- [Private Party Cruises](https://whales.com/private-parties/) - Charter a boat for your next special occasion - dinner cruises, sunset tours and more.
- [Cruises From La Conner](https://whales.com/cruises/cruises-from-la-conner/) - New brunch and history cruises departing from La Conner, Washington.
- [Meet The Fleet](https://whales.com/meet-the-fleet/) - Meet The Fleet The Victoria Star 2 The Salish Express The Rosario The Salish Sea
- [Bellingham Hotels](https://whales.com/more-info/bellingham-hotels/) - Bellingham has a wide selection hotels to fit any preference or price - in addition to our tours there are many other fun activities and interesting sights in Bellingham.
- [Frequently Asked Questions](https://whales.com/more-info/faqs/) - Learn more about our tours on our FAQ page.
- [San Juan 3-Day Explorer Tour](https://whales.com/cruises/cruises-from-bellingham/san-juan-3-day-explorer-tour/) - San Juan Islands 3 Day & 2 Night tour, with hotel stay in Friday Harbor or Rosario Resort.
- [About San Juan Cruises](https://whales.com/more-info/about/) - Find out more about San Juan Cruises, based in the historic Fairhaven District of Bellingham, WA.
- [Meet the Whales](https://whales.com/meet-the-whales/) - Learn more about the Southern Resident Orca Whales, as well as humpback, minke and gray whales.
- [Contact](https://whales.com/more-info/contact/) - Contact us via telephone, email or online.
- [Covid-19 Policy](https://whales.com/more-info/covid-19-safety/) - In order to ensure our passengers safety while we overcome the COVID-19 challenge, San Juan Cruises is taking the following steps: San Juan Cruises will remain in compliance with all Washington State Department of Health Guidelines. At this time masks are not required to be worn on board during our cruises.
- [Privacy Policy](https://whales.com/more-info/privacy-policy/) - San Juan Cruises privacy policy page.
- [Seafood & Gifts](https://whales.com/more-info/seafood-gifts/)
- [More Info](https://whales.com/more-info/)
- [Privacy Policy](https://whales.com/more-info/privacy-policy-2/) - San Juan Cruises privacy policy page.
- [Terms & Conditions](https://whales.com/more-info/terms-conditions/) - By purchasing a ticket you confirm that you have read, understood and accept the following terms and conditions: WEATHER/CANCELLATION We (San Juan Cruises) does not guarantee that your tour will take place at the scheduled time. Scheduled tours may change without notice for a variety of reasons including, but not limited, to bad weather and

## Categories

- [Uncategorized](https://whales.com/category/uncategorized/)
- [Recent Whale Sightings](https://whales.com/category/recent-whale-sightings/)
- [Bellingham](https://whales.com/category/bellingham/)
- [bird watching cruise](https://whales.com/category/bird-watching-cruise/)
- [Blog](https://whales.com/category/blog/)
- [General](https://whales.com/category/general/)
- [San Juan Islands](https://whales.com/category/san-juan-islands/)
- [Whale Watching](https://whales.com/category/whale-watching/)