orca whale watching by seattle

[Naturalist Erick D., M/V Seahawk, 7/31/17, 2:00PM]

Yesterday, Captain Joe and I took out a full group of guests from Roche Harbor aboard the M/V Seahawk. Again we were on the lookout for any adorable or exciting wildlife out there in the waters of the Salish Sea. We journeyed through the inner islands going in between the tight passages of the Wasp Islands and then between Orcas, Shaw and Lopez Islands. Eventually we made it into Rosario Strait on the eastern side of...

Lauren Fritz, Seahawk, 07/28/17, 2pm Tour

Roche Harbor was sunny and bustling the afternoon before our 2 pm tour today, a typical day out here in the summer! Guests and crew alike were so excited to get out on the water and see what treasures were in store for us today. Captain Joe and I gave our safety and wildlife briefings to make sure everyone knew what to expect for the trip, and then off we went. Lines were stored, fenders tied away, and binoculars passed around. 

W...

(7/27/17- M/V Seahawk- 2PM)

Today we left Roche Harbor with reports right inside our viewing area.  At times like these it is really up to the orcas as to whether or not we will see them, if they travel away from us then we are out of their range but if they travel towards us then we get the opportunity to see them.  Thankfully, the coin flipped in our favor today and we got the chance the hang out with a family of transient orcas. 

This specific family of orcas was the...

[Sarah M. – 07/21/2017 – M/V Seahawk – 02:00pm]

Today the M/V Seahawk had a breathtaking afternoon whale watch from Roche Harbor. We had some much-needed rain and it yielded a true Pacific Northwest feel as we cruised the Salish Sea with some liquid sunshine falling the sky.

As we left the harbor we had two reports of orcas in the area, one far to the south, another to the far north. We made the decision to head to the northern group, and Captain Joe steered the M/V...

[7/19/17- Kelsey, Naturalist]

If you ever come to the San Juan Islands (because you know you want to), you should make it a trip during July or August in order to see the bioluminescence. What is bioluminescence, you ask? Bioluminescence is a natural light phenomenon that occurs in fireflies, deep-sea fishes, jellyfish, etc. But, the organisms you would be looking for here are much smaller, and they are in the form of quinoa-sized plankton. The San Juan Islands are...

[Sarah M – 07/14/2017 – M/V Seahawk – 02:00pm]

With such spread-out sightings geographically this year, we are often “forced” to go the extra mile to show our whale watch guests orcas here in the Salish Sea. Yesterday was a perfect illustration of this new whale watching, and the distance, as well as patience, that it can sometimes take to see orcas in their natural habitat.

A Shifting Ecosystem

This year we have seen historically low salmon runs here in the inland...

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...