Western Prince Whale Watching

Written by Elah
on Jun 10, 2023

What Happens If You Don’t See Whales?

What Happens If You Don’t See Whales?

You’ve done all the appropriate research to plan your whale and wildlife excursion. You’ve finally lined up the schedule for you and your family and made it to the San Juan Islands. You join us for an adventure out on the Salish Sea and you don’t see whales! What happens next?

We understand that whales are the primary draw for most of the folks who join our tours. We pride ourselves on finding whales on nearly all of our trips, while working alongside the other professional operators on the water.  The area supports the life cycle of two different ecotypes of killer whales, a few known gray whales, a returning population of humpback whales and the beautiful minke whale. However, as we’re viewing wildlife in the wild, there are times when no whales are found in our area of operation. It is never for lack of trying, but it does happen a few times a season.

No two trips are ever the same! The Salish Sea offers vast opportunities for wildlife every day that we’re out on the water. We cruise around an extremely dynamic ecosystem rife with life and food to support a variety of marine animals, including seals, sea lions, harbor porpoise, eagles and marine birds.

The tours where we don’t spot whales are spent searching the surrounding Salish Sea while keeping in contact with the greater whale watch community. Cruising through the islands on the Western Explorer II in search of wildlife is one of the best ways to experience the area, as far as we’re concerned. We enjoy the picturesque coastlines, islands, and mountains, checking out our favorite tidal zones and lighthouses while scanning the water through the San Juan Islands and Canadian Gulf Islands.

Our captains and crew have decades of experience on the water and we know whales can pop up at any time or place. We never run the same route twice and everything we’re observing is extremely dynamic. The wildlife that we’re fortunate enough to have in the area has a life of its own and operates on its own schedule, which we spend our days getting as keyed into as possible. We love what we do and what this area offers.

If you happen to join us on one of the trips where we don’t spot whales, we invite you to join us again with the voucher you’ll receive at the end of your trip. We never issue these vouchers until we’re fully tied up at the dock. There are times when we venture 30 miles from home, spotting abundant wildlife only to return to Friday Harbor and have whales right in front of the harbor!  We appreciate that folks venture from near and far to observe whales in the wild, so the vouchers are good whether you come back the next day or in a few years. Even if you do spot whales, we encourage you to come again as nothing we view is static and you never know what you’ll see on your adventure.

Photographer and Naturalist: Bethany Shimasaki – Instagram @Adventures.with.Bethany – Website: www.bethshim.com

Western Prince Wildlife Adventures – Instagram: @Westernprincewildlife – Facebook: Western Prince Whale Watching

Photographer and Naturalist: Alison Engle – Instagram: @Alisonengleart – Website: www.alisonengle.com

Western Prince Wildlife Adventures – Instagram: @Westernprincewildlife – Facebook: Western Prince Whale Watching

Written by Elah
on Jun 10, 2023

What Happens If You Don’t See Whales?

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