harbor porpoise

I paddled out for my first trip of the season today, and what a day! The weather was perfect and the wildlife certainly on display. There were so many different kinds of winter birds-- scoters, mergasers, buffleheads, cormorants, bald eagles, kingfishers, guillemots, auklets and more. The highlight of the trip for me was when two harbor porpoise surfaced behind our boats a few times. They seemed to be feeding, but moved off before we could get some really good...

This evening I paddled out of Roche Harbor for a sunset tour, and boy was it spectacular. I think sunset tours are my favorite because we saw all the local critters-- bald eagles and eaglets, harbor seals, harbor porpoises-- but also had the waters to ourselves as most recreational boaters had already turned in.

This trip we were especially lucky to have seen a few harbor porpoises out feeding and also a mother harbor seal giving her young pup a ride on her back...

Yesterday started off gray and rainy, so I was pleased that my guests were not deterred by the cool weather. We made sure to dress appropriately with warm layers and raincoats, and headed out. It's absolutely essential that everyone who intends to go out on the water always brings clothing to stay warm and dry-- even in summer that means a fleece or other non-cotton layers, and a windbreaker or raincoat. It's always better to be prepared than caught unawares!

I...

I'm SO pleased to be able to write about my own killer whale sightings today! This past week we've been seeing killer whales on multiple 3 hour, 5 hour and multi-day tours and whale watch trips, but today was the first time I've been the one to spot them!

I paddled out with a lovely family from California, and the seven of us made our way down the west side of Henry Island. As we could see over a dozen boats clustered together out in the Haro Strait, we started to...

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...

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.

Success! Nancy and I headed out from Roche Harbor and headed north in search of some members of K pod that had been spotted earlier that day. Whales in K pod are members of the Southern Resident Community, resident killer whales that spend their summers here in the Salish Sea as they hunt the salmon that pass through on their way to spawn upriver.

After a long boat ride (cruising with the current at 18 knts) we encountered the whales just a few miles south of Point...

This afternoon I paddled out with Doug & Debra from Idaho, and they brought luck with them. We saw a ton of wildlife, and the weather was fantastic to boot. All throughout the 5 hour paddle we saw and heard male harbor seals slapping the surface of the water, but it was in the bull kelp bed off of McCracken Point that we could see them up close. These seals were launching almost their whole bodies out of the water and coming down with a resounding splash. It was...

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...