harbor porpoise

Erin| M/V Sea Hawk | Saturday, Septemer 7, 2019 | 2:00 PM

What an incredible trip aboard the M/V Sea Hawk today! We headed north out of Roche Harbor in pursuit of a report of killer whales near Waldron Island. We went through Johns Pass, which is a lovely area in between Johns and Stuart islands. We couldn't get over how calm the sea was around us. It was a perfect day to be out on the water. After going through Johns Pass, we found ourselves in Boundary Pass. This is...

M/V Sea Hawk | Sunday, July 21, 2019 | 1:00 PM | Naturalist Erin

It was a beaufitul day aboard the M/V Sea Hawk in the Salish Sea. It was sunny, the water was calm, and there was an abundance of wildlife! We began heading out of Roche Harbor and going across San Juan Channel towards the south side of Spieden Island. On our way there, we saw lots of harbor seals hauled out on some rocks! There were some that were resting and warming up on the rocks, and there were some...

Erin | M/V Sea Hawk | 2:00 PM | Tuesday, July 9, 2019

What an incredible adventure aboard the M/V Sea Hawk! The sun was shining and the ocean was calm. It was a perfect day to be out on the water. We left the harbor and headed north toward East Point. We were destined for Canadian waters, where we heard that there were some humpback whales! We took a beautiful route through Johns Pass, where we saw a bald eagle resting on top of a flagpole. It was looking quite majestic...

Erin | M/V Sea Hawk | 2:00 PM | Friday, July 5, 2019

What a wonderful afternoon in Boundary Pass this 5th of July! We left Roche Harbor and headed north through Johns Pass. Johns Pass is in between Johns and Stuart Island. It is a beautiful pass. After going through the pass, we headed toward Waldron Island, where there were some reports of Bigg's killer whales. On our way to see the whales, we saw lots of harbor seals pop their heads out of the water. Everybody was...

[Monday, 6/18/18 - M/V Seahawk - 12:00 - Naturalist Erick]

This Monday We headed out into the bright shiny waters of San Juan Channel. Captain Pete and I took a group of passengers south through San Juan Channel. On our way we passed Harbor Porpoises that were swimming, Bald Eagles that were soaring, and Pigeon Guillemots that were diving. We headed south past Friday Harbor and Turn Island to go see a Humpback Whale that was travelling and feeding down here. Humpback...

Spyhopping Southern Resident Killer Whale off of Henry Island, WA

Sunday mornings, especially on holiday weekends, are my favorite times to be at Roche Harbor. The excitement in the air is palpable, usually the sun is shining in a bright blue sky, and we have the chance to welcome and host a group of very enthusiastic people.

This Labor Day weekend was no different. On our 11am departure we had a group of our Southern Resident Killer Whales reported off the Westside of...

Here in the San Juan Islands we are constantly surrounded by beautiful marine wildlife. Our waters are home to a wide diversity of marine mammals including four species of whales, two species of dolphins, two species of porpoises, two species of seals, two species of sea lions, and we also have the possibility of seeing two species of otters! With such a great array of species, we sometimes come across injured or dead wildlife on our tours or while wandering the islands...

As we departed Roche Harbor on the Sea Hawk, guests were hopeful of spotting orca whales. The morning reports had seemed positive, I indicating transient killer whales in Boundary Pass (the pass that divides US waters and Canadian waters). On route to the reports, we spotted a group of playful harbor porpoises. Harbor porpoises are typically timid of stopped boats, so being able to stop our boat and get up close views was very special. They typically travel in groups of 2...

T46s in the Straight of Juan De Fuca

This morning, Captain Gabe, and Captain Jim, and Naturalist Erick, and I all took a Sierra Club charter on an M/V Sea Hawk cruise. This group was willing to do whatever it took to see whales, so they booked a 5 hour tour, as opposed to the usual 3-hour. This basically means that we're able to go farther. Whales that are "out-of-range" due to time constraints on a 3-hour, may be in range on a 5-hour because we have more time.

As...

Today was an astounding adventure on the ol' Seahawk that nobody could have expected.

Captain Brian and I had the boat ready for some very enthusiastic and excited passengers who were carrying a boatload of luck as far as viewing wildlife goes.

After we got loaded up we headed South out of Roche Harbor down Mosquito Pass. Just as we were talking about the abundant harbor seal population we putted past a rock that was coated with the very nonchalant pinnipeds.

Reaching the...