San Juan Island Adventures

What can I say, J pod, with a capital J, has been seeming to love the west side of San Juan Island lately. The Southern Residents were booking it north from Hein Bank up Haro Strait. So Capt. Gabe and I went south on the Seahawk and met them about half way down (south) San Juan Island. We stayed parallel with the front runners of the pod as they moved north. Among this smaller J pod group was Granny (J-2), the OLDEST LIVING ORCA (that we know of)!!! It's estimated that...

Today Captain Gabe and I had a wonderful day aboard the M/V Seahawk cruising down the west side of San Juan Island. The water was gorgeous and smooth, and it was one of our first warm days out on the water. I was happily wrapped in a fleece while cruising, but while sitting watching the whales the sun was just perfection! We spent plenty of time with some of the J16 matriline, including one of my favorite whales J26 Mike. J26 Mike is a full grown male killer whale, so he...

Looking for a good way to spend your weekend? Consider a getaway on the beautiful Stuart Island with San Juan Outfitters crew. A wonderful group of eleven set off from Roche Harbor last Friday afternoon with kayaks loaded full of camping gear, delicious food, and happy spirits! Kayak guides, Tyler, Adam, and Jaclyn lead the group from San Juan Island to the nearby Stuart Island. Along the way, the group spotted many majestic bald eagles and happy harbor seals while taking...

After leaving Mosquito Pass between San Juan Island and Henry island my kayak tour took a break to take in the stunning view of the Olympics, Victoria and the expansive Haro Strait in between.  As we sat, we heard the familiar expulsion of air indicating the presence of whales nearby.  Soon enough a mother Orca and her calf presented themselves to us. The young whale spy hopped and tail smacked playing in the calm current. A bull was soon to follow easy to spot because of...

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...

We had a spectacular day paddling on the 5 hour tour around Henry Island!  From harbor seals to juvenile bald eagles, we saw the full scope of aquatic life the San Juan Islands have to offer.  We visited blood stars and mossy chitons on the reefs of Half Moon Bay and enjoyed a ride on the ebbing tide around Kellett Bluff.  We finished the day witnessing a full bob of harbor seals sunbathing on the rocks in Mosquito Pass.  Another splendid experience on the Salish Sea!

Kay...

Today Captain Gabe, Brian and myself took out the Seahawk with a boat full of excited passengers and a clear blue sky looking for wildlife. We had no reports of whales when we left the dock so we began to head north to see what we could find when left to our own devices. Up near Spieden Island we encountered maybe 40 or 50 harbor seals both hauled out on an exposed reef as well as swimming around in the water. One inportant way to differentiate seals from sinilar animals...

With a report of J and K-pod at Trial Island heading northeast, and 15 excited passengers aboard the Sea Hawk, we departed from Roche Harbor at 11am. Expecting a bit longer journey until we could cross paths with the whales, we were delighted to have spotted them just south of Lime Kiln a few miles out from SJI. There, we were greeted by Granny (J2) and Onyx (L87), her adopted son, as well as a handful of others. We floated there in today's calm waters of Haro Straight...

Today Captain Pete and I took an excellent group out on the Sea Hawk to look for wildlife. We had heard that there was some Killer Whale action East of Orcas Island in Rosario Strait, so we began our long luxurious cruise in between Orcas and Shaw/Lopez. Along the way we saw plenty of Harbor Seals and bald eagles until in the distance we began to see lots of puffs of air and black dorsal fins sneaking out of the water.

We came up on about half of J Pod as they were...

Today we set out from Roche Harbor on the good ol' Hawk with knowledge of some orcas on the west side. They were headed south and weren't positive that we would catch up, but we remained hopeful. Orcas can travel at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour, a feat which the Sea Hawk is not capable of. As we approached Salmon Bank, we were delighted to see the awaited black dorsal fins break the surface in the distance, those of L-pod. We moved in to viewing distance to get a...