j pod

We are getting spoiled with these early season trips here on San Juan Island! Yesterday was one of those magical trips that we have spent all winter dreaming about. Captain Mike and I left Friday Harbor with a lively private charter group on the search for some wildlife! As it is still early season for seeing killer whales, I was cautiously optimistic on our chances of seeing whales, but thought if we did see orcas that they would most likely be some of our local Bigg’s...

Individual orcas can be distinguished from one another by looking at preexisting  markings on their bodies. Though whales can be told apart by the markings on their cheeks or their eypatches, we primarily look at the saddlepatch, the grey marking behind the dorsal fin. Once those markings are recorded via photograph, alphanumeric (Letter-Number) codes are assigned to individuals. We have two populations of orcas in our waters, Residents, salmon-eaters, and Transients...

On Friday you could feel the the coolness of September creeping up on the end of August, and Capt. Jim and I were heading north to meet up with our wonderful Southern Resident Killer Whales, and little did we know that it would be one of the best whale watching trips...ever. The orcas seemed to be moving quicker than we expected since we saw them just past Battleship Island soon after we left Roche Harbor.

It was some members of J pod. We saw two of the big males in the...

Today Captain Pete and I loaded up the Seahawk with passengers from Texas, Seattle, Colorado, and even France, and left the Roche Harbor dock in search of wildlife. We had heard that there were whales wayyyyyy down south near Heind Bank at the confluence of the Haro Strait and the Strait of Juan de Fuca so we went South through the ever twisty Mosquito Pass.

As we began to motor down the West coast of San Juan Island, Pete and I were discussing that the tide was on its...

Yesterday, Capt. Gabe and I hit the watery trail with a good ol' group down to False Bay to see if we could spy us some of the Souther Resident Killer Whales - or Rezzys as we affectionately call them. When first caught sight of them I honestly have to say that I was a little surprised. Because I couldn't really really positively ID any of the few we spotted first. I thought and thought and thought and suddenly Ocean Sun (L-25) popped up near us. It was L pod! This was...

Today Captain Pete and I took the Seahawk out on yet another memorable adventure with a group of excited passengers. We left Roche Harbor with reports of Orcas far, faaar away near Victoria, BC but decided to take a chance and head that direction anyway. We made our way South through the always inviting mosquito pass out into Haro Strait.

No sooner did we enter the deep channel than a passenger exclaimed "what was that??" I turned around to see the massive back of a...

Yesterday on the Seahawk, we had an amazing day. Capt. Gabe and I set out with a bunch of great guests on a very sunny and calm day on the water. There were reports of some of the Resident Killer Whales heading east along the north side of Henry Island which is really close to Roche Harbor! We managed to head them off at the pass! Right when we exited Mosquito Pass into Haro Strait. It was the J-16s! We moved out of their way and watched them swim south. It seemed like...

Today Captain Jim and I took off on the ol' Seahawk with a boatload of excited and curious passengers from Kentucky to Alaska, sun in the sky, and wildlife on the brain. As we left Roche Harbor headed North, it didn't take us long to find what we were looking for: ORCAS!!

We caught up with the Southern Resident Killer Whale community just past Battleship rock (a bird sanctuary that was mistaken for an American warship by British troops during the Pig War) and watched...

On this fine Thursday afternoon, Captain Pete and I departed from Roche Harbor for our second trip of the day. We headed directly for the west side, and assumed we would meet up with the same residents that we had been hanging out with this morning, and were expecting pretty much the same trip we had this morning (fairly active residents, up and down the west side). But my oh my, this second trip was even better than the first.

We came across one matriline after another...

Today Captain Gabe and I took out the ol' Seahawk on yet another adventure in the San Juan Islands to help connect excited passengers to the incredible ecosystem of the Salish Sea!

We left the dock in Roshe Harbor with the sun in the sky (after a rainy spell) and a collective mind to find some Orcas. We had no reports as of leaving the harbor, but that soon changed.

We headed South through Mosquito Pass, very narrow and scenic channel leading from Roche Harbor to the Haro...