San Juan Island Adventures

Noelle and I spent the last two days paddling with Frank, Gabbie and Debbie who had traveled up to the San Juan Islands for a wildlife filled adventure. Highlights were getting up close and personal with a few harbor seals and being rewarded with a few passes of a Bald Eagle directly above our kayaks.

Last week I accompanied Blake and a family from New York out on an overnight expedition to Jones Island. We were fortunate for great weather (even if it was pretty windy at times) and calm seas.

Heading out of Friday Harbor we moved north until we were in the Wasp Islands. First stopping on Yellow Island we chatted with the steward, stretched our legs, examined local fauna and studied some gorgeous seals from shore. Yellow Island is owned and protected by The Nature...

I think sunset trips are my favorite time of day to paddle! Tonight I ventured out with Crystal, Will and Jared from Santa Barbara, CA. It was a gorgeous day with blue skies and as the sun started to descend we headed over to Posey Island for a quick break and an opportunity to stretch our legs. With a brief nod to the other kayakers camped out there, we walked around and checked out the very small island. Jared was the first to discover the mother and two fawns...

I just got off the phone with Captain Brian who has just returned to Roche Harbor from his 11:00 whale watching trip. He said it was amazing! He reported that J-Pod and about 15-20 members of L-Pod were traveling south through Boundary Pass from Canada. By the time our trip went out, the whales were right outside of the harbor in Haro Strait. Captain Brian and Naturalist Kendall as well as their guests viewed the whales traveling south and had some up close and...

I paddled out on a 5 hour tour today with Martin, Tina, Jerome and Stan. We were on the hunt for whales and even though we didn't see any, we were rewarded with great Bald Eagle and harbor seal sightings. Paddling down the west side of Henry Island, we saw many mothers with pups and two males slapping the water and fighting. The other night when I saw that behavior I wasn't sure what I was looking at but after talking with other naturalists, I learned what that...

We've had great success this week on our whale watching trips. For the most part, the whales have been traveling in and through Haro Strait which is quite convenient as our whale watching boat departs out of Roche Harbor daily and is located on the West Side of San Juan Island. We are just minutes from Haro Strait which means that we haven't had to travel too far.

Our kayaking trips have also had some success seeing the whales. Just a few evenings ago our 6:00...

Last night I headed out of Friday Harbor with Madeline, Henry, Karina and Eric. We were fortunate to see some great views of Bald eagles and auklets among other sea birds, but the highlight of the trip came when we rounded Turn Island and started seeing a good number of harbor seals. We were excited to see all sorts of seals including mothers and pups that surfaced to check out our kayaks up close. As we paddled along we saw some splashing right next to Karina and...

I just spoke with Captain Brian and Naturalist Kendall after their 11:00 AM whale watching trip. They reported this trip as "amazing" and with "excellent views of the killer whales". When they departed at 11:00, the orca whales (J-pod and a sub-group of L-pod) were quite a distance away but as the trip progressed, the whales moved towards our location and it didn't take the boat long to reach them. They said the seas were a little rough today but it was such a great...

Captain Brian just called into the reservation desk to report on his whale watching trip today. It sounds as though Captain Brian and Naturalist Kendall had a really fantastic trip. Brian reported that the seas were flat and calm and I can add that the sun is shining! The day started off with serious fog though which could've hindered the trip. Luckily, it burned off with the afternoon heat and Brian was able to navigate down the west side of San Juan Island to...

I paddled out on our six o'clock sunset tour the other day and was rewarded with excellent animal sightings!
As we paddled south by Henry Island we saw a few large tight groups of gulls screaming, whirling and diving into the water. It was a bait ball! As we drew close Rhinocerous Auklets and a few types of cormorants started to surface nearby, as well as some seals. They were working together underwater to surround and herd those schools of fish up towards the...