Jordan | M/V Sea Hawk| 05/26/19 | 12:00

What a great day out on the water! Captain Erick and I took the Sea Hawk out of Roche Harbor and headed north through the channel towards Spieden Island.

We went past the western tip of the island and up towards Johns Island. It was such a gorgeous view as we went through John's pass and enjoyed the shimmering water against the shoreline. Peering through the trees we were able to spot a Native American longhouse hidden in the...

Piper | Sunday, May 19, 2019 | M/V Sea Hawk | 12:00 PM

Today our guests aboard the Sea Hawk were celebrating a wedding in Roche Harbor and boy did they pick a great day for a whale watch! There had been reports of rain for today but instead all we saw were sunny skies! Just before we left the docks a report of Bigg's killer whales came through; they’d been picked up just off Moresby Island and were hanging out there taking down a bunch of harbor seals! We motored over...

Glassy seas with the lightest of rains.  Occasional oyster catchers squeel and seagulls cry to punctuate this otherwise dead-calm suspension in space.  Grey skies aren’t dark enough to occlude flickers of light on the water or dull the green from the cedars on shore.  The only real movement on the water is the kayak roughing the water enough to send ribbons streaming from bow and stern like a gown as she glides across the Salish. 

These are the conditions of early...

Welcome to the world, baby orca! A brand-new baby Bigg's killer whale was spotted traveling with the T46B family of mammal-hunting killer whales on November 26, 2018 in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The official identification designation and maternity is still to be identified. We love celebrating new orca babies!

color:#333333">Also spotted traveling in the same vicinity as the T46B family was a group of California transient mammal-hunting killer whales. These California...

We at San Juan Island Outfitters are proud to employ many incredible “Wild Women” that make up our team of professional outdoor adventure educators.  Our company would not run if not for these amazing women that fill positions from senior managers to vessel captains, naturalists, kayak guides, and reservation staff. As a small family owned business, we take pride that 50-60% of our staff each summer are women, and because of that we wanted to take the opportunity to...

We’re frequently asked why we only offer sea kayaking with certified guides. Why?

The first and most important reason is safety. Let’s talk sea kayaking 101!

Tides and Currents

The water around San Juan Island is diverse and fast changing. Topography of the ocean floor includes depth changes that in many spots plunge very quickly along oceanic shelves caused by ancient subduction zones. Even our island “count” changes day-by-day based on tidal exchange, leaving land mass...

Jordan | September 8, 2018 | M/V Sea Hawk | 2:00 trip

Today was such a great day out on the water! Although the sky was gray and it was slightly drizzly, the day was still full of great excitement! Captain Erick and I headed out of Roche Harbor on the Sea hawk in search for our whales!

We heard reports of wildlife nearby so we headed out of the harbor towards the animals. Almost immediately we found our whales! We found the killer whales within the Spieden Channel near...

Jordan | September 3, 2018

The World's Second Most Wide Spread Mammal

Orca whales are one of the most magnificent animals in the world that have left people in awe for centuries! Not only have we heard the stories and the legends, but also countless confusing labels describing these animals. But what does it all mean?!

As we go through this life, we all hear terms thrown around describing these mysterious black and white creatures of the sea: orca whales, killer whales...