whale watching

Laura C. | M/V Sea Hawk | 8/11/2019 | 2:00pm

We had a “killer” day out on the water!  M/V Sea Hawk headed out of Roche harbor with full steam ahead!  The radio was in constant use by boaters voyaging through the Salish Sea, announcing a Bigg’s killer whale sighting just past Stewart Island!  As we made our way north, we heard that there was a lone Bigg’s killer whale also traveling northbound.

Our vessel approached Moresby Island and we were greeted with a tall male...

[Sarah M | 08/15/2018 | M/V Seahawk | 02:00pm]

Yesterday the M/V Seahawk had another great trip in the Salish Sea. Even though we are still experiencing smoky conditions, the wildlife sightings have been off the charts amazing and unaffected by the atmospheric conditions.

On our 02:00pm afternoon trip we left Roche Harbor and headed southwest through Mosquito Pass towards Sidney Island. As we reached the south end of Sidney Island, near Hughes Pass we found a family...

Captain & Naturalist Sarah | 06/23/2018 | M/V Seahawk

AHHHHH… Days don’t get much better than this on M/V Seahawk… bright blue skies and whales nearby. Owner/Operator Brian and I decided to leave Roche Harbor and head north to a report of killer whales just off of Waldron Island. As we Rounded Green Point on Spieden Island we quickly realized that the reported group had split up… two famlies heading north towards Boundary Pass, and another heading south through...

[Sarah M – 06/13/2018 – M/V Seahawk – 12:00pm]

Captain Gabe and I took passengers aboard the M/V Seahawk on a whirlwind adventure North into the Canadian Gulf Islands on the search for killer whales. Captain Gabe steered the boat out of the North entrance of Roche Harbor and we turned left.

We had a lovely cruise up the shoreline of Stuart Island to Turn Point lighthouse towards Swanson Channel. The water movement we caught glimpses of was spectacular. There was so...

[Sarah – 05/19/2018 – M/V Seahawk – 3:00pm Private Charter]

Ahh spring days on the M/V Seahawk! The sun was shining, the water was calm, and we had wildlife to discover. Captain Pete and I were excited for an afternoon spent on the water! With no firm reports of whales around the San Juan Islands we decided to aim north towards Canadian waters to try our luck up north of the border.

We cruised through Boundary Pass and up into Plumper Sound, marveling at the incredible...

[Lauren Fritz, M/V Seahawk, 08/24/17, 2:00 pm Tour]

Today was a beautiful day in Roche Harbor, Washington, but what day isn't gorgeous out here in the San Juans? This particular day was sunny, with a light breeze and calm waters. The perfect day to go out on a whale watch. Captain Joe and I were so excited to see what animals were waiting for us out of the harbor, so we gave our introductions and briefings to our wonderful guests, cast the lines, and motored out of Roche...

[08/21/17- M/V Sea Hawk- Kelsey, Naturalist- 2:00PM]

 Happy Eclipse Day! The day felt like a holiday with people taking time from their daily activities to take a step outside and view nature doin’ its thing. We took it a step further and spent not just the morning viewing the eclipse, we also spent our afternoon watchin’ some whales!

We headed out of Roche Harbor from San Juan Island and headed just slightly northwest, and just a few minutes into the trip, we were with...

[08/18/17- M/V Sea Hawk- Kelsey, Naturalist- 2:00PM]

It was almost too easy, today! M/V Sea Hawk cruised out of Roche Harbor in search of whales and other awesome wildlife, and it only took a matter of minutes to reach the west side of Speiden Island where some transient (or mammal-eating) orcas were mingling. We had hoped to see whales, but we soon saw much more than just that! We saw whales come up RIGHT to our boat!

We had our engine off and were watching them milling...

[8/9/17- M/V Sea Hawk- Kelsey, Naturalist- 2:00PM]

In recent days, we have not been seeing orcas, because they were just out finding food elsewhere! But today, our luck changed and we saw some transient (mammal-hunting) orcas, just southwest of San Juan Island!

M/V Sea Hawk had quite the trip in store as we moseyed out of Roche Harbor towards Victoria, BC. We finally reached some orcas, and they were soon identified as the T18 family group. This cozy little family of four...

[Lauren Fritz, M/V Seahawk, 08/01/17, 2:00 pm Tour]

We had some interesting weather in the Salish Sea today - a nice haze coated our islands, creating an etheral aura and providing a beautiful backdrop for our whale watches today. After our guests had boarded the M/V Seahawk in Roche Harbor, Captain Joe shared his plan for the day. We would be heading north and going into "search mode" because no whales had yet been reported in our area - we wanted to be the first to find...