Megan, one of our Kayak guides, reported that the guests on our 3 hour sea kayak tour were so excited to see K-Pod while they were paddling on the west side of Henry Island. They had just gone past McCracken Point on Henry Island when they happened to spot orcas in K-Pod going north towards Stuart Island. It was an amazing sight to see!
What a day!!! Brian, the captain of the Seahawk, reported that both of our whale watch tours were able to see the orcas in K-Pod and L-87. K-Pod is one of the three pods of the southern community orcas and is one of the pods that we frequently see on our tours.
What a fantastic day to be out on the water!
Today I paddled out under gorgeous skies with a small family, and we were on the hunt for wildlife! We've been seeing a great number of harbor seal pups lately, especially out on the west side, where there are a number of safe haul out spots for them. It was great to view them at a distance, and listen to their vocalizations, but even better to see them close up. As we were paddling near a forest of bull kelp, a mother seal and her pup surfaced just a few feet from...
This afternoon Noelle and I paddled out with a private tour from the Institute of Journalism and Natural Resources (IJNR). It was an absolutely gorgeous day out on the west side, and the temperature was hot enough to convince a few hardy souls to go swimming! While in a bed of bull kelp we saw a young harbor seal pup hauled out on top of a few stipes. The pup was totally relaxed, often yawning and lying turned away from us. This summer's pups have been making quite...
Today, during out 3 hour sea kayak tour, we were paddling on the south side of Posey Island and saw about six Black Oyster Catchers, beautiful birds with distinctive red and long beaks, chattering loudly and scouring the intertidal zone for food. Oyster Catchers are native to the San Juans and it is always exciting to see them in action.
Also due to the flood tide there were also a significant amount of Moon Jellies spotted near the shoreline of Henry Island. They...
Though it was a windy day on the water, the wildlife didn't mind! Our 3 hr and 5 hr kayak tours spotted a plethora of Bald Eagles scattered about the shoreline of Henry Island and saw quite a few Harbor Seal pups learning to forage with their mothers. Our Whale Watch tour was able to view J-Pod and L-Pod in Rosario Strait..... needless to say, everyone returned with a smile on their face!
The skies switched frequently from blue to grey with light mist...
Today was a pretty fantastic day all around-- gorgeous weather, active wildlife and calm water. As we rested in the bull kelp forest, we kept a sharp lookout for harbor seals, and were rewarded when a mother decided to haul herself out of the water and on top of the kelp just a few dozen feet from our boats. There she proceeded to get comfortable and nurse her pup!
Earlier that day we'd been resting in the same spot when an eagle flew down from its nest on...
With the sun out and blue sky all around, all three morning kayak trips enjoyed an abundance of wildlife. They spotted bald eagles, harbor seals and river otters. The morning was low tide, which allowed us to observe sea stars, kelp crabs and moon jellies. The day ended with four of our guests from the 5 hour kayak trip taking advantage of the great weather by going for an impromptu swim.
It was another beautiful day on the west side, and my 3 hour sea kayak tour was pleased to see all sorts of wildlife out and about! Not only did I get my first glimpse of the year of an eaglet in a nest, but we also saw killer whales off in the distance! The whales were spread out in the Haro Strait, headed north. Although they were so far off that we could only just make out some dorsal fins and their exhalations, it was still awesome to see.