haro strait

M/V Sea Hawk and guests headed south toward Eagle Point on San Juan Island. Along the way we encountered Dall's Porpoise surfacing and creating rooster tails! This was a big treat for everyone, and for myself because I have not been able to see Dall's Porpoise do this action before. When watching the Dall's, guests were able to see the muscular build of the Dall's, see a the black and white coloring of them, and see a slow surfacing and a rooster tail spray surfacing...

With sunny skies and a soft breeze we had the perfect recipe for our 3-hour tours today, complete with many sightings of the iconic wildlife of the Salish Sea and San Juan Islands. Harbor seals swam gleefully around our boats, Bald Eagles stood stoic in the tallest of trees and Harbor Porpoises surfaced on the horizon of the Haro Strait as we paddled down the West side of Henry Island. Overall, a lovely and delightful day on the water.

Kayak guide Courtney, 3-hour tour...

With a 1:30 departure out of Roche Harbor, M/V Sea Hawk and guests did not have to go far in order to encounter Orcas! Captain Jim took us outside the harbor and right away we were able to see the rest of the fleet with a group of Ks and Ls. Once on scene, we were able to see all the orcas in one big group! They were being playful with spyhops and breaches! This area is known to be a socializing area for these orcas and during the summer is when they are together most! It...

It was a long journey for M/V Sea Hawk- reports had our resident killer whales all the way at the very southern most point of Victoria. Most captains might be concerned that was too far a trek, but not Captain Chris, he was ready to traverse the channels to get to those whales! All was calm within the Haro Strait for M/V Sea Hawk's passengers and crew, and it looked like it was going to be a rather peaceful jaunt. It wasn't until we reach the Strait of Juan De Fuca that...

This morning, M/V Sea Hawk motored north toward Stuart Island. Just in between Spieden Island and Stuart Island we encountered a group offshore. We first saw a few of them porpoising quickly through the strait, and soon after we saw the whole family porpoising quickly out of the water. By doing this activity the group sped up to 12 knots! This is a pretty fast pace for our Resident Orcas to be traveling at. After trying to keep up with this lead group, we heard of another...

M/V Sea Hawk departed on the 3pm trip in hopes to head north. However, Captain Jim heard a report of Orcas closer, so we headed south out of Mosquito Pass. Earlier in the day we saw Js and Ks separate, Js moving north and Ks moving south. By the time we left, Js were already in the Strait of Georgia and Ks were around Eagle Point milling.

Since we know these are resident orcas, we know they are following the Chinook Salmon up to the Frasier River. This is exactly where Js...

We started off our 5 hour tour by heading South through Mosquito Pass, sighting harbor seals, sea stars, jellies and eagles along the way. After lunch, we began our paddle along the West side of Henry Island, and just before reaching Half Moon Bay, we spotted Resident Orca Whales surfacing several hundred yards offshore! We rafted up and gently drifted as we watched them play and feed as they headed South through the Haro Strait. Thinking most of them had passed, we...

After a few 3-hour sea kayak tours today, Noelle reported back having seen a group of orcas out in the Haro Strait. Although the whales were far off, it was still a treat to see them again after a day's absence. Her other highlight included seeing an adult female river otter with her young. To see a family with kits is always exciting as they are often elusive.