humpback whale

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

This Monday We headed out into the bright shiny waters of San Juan Channel. Captain Pete and I took a group of passengers south through San Juan Channel. On our way we passed Harbor Porpoises that were swimming, Bald Eagles that were soaring, and Pigeon Guillemots that were diving. We headed south past Friday Harbor and Turn Island to go see a Humpback Whale that was travelling and feeding down here. Humpback...

[Saturday, 5/26/18 - M/V Seahawk - 3:00PM - Naturalist Erick]

This Memorial Day Weekend we got a little taste of summer. The sun was out it was a little bit warm for May and we have a lot of trips going out. On Saturday afternoon Captain Pete and I took Seahawk out with a great group of folks to go on another search of the Salish Sea for some interesting creatures. We first crossed Spieden Channel and scurried through the skinny Johns Pass and took looks out into...

[Lauren Fritz, M/V Seahawk, 08/24/17, 2:00 pm Tour]

Today was a beautiful day in Roche Harbor, Washington, but what day isn't gorgeous out here in the San Juans? This particular day was sunny, with a light breeze and calm waters. The perfect day to go out on a whale watch. Captain Joe and I were so excited to see what animals were waiting for us out of the harbor, so we gave our introductions and briefings to our wonderful guests, cast the lines, and motored out of Roche...

[Lauren Fritz, M/V Seahawk, 08/06/17, 2 pm Tour]

Today was another hazy day out on the Salish Sea - it's eerie in a way, but also creates a unique backdrop for our whale watches. We just hope those fires up in BC will be under control soon! We're fast approaching the middle of August, which means that it's the busy season here on the island - lots of fun tours and trips to be had! Today was no different - we had such an adventure heading up to check out a pair of humpback...

[8/4/17- M/V Sea Hawk- Kelsey, Naturalist- 2:00PM]

Roche Harbor is a summer’s day dream. There are children playing, dogs frolicking, brunches being leisurely enjoyed on restaurant patios overlooking the water, aaaaand there’s the option to go whale watching! So today, we did just that!

M/V Sea Hawk meandered out of Roche Harbor from San Juan Island in search of whales and other cool wildlife. And lucky us, we came across a humpback whale in the bay between Pender Island...

Lauren Fritz, M/V Sea Hawk, 07/26/17, 2:00 pm Charter

Wow! What a wonderful day out on the water. We had a wonderful group joining us on board the Sea Hawk. Captain Pete and I were excited to tour Henry and Spieden Islands before we heard of a humpback up north by Patos Island. What a treat to see this huge filter-feeder! Check out some of my favorite photos from the trip. Thanks to those of you who joined us on board today.

Naturalist Lauren, San Juan Outfitters

Lauren Fritz, M/V Seahawk, 07/12/2017, 2:00 pm Tour

What an exciting day on the water! M/V Seahawk pulled off the docks of Roche Harbor on San Juan Island at 2:00 pm, excited to explore the surrounding waters and bask in the sunshine. Once we pulled out of the harbor, Captain Pete let us know that there was a report of a humpback whale nearby! We cruised through John's Pass, one of my favorite passes in the San Juans because of its incredibly scenery and views of Stuart...

The San Juan Islands are becoming more and more known for their humpbacks whales every day. What was a non-existent population a mere 14 years ago, the Salish Sea now has a stable population of over 45 humpback whales every summer. And today, we saw one such whale!
The Sea Hawk charted its course eastward from Roche Harbor today, taking a charming inter-island tour on our way to a humpback whale report in Rosario Strait. We drove past Orcas Island in full, getting...

Here in the San Juan Islands we are constantly surrounded by beautiful marine wildlife. Our waters are home to a wide diversity of marine mammals including four species of whales, two species of dolphins, two species of porpoises, two species of seals, two species of sea lions, and we also have the possibility of seeing two species of otters! With such a great array of species, we sometimes come across injured or dead wildlife on our tours or while wandering the islands...

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...