San Juan Island Adventures

Captain Nancy and naturalist Margo just returned from a very happy whale watch tour. They reported seeing a very spread out group of southern resident orca whales-- specifically, J pod. They saw a few breaches, pedunkle throws (cartwheel-like behaviors) and lots more activity. Margo says she got some great looks at siblings Blackberry (J-27), Mako (J-39) and Tsuchi (J-31)!

The weather is beautiful down here in the harbor, and it was a great trip for all on board...

Yesterday I paddled out on a 3 hour sea kayak tour with guests from Idaho. The water level was so high that most haul out rocks were covered so I wasn't sure we'd see any harbor seals but as we paddled down the west side of Henry Island we were suddenly surrounded by harbor seals. 6 or 7 of them surfaced all around us, curious and calm but wary too. One large adult repeatedly surfaced eating a HUGE fish. With each appearance a little more of the fish disappeared...

Today I paddled out of Roche Harbor on a 3 hour tour and we spotted orca (killer) whales! Thanks to our whale watch boat I received the whale report before leaving the harbor, but was not sure if we would be able to see the whales as they were already headed north in the Haro Strait. We paddled out to the kelp forest off Henry Island and as we were eating some seaweed, looking for seals and listening for eagles we saw some killer whales! There were quite a few...

This morning on our 3-hour family sea kayak tour we had a veritable feast of native wildlife! Apparently the animals were hungry, because we saw ochre sea stars eating barnacles, harbor seals eating fish, as well as a sighting of a bald eagle catching a fish! One of the kayaks had a baby seal pup come up and stare at the paddlers, from less than a paddle's reach away from the boat! Beautiful paddling weather today, no wind and warm!

Don C

On our last day of a 2 day sea kayaking trip, we managed to sneak in a group photo! It was wonderful to have a 'girl's only' trip.
Great weather, great food and most importantly, great company!

Photo credit: Peggy Howard

Whale Watching Update for 8/21. Captain Brian P and Noelle were fortunate that two groups of our Southern Resident Community were in the vicinity. Our vessel Sea Hawk observed J-Pod in the morning not far from the harbor, and then K-pod and J-pod joined in the afternoon. Once the two groups joined, there were lots of percussives (breaching, lob tailing), and lots of milling and socializing. Good viewing all afternoon. Both sightings today were withing 5 miles...

Excellent Weather for kayaking today from our Roche Harbor Hub. First day in several there were no Killer Whale sightings by our sea kayak tours. Flat calm waters, and lots of wildlife in the normal locations. Guides today were Noelle, Kaitlyn, Don, Joe, and Blake. All reported smooth waters, blue skies, and lots of critters. Noelle reported seeing a rare Stellar Sea Lion near the Kelp Forest off McCracken point. More updates to follow.

Aileen and I are preparing an overnight tour departing tomorrow, and Joe called to tell us he saw a great whale show by kayak this afternoon on his 2:00pm 3-hour tour from Roche Harbor. Probably the same whales Blake saw on his 5-Hour tour a little South of Joe. The report was lots of whales, grouped up tight. Lots of socializing. The reports of grouped up whales and socializing are really great! As I've said before, it normally means they are well fed. Let's...

Amazing day for sea kayaking in the San Juan Islands says 5-hour guide Blake Hough. We were correct in predicting Blake would encounter northbound whales this afternoon. Moving in northbound past Kellet Bluff on Henry Island, the whales were well grouped up close to shore. Excellent views!!
Lots of other wildlife as well, not to mention a blue bird day by 12:30pm. Enough breeze to keep the paddlers cool. Lots of bird life, and lots of seals. Distant view of...

Excellent tours this morning with Kaitlyn and Aileen as guides. A little overcast early on, which can be good weather for sea kayaking. As the day progressed, the sun pushed out the high marine cloud layer and ushered in a beautiful day. Lots of seals, eagles, river otters and more today. The jellyfish blooms continue to cloud the water with hundreds of jellies, all shapes and sizes. The Kelp Forests are now at the their peak, and are as think as a fire hose....