san juan island

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...

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...

Yesterday we had a super fun wedding party charter the Seahawk for some fun in the sunny San Juan Islands. Captain Gabe and I set out south to go look for a Humpback Whale! On the way we saw a couple of Harbor Porpoises playing in the awesome rips as that days strong tide pushed in the opposite direction as an odd northerly wind. We went all the way down south past Friday Harbor and Turn Island in to calm Griffin Bay. We first spotted the Humpback close to shore, looking...

On this beautiful Wednesday the Sea Hawk headed north towards Haro Straight in pursuit of the T-124’s. We quickly arrived on scene, and were able to spend a full hour travelling with the killer whales.  We witnessed what appeared to the young pod hunting and then potentially engaging in some playful behavior. We interpreted hunting behavior originally when the orcas were moving cryptically through the water and making movements with purpose. Once they finished hunting...

The humpback whale sightings continue! This spring has yielded just incredible wildlife sightings, everything from various species of birds, to crazy numbers of cetaceans. May 26th was no exception!

I feel that one of the highlights of the spring has been the return of the humpback whales to their summer feeding grounds here in the Salish Sea. In the North Pacific humpback whales were considered to be commercially extinct by the year 1968. That means that whalers headed...

A "tiny" Lion's Mane Jelly next to the dock in Friday Harbor

The Salish Sea is not just the home to many cetacean species like the Orcas, Dall’s Porpoises, and Humpback Whales but a whole menagerie of cool creatures. If you have the opportunity to visit one of the many coastal parks on the islands I definitely recommend tide-pooling. Some great places on San Juan Island are Lime Kiln State Park, Cattle Point, and False Bay. Since we’re pretty far north up here, the tide...

Salmonberry picking

Orcas swim for Salmon, I run for Salmonberries. You’ve probably heard of blackberries and raspberries but have you ever heard of a salmonberry. It might seem fishy, but it tastes like anything but. Salmonberries (Rubus spectabilis) inhabit the western coast of North America from southern Alaska down to northern California. Just like our other Rubus friends – like raspberries and blackberries - it has composite berries that are oh so sweet. Does it...

We received another misty Monday yesterday. Clouds floated low in the sky, slowly tearing away from the treetops on the islands. We headed north, and since we’re still in the shoulder season before the main schools of salmon start running through these waters we were looking mostly for Transient Orcas. Of the two ecotypes of orcas that live here one, the Residents, arrive in the summer to eat the salmon runs that occur annually. They are fish eaters and around 90% of...

It’s cooled down a little bit here, getting closer to normal May weather. The sun was still out in full, bright force but air wasn’t so hot as it has been, but summer still feels like it is here a little early. Everything is opening on the island, more folks are starting to walk around enjoying the longer sunny days, and all the plants are so excited for the sunshine after a pretty grey winter. This sunny Saturday we had a choice to make, since there was no reports out...