roche harbor whale watching

Naturalist Olivia | M/V Sea Hawk | August 22nd, 2020 | 13:00

What a day on Sea Hawk! It was so refreshing to have a sunny, calm day out in the Salish Sea- did I mention it was warm? We left the dock with two options of Killer Whales in our waters [YAY!] and had to make a decision if we were heading north or heading south. After receiving word from colleagues in the Pacific Whale Watch Association, the family group far to the south had turned east out of range of our...

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...

Laura | M/V Sea Hawk | 7/10/2020 | 12:00pm

The weather was sunny and gorgeous today as we left Roche Harbor on M/V Sea Hawk!  Captain Sarah steered our boat through Mosquito Pass and we headed quickly down the west side of San Juan Island as there were reports of J Pod in the area!  Passengers were thrilled to hear that they may have the opportunity to see this particular family of orcas, since there are only 22 members left in all!  J Pod members are Southern Resident...

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...

Olivia | August 7th, 2019 | M/V Sea Hawk | 2:00pm

What a fun trip we had today out of Roche Harbor! While leaving the northern side of San Juan Island, we immediately saw a Harbor Seal swimming around by the docks. With a nearly full boat, Captain Erick and I started heading east through Spieden Channel and south down the San Juan Channel in search of some Bigg’s Killer Whales that were...

Olivia | July 29th, 2019 | M/V Sea Hawk | 2:00pm

Captain Erick and I started off our trip with the best group...

Olivia | July 2nd, 2019 | M/V Sea Hawk | 2:00pm

Today was one of the top trips for both Captain Sarah and me! Sarah is not only our Captain, but also our Lead Naturalist and has been here for six years observing our wildlife. If she says it was in her top 5, you know it was good! We headed out of Roche Harbor through John’s Pass and straight up to Boundary Pass. From there, we caught our first glance at some Killer Whales where we waited for them to turn around East Point...

[Lauren Fritz, M/V Seahawk, 08/12/17, 6:00 pm Charter]

What do humans do for fun when they're hanging out with their families? Run around outside and throw a football around? Play Settlers of Catan and watch Disney movies? Bake cookies and make gourmet hot chocolate? Well, whatever you do for fun, you can bet orcas have their own ways of playing too! Guests onboard M/V Seahawks private charter today were treated to some amazing playful behaviors from a pod of Transient...

Guests were skeptical as the Sea Hawk departed Roche Harbor in attempts of finding killer whales because there were no reports. However, not even 20 minutes into the trip the guests came up on a spur of the moment siting of T-124c, otherwise known as a lone transient killer whale male! Killer whale pods tend to travel as a family unit with mom and/or grandma as the leader; however, transients are also more likely to stray away from this organization, opposed to our...