San Juan Island Adventures

We started our trip out today with reports of transient killer whales just off the coast of Victoria. Feeling determined and adventurous, we started out south, hoping to spot them as they moved away from Discovery Island. We braved a particularly choppy voyage down Haro Strait before breaking through to glass-calm seas at the junction of Haro Strait and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

As soon as we had spotted some distant dorsal fins cutting through the water, a juvenile...

Pete and I left Roche Harbor for our 11 o'clock tour without any promising whale reports. Luckily, Roche Harbor is very close to Henry, Speiden, Stuart, Johns and the Cactus Islands. Each of these islands are home to an array of different wildlife. First, we cruised through mosquito pass where we saw our first (but certainly not last) Bald Eagle, as well as a harbor seal swim by the boat. We motored north along Henry Island where we found two more Bald Eagles. We also...

Transient killer whales exaggeratedly coming out of the water to breath, a behavior we often see when the whales are moving quickly.

Captain Gabe, Captain Jim and I made a quick 15-minute turn around between our first and second trip of the day. We were in a bit of a hurry due to a longer first tour, and we wanted to get out to the west side of the island so that on our second tour, we could spend as much time as possible with the orcas that were spotted there. When...

T46s in the Straight of Juan De Fuca

This morning, Captain Gabe, and Captain Jim, and Naturalist Erick, and I all took a Sierra Club charter on an M/V Sea Hawk cruise. This group was willing to do whatever it took to see whales, so they booked a 5 hour tour, as opposed to the usual 3-hour. This basically means that we're able to go farther. Whales that are "out-of-range" due to time constraints on a 3-hour, may be in range on a 5-hour because we have more time.

As...

The Sea Hawk took out an intimate tour in hopes of finding a few humpback whales; however, as we began our departure from Mosquito Pass we received reports of transient killer whales near Vancouver Island! In a sudden turn of events we headed north and began our wildlife tour. Once arriving on scene we were able to travel along side of the T’s (a pod of transient) for a considerable distance. We were able to get stunning views of the unique saddle patch on each whale and...

It’s always a special day when we get to observe humpback whales in the Salish Sea. Since whalers started targeting our humpback population in their breeding grounds around Hawaii, their numbers have plummeted. Despite the passing of the international ban on whaling in 1982, it took until 2003 for humpbacks to rediscover our waters and begin establishing a population here. Today we have an estimated four dozen adult humpbacks that return to our waters every summer, so...

Adult Bald Eagle

Today, Captain Gabe and I head out of Roche Harbor with a lovely family charter on board M/V Sea Hawk. We cruised north in the direction of a humpback whale report and caught up with it a few miles northwest of Turn Point. This lone adult was exhibiting typical humpback behavior, surfacing 3-5 times to breath between each 4-6 minute deep dive. For the majority of our time with this whale, we were the only boat on scene. I love when that happens...

Poop. Yeah that’s right I said it. It’s what makes the world go round. Not really that’s mostly done by gravity, but in the marine environment poop is very important. If you pass by sizable rocky islands you may notice that a lot of are the same shade of brownish-white. This is not because they were all formed by the same type of rocks, no it’s because a whole consortium of different types of animals love to sit on top of those rocks to rest, eat, and…poop. These islands...

One of the great things about working for a kayak and whale watch company is the opportunity to get out on the water a learn new things.  When I started here at San Juan Outfitters, I had never been in a true sea kayak and I was eager to test it out!  Now in my 5th summer I enjoy regularly going out for paddles and even got to attend our senior guide training at Deception Pass.  Kayak Guides attend trainings each season and continue to work on skills throughout the summer...

Our group boarded the Sea Hawk in hopes of finding all the types of wildlife that inhabit our diverse seas! Even though the resident killer whales swam so far north that we were unable to reach them, we were able to encounter some of the other jewels of the Salish Sea. We travelled to the infamous Spieden Island where guests spotted a whole host of harbor seals and bald eagles.

Friday Harbor is home to a famous harbor seal named Popeye; she is frequently found in the...