san juan island

Today we paddled out hoping to see some wildlife, and were rewarded with bald eagle sighting after bald eagle sighting! Stretching from Roche Harbor over to Pearl and Posey Islands, and over the western side of Henry Island were eagles along every few points. It was great to see bald eagles in all life stages from eaglets in the nest, to immatures flying solo, to a mature mated pair standing guard.

Each day we'll be able to see those eaglets develop a little more...

Last Tuesday morning we set out from Roche Harbor with 14 people aboard our boat the Sea Hawk. It was a drizzly morning but the wildlife was still fantastic. On our way out we motored over to a large group of Harbor Seals hauled out on shallow rocks. They craned their necks to look at us but then went back to doing what they do best, napping! We also viewed several Bald Eagles perched majestically in the tree tops. After motoring down the west side of San Juan...

On a sunny Saturday afternoon our group of 10 kayakers left Roche Harbor. We paddled in calm waters past Pearl Island and around to the western side of Henry Island where we saw everything from Bald Eagles to brilliant purple Ochre Sea Stars. We even ate Bull Kelp! Sitting in the Bull Kelp bed we sat quietly munching on our Kelp snack as curious Harbor Seal heads popped up around us. As we continued south on the west side of Henry Island we heard the screeching of...

Today Joe reported back spotting a Steller sea lion out on the west side of Henry Island. While observing harbor seals at rest and play, Joe and his guests spotted something that looked a little out of the ordinary. Upon further observation he concluded it must be a Steller sea lion. As these large marine mammals are more common in the spring, so it was a quite a surprise to see one at this time. We'll keep our eyes open for the next few weeks and hope to see more...

As our morning 3 hour sea kayak tour pushed off from the dock there was a slight drizzle but as they continued on their tour the sky cleared and they were treated to a wildlife extravaganza. They spotted two bald eagles on a beach, a mink scurrying along the shoreline, a raccoon lurking in the grass and two red foxes resting under a madrona tree. The guide, Joe, said that today shaped out to be one of his best days of paddling so far.

After a few 3-hour sea kayak tours today, Noelle reported back having seen a group of orcas out in the Haro Strait. Although the whales were far off, it was still a treat to see them again after a day's absence. Her other highlight included seeing an adult female river otter with her young. To see a family with kits is always exciting as they are often elusive.

Today I paddled out on a 3 hour sea kayak tour departing from Roche Harbor, San Juan Island. Despite the dreary weather, we all managed to have a great time! There were harbor seals and harbor seal pups to see, bald eagles to look for, tasty bull kelp to eat, crabs to find, jellies to scoop up and more!

At San Juan Outfitters we paddle rain or shine, so it's important that everyone bring the gear necessary to ensure comfort and safety regardless of the weather....

Joe returned to Roche Harbor after a 5 hour orca search tour with his guests. As his paddlers were in great shape they paddled south down San Juan Island before heading west to loop up and around Henry Island. Their 12+ mile paddle brought them into the Haro Strait where they could see our resident killer whales heading south. Although the orcas were in the distance, Joe and his guests were excited to see them.
For San Juan Outfitters today makes the 5th straight...

Yesterday Deborah set off on a 5 hour "Orca Search By Kayak" sea kayak tour and boy did they find whales! Deborah reported that the southern resident killer whales were spread out across the Haro Strait, and her group was in the perfect position to see a lot of activity from the whales as they swam past. While normally the protocol (for kayaking when whales are present) is to paddle offshore, yesterday the currents were so strong that it would have been...

Captain Nancy and Noelle reported back seeing L pod, of the southern resident killer whales down at False Bay this morning, thus continuing a long streak of whale sightings. This past week we've been fortunate enough to have the orcas at our back door, i.e., on the west side of the island. J, K & L pods have all been passing by through the Haro Strait almost every day now, and often in a "Superpod", which is the term for when all three pods are joined up and...