river otter

[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...

Today Captain Gabe and I left the dock on the Seahawk with a boat full of excited passengers and reports of whales. I was particularly excited because I have been off the water and away from the wonders of the ocean for a few days. As we motored through mosquito pass under the hazy sky, we began to rack up the wildlife sightings with a great blue heron lazily flapping by and some playful river otters fearlessly running around on some rocks.

We didn't have long to wait...

With the sun out and blue sky all around, all three morning kayak trips enjoyed an abundance of wildlife. They spotted bald eagles, harbor seals and river otters. The morning was low tide, which allowed us to observe sea stars, kelp crabs and moon jellies. The day ended with four of our guests from the 5 hour kayak trip taking advantage of the great weather by going for an impromptu swim.

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 of Roche Harbor on a private sea kayak tour and we paddled over to Posey Island for a picnic. Posey Island-- at high tide one of our nation's smallest state parks-- is a lovely spot to take a break, rest, relax, watch the sunset and even stay the night.

As we returned to the harbor we were fortunate enough to glimpse a mink scampering along Pearl's shores, a river otter playing off the Tarte's dock and then a harbor seal sunning its head in the...

Well I've just returned from our first overnight sea kayak trip of the season and have to report back a wonderful success. The weather was absolutely perfect and the wildlife certainly put on a great show, so that coupled with delicious snacks and good company made for a great weekend.

Steve and Robin were Washingtonians with an appetite for adventure, and I'm glad I could deliver. We met in Friday Harbor and walked down to our exclusive launching docks where we...

I am glad so many folks decided to come kayaking today as it was absolutely gorgeous here on the west side. My first tour of the day was special, as it was just Dan and Joan with me, and we got to really relish the quiet perfection. They were native Washingtonians, so it was a treat for me to be able to show them a side of these islands (and their state) they'd never seen before.
My second tour was also pretty neat as the wildlife really came out for the four...

Today I paddled out for a day sea kayak trip with European visitors Oliver & Osvaldo, and boy did we luck out! The water was smooth as glass, the currents minimal, and the temperature warm. Although we sorely wanted to see some killer whales or porpoises, luck was not with us, but the gorgeous day and other fantastic wildlife sightings more than made up for it.

Most of the interesting critters we saw were land-based, surprisingly enough. Of course we saw bald...

Today I paddled out with Diana, and although rain had been in the forecast, the skies cleared for some sun by the end of the afternoon. It was a beautiful day for a paddle, and we were both glad to meet better weather than expected. We saw a great variety of wildlife today, from Bald Eagles to auklets, and river otters to raccoons. It was really neat to see the critters that came out and down to the low tide line to look for a meal!

As we were feeling pretty good...

Well folks, spring is definitely here! The past few days have been absolutely gorgeous here on San Juan Island. Buds on trees are emerging, flowers are sprouting up, birds are busy building their nests and the wildlife is out in abundance. Something is definitely in the air...

Spring is a fantastic time of year to visit the islands, as we often have the sunshine of the summer without the crowds. This week in particular-- on both our whale watch trips and our sea...