orca whale watching near seattle

[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...

It’s that time of year again! Fall is beginning to creep up on us, and here in the Salish Sea, we are looking forward to seeing some old friends of ours- migrating birds! We have over 200 species of birds here in the San Juan Islands, and some bird species are here during the summer months specifically for feeding and breeding, such as the Rhinoceros auklets, Rufous hummingbirds, Brown-headed cowbirds, Violet-green swallows, White-crowned sparrows, and others. Some...

Here are photos from your whale watching trip from Roche Harbor, WA! We spotted Transient killer whales, who are marine mammal eaters! Please enjoy these images from the day!

[9/2/17 M/V Sea Hawk 2pm Naturalist Sarah C.]

The last long weekend of summer brings tourists, guests, and visitors flocking to the San Juan Islands, and for good reason. With historically temperate and dry weather and what many outdoor professionals consider the most intrigueing month for wildlife, September just may be the best time of year to finally take that sea plane over from Seattle and see what all the fuss is about. The shifting of seasons bring new critters...

[Naturalist Erick D., M/V Seahawk, 8/29/17, 2:00PM]

            The other day Captain Joe and I took a small lovely group aboard the M/V Seahawk. We went far but we got to a group of Transient Orcas swimming south in Rosario Strait. Today was pretty interesting because there were three different Transient Orca groups that had traveled almost the same exact route just at different times throughout the day. We saw one of the three groups just south of Lydia Reef in...

[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...

[8/2/17 2pm SeaHawk]

Transient killer whales continue to surprise us here in the San Juans. Some days they take us to the farthest reaches of our charts, and some days they swim right through the harbor, as nonchalant as can be. Today a family of four orcas passed right through Roche Harbor, even pausing to take down a seal on the way!

We pulled off the dock today with reports of a group of killer whales that had been spotted south of Victoria earlier that day. As Captain...

[7/20/17- M/V Sea Hawk- Kelsey, Naturalist- 2:00PM]

To start, it should be noted that San Juan Outfitters is part of the Pacific Whale Watch Association, and that means we receive information at any point when out on the water regarding whale and other wildlife locations and behaviors. This can create some exciting trips that are unpredictable, and today was one of those days!

We started the trip leaving beautiful Roche Harbor with no whale reports, but we were hopeful...

[Naturalist Erick. D., M/V Seahawk, 7/18/17 2:00PM]

            For the whole summer we have been seeing almost all Transient (Bigg’s) Orcas. Those are the mammal-eating ones, and despite their old common name we see them in the Salish Sea just as much as the Southern Residents we just tend to see them more in the winter and spring when the residents are absent and there is an increase in the marine mammal population including Steller Sea Lions, California Sea Lions...

[Sarah M – 07/17/2017 – M/V Seahawk – 01:00pm Charter]

Today we had another great encounter with transient killer whales for the books on the M/V Seahawk. We had a lovely group of conservationists from all over the world on a private charter cruising through the islands. We had beautiful weather and great reports of whales in range of our boat.

Leaving Roche Harbor we headed out to the east towards the mainland, cruising past Spieden, Flattop, and Waldron Islands as...