5 hour tour

Today was a lovely day out on the water. We started off going south through Mosquito Pass, passing by rocks with sun basking seals enjoying their escape from the 48 degree water. We paddled out and around Kellet Bluff, passing by Rhinoceros Aucklets diving after small fish. It was a great day for catching the current all the way up the coast of Henry Island. We also were surprised by several Peregrin Falcons swooping down around us. We stopped for a lovely lunch at Half...

Despite having to work against strong winds and a flooding current before our lunch break, we ended up having a really nice paddle today! The guests were kind and curious, as were the many harbor seals who surrounded our boats multiple times! We explored Garrison Bay and English Camp, paddling around Guss Island and back up Mosquito Pass, finally with the wind at our backs and the warm sun on our faces.

Kayak guide Courtney, 5 hour tour,  San Juan Island Outfitters Whale...

It was an interesting day out on the water today!  Today started pretty breezy with gusts around 10 mph.  This created an exciting paddle out to Open Bay with some choppy waves and plenty of wave splash.  Lots of fun! After lunch the wind died down and it was a perfect day out on the water!

Kayak Guide Chris, 5 hour kayak tour, San Juan Island Outfitters Whale Watch & Kayak Tours

You stay classy Roche Harbor.

Today was an absolutely sensational day on the water. I have never had an encounter with Orcas like my guests and I had today! We  had lunch near Open Bay and quickly got back in our boats in order to position ourselves alongshore in case the whales came our way. Sure enough, as we were in the process of rafting up, an Orca surfaced only several yards away. This Orca surfaced again and again, then our focus shifted to a line of 8-10 whales coming directly at us! Holding...

We started off our 5 hour tour by heading South through Mosquito Pass, sighting harbor seals, sea stars, jellies and eagles along the way. After lunch, we began our paddle along the West side of Henry Island, and just before reaching Half Moon Bay, we spotted Resident Orca Whales surfacing several hundred yards offshore! We rafted up and gently drifted as we watched them play and feed as they headed South through the Haro Strait. Thinking most of them had passed, we...

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...

Today I paddled out on a 5 hour sea kayak tour with guests from all over the U.S.. We set off under graying skies, and encountered strong currents and big waves right off the bat. As we rounded Kellett Bluffs, we found ourselves paddling through rough water with the wind at our backs and waves breaking all around us. It was exciting to be paddling through such big water, and everyone had a wide smile on their face!

The skies cleared up and it ended up being a...

I paddled out on a 5 hour Orca Search sea kayak tour today, and enjoyed my day with some hearty guests who were able to gamely paddle through some rough breaking waves. We were crossing our fingers that the resident killer whales on the south side of San Juan Island would continue to head north towards us. The whales moved northbound all the way to the lighthouse (Lime Kiln State Park) but then, alas, they turned away and moved out of range.

Although we were...

Hege and I paddled out for a 5 hour tour this morning, and while we were hoping to see whales, we were content with a long, hard paddle and numerous bird sightings. The clouds from earlier lifted and we had bright sunny skies with us all day (my sunburned face will attest to that!). As Hege was a great novice paddler and happy to keep moving instead of examining the flora and fauna up close, we sailed around Henry Island and headed down to San Juan County Park...