Harbor Seals swim by San Juan Island sea kayak tour

San Juan Island sea kayak wildlife update for Friday August 29th:

Yesterday I paddled out on a 3 hour sea kayak tour with guests from Idaho. The water level was so high that most haul out rocks were covered so I wasn't sure we'd see any harbor seals but as we paddled down the west side of Henry Island we were suddenly surrounded by harbor seals. 6 or 7 of them surfaced all around us, curious and calm but wary too. One large adult repeatedly surfaced eating a HUGE fish. With each appearance a little more of the fish disappeared! At one point a little pup came over to investigate us and surfaced both between our boats and alongside my bow. It was neat to see the little one, but I was glad it kept its distance.

It was a gorgeous, calm day out on the west side and there were few boats to be seen or heard. Simply lovely.

Sea Kayaking Family Tour San Juan Island--August 24th

This morning on our 3-hour family sea kayak tour we had a veritable feast of native wildlife! Apparently the animals were hungry, because we saw ochre sea stars eating barnacles, harbor seals eating fish, as well as a sighting of a bald eagle catching a fish! One of the kayaks had a baby seal pup come up and stare at the paddlers, from less than a paddle's reach away from the boat! Beautiful paddling weather today, no wind and warm!

Don C

Mother harbor seal and pup surface next to child on San Juan Island 3 hour

San Juan Island sea kayak wildlife update for July 20th:

Today I paddled out under gorgeous skies with a small family, and we were on the hunt for wildlife! We've been seeing a great number of harbor seal pups lately, especially out on the west side, where there are a number of safe haul out spots for them. It was great to view them at a distance, and listen to their vocalizations, but even better to see them close up. As we were paddling near a forest of bull kelp, a mother seal and her pup surfaced just a few feet from the kayak of a young girl. She was tickled pink to see the animals so close, as were we all!

Gorgeous sunset greets 3 hour sea kayak tour on San Juan Island

San Juan Island sea kayak wildlife update for July 11th:

Today was a pretty fantastic day all around-- gorgeous weather, active wildlife and calm water. As we rested in the bull kelp forest, we kept a sharp lookout for harbor seals, and were rewarded when a mother decided to haul herself out of the water and on top of the kelp just a few dozen feet from our boats. There she proceeded to get comfortable and nurse her pup!

Earlier that day we'd been resting in the same spot when an eagle flew down from its nest on McCracken Point and landed with a splash in the water below. It remained in the water for a few moments, having obviously tried to pick up some dinner that was heavier than expected, before flapping those great wings with some difficulty and becoming airborne yet again (without anything to eat).

After leaving the kelp forest we paddled south and checked out yet another bald eagle nest and there we saw clearly the eaglet in the nest, and watched as it flapped its wings over and over again.

It was an absolutely perfect day for a sunset paddle with the cloudless blue skies of the afternoon giving way to cloud cover at dusk-- creating a dramatic display of pinks, reds and purples in the sky.

Whales seen in the distance on 3 hour San Juan Island sea kayak tour

San Juan Island sea kayak tour wildlife update for July 10:

It was another beautiful day on the west side, and my 3 hour sea kayak tour was pleased to see all sorts of wildlife out and about! Not only did I get my first glimpse of the year of an eaglet in a nest, but we also saw killer whales off in the distance! The whales were spread out in the Haro Strait, headed north. Although they were so far off that we could only just make out some dorsal fins and their exhalations, it was still awesome to see.

Gorgeous sunset seen from 3 hour sea kayak tour

San Juan Island sea kayak wildlife update for July 3rd:

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. It was a nearly cloudless day, and the colors were spectacular, so I'm glad we stayed out a few extra minutes to watch it truly set.