sea kayak

Yesterday Joe, Nick and I along with new guides Megan and Tim returned from a little overnight kayak trip of our own. We paddled out to Stuart Island for the night, and then returned to Friday Harbor the second day. The gorgeous blue skies and calm waters let us take advantage of the area and explore some new routes. We saw lots of eagles and sea birds, and even found a small pod of harbor porpoises foraging off the western point of Speiden Island.

This evening one of our new guides Tim paddled out on a 3 hour sunset sea kayak tour, and boy was it gorgeous out! The calm waters north of Henry Island allowed for an almost perfect reflection of the sun going down. It was briefly obscured by a low lying cloud bank just above Salt Spring Island, but then slipped down to reveal a huge, glowing red orb. It was a perfect night for a paddle!

Joe returned from his 3 hour tour in high spirits today. Not only did he have fantastic guests that were ready to encounter anything that came their way, but they had a great time looking at the animals out there. Although they worked against strong winds to fast moving currents, their upbeat attitudes ensured that everyone had a good time.

They were rewarded with up close wildlife encounters including sea birds, bald eagles and of course, our local harbor seals...

This morning I saw out a large group of Harlequin ducks feeding out on the calm water. While they're a common sight on our sea kayak tours, this was the first time I'd seen so many grouped together while swimming. I watched for a few minutes and saw the dozen birds all diving and surfacing in unison; using their large numbers to corral and cooperatively hunt their prey.

One one hand I can't believe it's already June 1rst and on the other, the absolutely stunning weather of the past week makes it feel like it should be August already.

This afternoon I paddled out on a special tour with two lovely ladies from Colorado. The water was as smooth as glass all around us, so we were able to see the antics of some seals from far off. A few males were out and about practicing their mating displays, so we got to hear the double flipper slap...

This week's bout of rain couldn't dampen the spirits of some intrepid sea kayakers, and good thing too! The rain really changes the atmosphere and overall look of our local paddling route. As long as everyone is adequately prepared and geared up, paddling in the rain can be absolutely fantastic. The rain seems to dampen the neighboring sounds and low clouds obscure the farther islands, allowing us to really concentrate much more on our immediate scenery. On a day...

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...

Today Noelle paddled out on a 3 hour sea kayak tour, and along with the more common bald eagles and harbor seals, she and her guests were also thrilled to sea some killer whales! The slow, northbound moving group of whales were in the Harbor Strait between Henry Island and D'Arcy Island, CA. Granted, they were in the distance, but everyone could see dorsal fins and the spouts created by exhalation. It was a gorgeous, calm sunny day for a paddle, so what a great...

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...

Noelle paddled out with three guests this morning for a 3 hour sea kayak tour, and reported back that there were sunny skies and smooth, glassy waters to greet them out on the west side. Once there they had quite a few wildlife sightings-- from harbor seals to bald eagles-- but what was most exciting was the porpoises that were spotted foraging around just off the western shore of Henry Island. Noelle identified them as Dall's porpoises, making them the first Dall...