haro strait

Naturalist Olivia | M/V Sea Lion | July 11th, 2020 | 12:00pm

It was my personal first trip on M/V Sea Hawk of the season and it definitely did not disappoint! We left Roche Harbor with gray skies, but our happy faces were no reflection of the weather, as everyone was already in good spirits as we traveled southwest through Mosquito Pass. We left the dock with potential whale rumors, which is always humbling on our retired fishing boat. Despite knowing there were potential...

Olivia | September 1st, 2019 | M/V Sea Hawk | 2:00pm

It is always wonderful leaving the dock with reports of whales in the area. We had potential Minke, Humpback, Gray, and Killer Whales today, but with their far distance apart from one another, Captain Sarah decided to go see something black and white swimming around. That being said, we left Roche Harbor, took a turn around Henry Island, and headed southwest across Haro Strait towards D’Arcy Island.

The Haro Strait was...

Jordan | M/V Sea Hawk | 08/17/19 | 11:00am

What a beautiful day out on the water!

Captain Sarah and I headed out of Roche Harbor on our vessel, the Sea Hawk! We heard reports of the Southern Resident killer whales down south by False Bay and heading north through the Haro Strait!

Excitedly, we booked it down the strait, boated past Lime Kiln lighthouse and headed towards the whales! It was a gorgeous day; the sun was shining, and I had the sweetest group of people...

Jordan | M/V Sea Hawk | 06/14/19 |

Today was a lovely day in Roche Harbor! The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and church bells rang in the distance. Our private charter excitedly jumped on the boat, ready for what the day had to offer!

Cruising out of the harbor, Captain Erick and I took the Sea Hawk towards Mosquito Pass out towards open water. Heading into the Haro Strait and turning down the west side of San Juan Island, we boated towards whispers of whales...

Jordan | September 2, 2018 | M/V Sea Hawk | 3:00 trip

Today was a gorgeous day out on the water as the sun dazzled our guests on this fine holiday weekend. Captain Sarah and I were eager to get out of harbor in search of our whales! Luckily, we heard reports of whales coming from the west side of San Juan Island, and, although it’d be quite a long journey, we knew it’d be worth it.

So, we set out of Roche Harbor and headed south along the west side of the island within...

Jordan | August 27, 2018 | M/V Sea Hawk | 2:00 trip

Photo Credit: John Rosford

Today was a great day out on the water! The sun finally shone brightly in the sky after many days of cloudy and smoky haze. We left out of Roche Harbor as Captain Gabe and I took to the sea to find our whales. We headed south out of Mosquito Pass and down the south side of San Juan Island through the Haro Strait.

As we were searching for wildlife, we suddenly saw a blow off in the distance! We...

[Sunday, 6/17/18 - M/V Seahawk - 12:00 - Naturalist Erick]

This Sunday we had a lovely time taking a great group of folks out aboard M/V Seahawk to search for some marine wildlife in the Salish Sea. Captain Brian and myself left Roche Harbor and wound our way through Mosquito Pass until we exited into Haro Strait. We started south along the western shore of San Juan Island. We cruised by the big cliffs on the northern part of the shoreline and once we reached Lime Kiln...

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...

Of all the creatures spotted on our wildlife tours this summer, K pod resident killer whales have been the most elusive. They spent the majority of the summer in their wintering grounds in the Pacific Ocean, making us wonder if we were ever going to spot them again! Finally, a few days ago, J pod returned to the Salish Sea and brought K pod swimming along with them.

We headed out of Mosquito pass to follow up on a report of residents milling around False Bay on the...

Today we got geared up and headed out on a 5 hour kayaking trip out of Roche Harbor.  We started out by seeing lot's of harbor seals once we paddled to the Haro Strait.  Continuing south we had the opportunity to see a juvenile bald eagle as well as an adult hanging out in a 5 foot wide nest.  Not long after we were surprised by orcas appearing off our right hand side.  We got to spend about 15 minutes with the whales before they swam off and got looks as close as 50...