L pod

[Sarah M – 06/13/2018 – M/V Seahawk – 12:00pm]

Captain Gabe and I took passengers aboard the M/V Seahawk on a whirlwind adventure North into the Canadian Gulf Islands on the search for killer whales. Captain Gabe steered the boat out of the North entrance of Roche Harbor and we turned left.

We had a lovely cruise up the shoreline of Stuart Island to Turn Point lighthouse towards Swanson Channel. The water movement we caught glimpses of was spectacular. There was so...

Tomorrow is the Autumnal Equinox! And even though this signals the true end to summer, this doesn’t mean that all the whales leave as all the humans have started to do. Whales actually travel through these waters all year round! Yesterday, though, still felt a little bit like summer. Captain Brian, myself and some wonderful guests took the M/V Seahawk south to search for the Southern Resident Orcas. They have been in the inland waters the past few days foraging for salmon...

Spyhopping Southern Resident Killer Whale off of Henry Island, WA

Sunday mornings, especially on holiday weekends, are my favorite times to be at Roche Harbor. The excitement in the air is palpable, usually the sun is shining in a bright blue sky, and we have the chance to welcome and host a group of very enthusiastic people.

This Labor Day weekend was no different. On our 11am departure we had a group of our Southern Resident Killer Whales reported off the Westside of...

Yesterday (Sunday), was another beautiful day out on the water in the San Juan Islands. It’s still summer here, hot and sunny, but there are signs of fall starting in the more northerly regions of the planet. Different birds species that breed and nest in the arctic regions are returning here in preparation for winter. Most notably (maybe just my favorites) are the phalaropes. These groups of birds are a little smaller than doves and hang around drifting mats of logs and...

The past few weeks things have been very busy here. Part of the Southern Residents have been in our waters for a few weeks foraging. The annual conference of orca fans, enthusiasts, and researchers called SuperPod has been in town, and the weather has finally started to feel like summer. Yesterday (Wednesday) Captain Gabe and I went south with a great group south along the west side of San Juan Island. It is called the Haro Strait and this deep trench leading northward is...

Summer is in full swing in the San Juans! The sun is shining, the residents are back, and flocks of happy vacationers are enjoying our beautiful scenery and wildlife every day. This afternoon we left Roche Harbor to a 70 degree day with calm seas and a good report of resident killer whales just off of Pile Point on the southwest side of San Juan Island. There's no better way to start your Sunday afternoon!

We headed out of Roche Harbor and through Mosquito Pass to get to...

Did you know that orcas, like humans are very family oriented? You have probably heard of ‘’pods before which is a word that usually describes a group of any species of whale, but in orcas especially the Southern Resident Ecotype, pods resemble large extended families. The smaller groups of orcas within these pods are referred to as matrilines. Matrilines consist of the matriarch (the oldest female) and her offspring, sometimes even several generations of offspring. This...

Individual orcas can be distinguished from one another by looking at preexisting  markings on their bodies. Though whales can be told apart by the markings on their cheeks or their eypatches, we primarily look at the saddlepatch, the grey marking behind the dorsal fin. Once those markings are recorded via photograph, alphanumeric (Letter-Number) codes are assigned to individuals. We have two populations of orcas in our waters, Residents, salmon-eaters, and Transients...

Today the ol' Hawk had yet another whaley good adventure crewed by Captain Gabe and myself!
Love was in the air as we left the dock in Roche Harbor with an excited wedding party on board to head out and find some wildlife. Using celebratory luck to find marine mammals hasn't failed us yet, and today was no exception.

Minutes after leaving the harbor we had our first bit of excitement: a Humpback whale right in Spieden channel! We are seeing more and more of these thirty...

Today Captain Pete and I were slightly less than enthusiastic about the heavy rain in and around Roche Harbor, but more than willing to brave the weather in search of awesome wildlife.

Luckily for us, our passengers also had adventurous attitudes and were not afraid of a little rain! We had heard about some whale activity waaaaaay down south at Salmon Bank, near the South end of San Juan Island, so we set off on our wet journey. Welcome to September!

As we made our way...