orcas

Capt. Gabe and I headed out of Roche Harbor with a beautiful, sunny day and slightly cooler temperatures than this hot, hot weekend. The reports of orcas were coming from way up in Canadian waters near Vancouver, so we sailed north to see if we could rendezvous with our friends north across the border. On the way there we stopped and said hello to almost 80 Harbor Seals hauled out on rocks near Spieden Island! I don't think I've ever seen so many Harbor Seals in one place...

6/26/15:

San Juan Outfitters five hour tour departed Roche Harbor at 11:30am this morning and travelled South through Mosquito Pass.  The conditions were fantastic; a balmy 75 Fahrenheit and just enough breeze to offer our paddlers relief from the cloudless skies.  After taking a quick lunch at Open Bay, we were met by several J-Pod resident Orcas and enjoyed witnessing tail slaps and breaches from under fifty yards away.  Whether it's your first time or your hundredth...

Today Captain Pete and I left the dock on the Seahawk with a glorious sunny day, a boat full of curious and excited passengers, and plenty of whale reports from which to choose. Armed with our whale knowledge and eagerness to see wildlife, we headed North out of Roche Harbor. Right off the bat we were greeted in Mosquito Pass with a great blue heron taking off with its large, slow wingbeats as well as a bald eagle perched in a tree.

Heading out into Haro Strait towards...

The M/V Seahawk set out on a beautiful May morning in Roche Harbor. Heading north we suddenly got a report of transient (marine mammal eating) orcas to the south near Victoria, BC! We are a member company of the Pacific Whale Watch Association, and as members we are all obligated to share sighting information with one another giving us an unprecedented advantage over companies outside of the coalition. We ended up coming upon my absolute favorite Transient male T19B also...

Captain Mike, Naturalist Emily, and myself took our guests out on the M/V Sea Lion for what turned turned out to be a stellar trip today. We had reports of members of J Pod in the Haro Strait, so we sped up and around the North end of San Juan Island there right from the Harbor. Not long after entering the open strait we had our first sighting!

L87, who travels with J2, was the first animal we saw. He popped up a few times in the Haro and we followed him South, his tall...

What a beautiful day on the water!  Guests aboard the M/V Sea Lion, along with Captain Mike, Naturalist Brendan, and I departed the dock in Friday Harbor with word of orcas near the south end of San Juan Island.  Naturalist Brendan was the first to spot these whales on his ferry commute from Shaw Island!

After viewing harbor seals hauled out on the rocks and Steller Sea Lions rafting in the water, we motored out towards the group of 8 transient orcas located near Hein...

With guests aboard and the sun on our backs, we were feeling lucky just being out on the water.   To make the day even better, a call came in that there were transient orcas on the west side of San Juan  Island!  We motored around the north end of San Juan and caught up with two of the members of the T137s near Lime Kiln State Park  We followed the pair north to Henry Island where they made a kill, which was likely a harbor seal.  After the commotion of the hunt, the...

Late last week another baby orca was spotted in the Salish Sea and confirmed by the Center for Whale Research.  The newest member belongs to J Pod and is designated J51.  The calf of 36 year old J19 seemed to be happy and healthy as it swam alongside its mother.  It is estimated that the calf is about a week and a half old.  J50, born at the end of 2014, was also spotted looking healthy and energetic.  J50 has even been confirmed a female, which is great news for J...

A week from tomorrow, we are finally getting back on the water!  We are running a special Valentine's Day Wildlife Tour and cannot wait to feel the cool breeze aboard the M/V Sea Lion.  Even though we are not in Southern Resident Killer Whale season, we hope that transients will be in the waters around San Juan Island.  While the SRKWs do sometimes enter the sound in the winter months, it is transient orcas that are spotted the most during this time of year. ...

The Resident Orcas of the San Juan Islands made an appearance for our kayak tour today.  While observing the intertidal zone invertebrates just north of Half 'Moon Bay, the whales approached us from the south and put on a dazzling show with tail slaps, side-swimming, and even a few breaches.  We also encountered many playful harbor seals, who danced alongside us in the bull kelp forests and did spins in our boat wakes through the eelgrass beds.  The massive tidal exchange...