roche harbor

Today, Captain Gabe and I took a super enthusiastic group out on the M/V Seahawk! We headed south along the west side of San Juan Island to look for the Southern Resident Killer Whales. These are the salmon eating ones that live in the north pacific and usually spend much of the summer inside the Salish Sea since salmon have to make their way through to find the rivers that they were born in. This year is a historically low salmon year so we have not seen the residents...

We pulled out of beautiful, sunny Roche Harbor in hopes of finding killer whales (orcas) in the thick fog that surrounded the southern half of San Juan Island. We began heading south and had to turn on our radar and use a fog horn to communicate with surrounding vessels, it was a unique way to travel but also very safe. As we began slowing in the fog - we spotted two black dorsal fins cutting through the water. We had spotted K-Pod (southern resident killer whales)! We...

Of all the creatures spotted on our wildlife tours this summer, K pod resident killer whales have been the most elusive. They spent the majority of the summer in their wintering grounds in the Pacific Ocean, making us wonder if we were ever going to spot them again! Finally, a few days ago, J pod returned to the Salish Sea and brought K pod swimming along with them.

We headed out of Mosquito pass to follow up on a report of residents milling around False Bay on the...

Today we got geared up and headed out on a 5 hour kayaking trip out of Roche Harbor.  We started out by seeing lot's of harbor seals once we paddled to the Haro Strait.  Continuing south we had the opportunity to see a juvenile bald eagle as well as an adult hanging out in a 5 foot wide nest.  Not long after we were surprised by orcas appearing off our right hand side.  We got to spend about 15 minutes with the whales before they swam off and got looks as close as 50...

Today we took the Seahawk up north to boundary pass, aiming for Patos Island to follow some potential orca reports. J pod was reported moving southwards from Point Roberts this morning, returning from their trip to Canada yesterday where they spend the majority of their day miles up the Strait of Georgia. Killer whales regularly travel 100 miles a day, and based on their movement since last night they may make today a hundred mile day!

When we approached Patos Island a...

Yesterday (Sunday), was another beautiful day out on the water in the San Juan Islands. It’s still summer here, hot and sunny, but there are signs of fall starting in the more northerly regions of the planet. Different birds species that breed and nest in the arctic regions are returning here in preparation for winter. Most notably (maybe just my favorites) are the phalaropes. These groups of birds are a little smaller than doves and hang around drifting mats of logs and...

Here in the San Juan Islands we are constantly surrounded by beautiful marine wildlife. Our waters are home to a wide diversity of marine mammals including four species of whales, two species of dolphins, two species of porpoises, two species of seals, two species of sea lions, and we also have the possibility of seeing two species of otters! With such a great array of species, we sometimes come across injured or dead wildlife on our tours or while wandering the islands...

Today's wildlife tour took the Seahawk on a cruise around some of the most beautiful and eccentric islands in the San Juans. We ducked out of Roche Harbor through Mosquito Pass where double created and pelagic cormorants were drying their wings off on the buoys marking private docks. Once we moved into Haro Strait we picked up a little bit of a breeze and a light chop until we put the wind behind us and headed north. We spotted a bald eagle soaring past the west side of...

The only way I have come to describe days like yesterday is “San Juan Special.” Those days that I am trying to explain the area to guests and the only thing I feel like I can say, “Do you see how beautiful this is?!”

You could have water skied on the mighty Haro Strait yesterday, and it was difficult to tell where the water ended and the sky began at the horizon. The whole strait felt still and it was a magical day to encounter some wildlife.

The M/V Seahawk left the...

Today we started out by launching out of county park and started paddling north on a 5-hour kayaking trip.  The weather was perfect with blue skies and sunshine the entire trip.  Not long after being on the water we were surprised by a harbor seal popping up with 15 yards with what looked like a canary rockfish in its mouth.  We got to watch it gorge itself for awhile before paddling on.  We stopped for lunch and were just finishing up when we spotted a bull orca.  So we...