It’s always a special day when we get to observe humpback whales in the Salish Sea. Since whalers started targeting our humpback population in their breeding grounds around Hawaii, their numbers have plummeted. Despite the passing of the international ban on whaling in 1982, it took until 2003 for humpbacks to rediscover our waters and begin establishing a population here. Today we have an estimated four dozen adult humpbacks that return to our waters every summer, so spotting them is rare and...

Adult Bald Eagle

Today, Captain Gabe and I head out of Roche Harbor with a lovely family charter on board M/V Sea Hawk. We cruised north in the direction of a humpback whale report and caught up with it a few miles northwest of Turn Point. This lone adult was exhibiting typical humpback behavior, surfacing 3-5 times to breath between each 4-6 minute deep dive. For the majority of our time with this whale, we were the only boat on scene. I love when that happens...

Poop. Yeah that’s right I said it. It’s what makes the world go round. Not really that’s mostly done by gravity, but in the marine environment poop is very important. If you pass by sizable rocky islands you may notice that a lot of are the same shade of brownish-white. This is not because they were all formed by the same type of rocks, no it’s because a whole consortium of different types of animals love to sit on top of those rocks to rest, eat, and…poop. These islands...

One of the great things about working for a kayak and whale watch company is the opportunity to get out on the water a learn new things.  When I started here at San Juan Outfitters, I had never been in a true sea kayak and I was eager to test it out!  Now in my 5th summer I enjoy regularly going out for paddles and even got to attend our senior guide training at Deception Pass.  Kayak Guides attend trainings each season and continue to work on skills throughout the summer...

Our group boarded the Sea Hawk in hopes of finding all the types of wildlife that inhabit our diverse seas! Even though the resident killer whales swam so far north that we were unable to reach them, we were able to encounter some of the other jewels of the Salish Sea. We travelled to the infamous Spieden Island where guests spotted a whole host of harbor seals and bald eagles.

Friday Harbor is home to a famous harbor seal named Popeye; she is frequently found in the...

Yesterday we had a super fun wedding party charter the Seahawk for some fun in the sunny San Juan Islands. Captain Gabe and I set out south to go look for a Humpback Whale! On the way we saw a couple of Harbor Porpoises playing in the awesome rips as that days strong tide pushed in the opposite direction as an odd northerly wind. We went all the way down south past Friday Harbor and Turn Island in to calm Griffin Bay. We first spotted the Humpback close to shore, looking...

On this beautiful Wednesday the Sea Hawk headed north towards Haro Straight in pursuit of the T-124’s. We quickly arrived on scene, and were able to spend a full hour travelling with the killer whales.  We witnessed what appeared to the young pod hunting and then potentially engaging in some playful behavior. We interpreted hunting behavior originally when the orcas were moving cryptically through the water and making movements with purpose. Once they finished hunting...

We celebrated our freedom this Memorial Day by searching for marine mammals that were also experiencing their freedom!

We were blessed with blue skies and glassy waters as we departed Rouche Harbor on our tour via the Sea Hawk. We left port in hopes of orcas but we ended up heading south towards Haro Straight in attempts to find a reported humpback whale. However, when we arrived on scene we discovered a beautiful and uncataloged humpback whale, a far more exciting...

With a wedding party of 35 split between M/V Sea Hawk and M/V Kittiwake, we cruised around Henry Island, Speiden Island, the Cactus Island, and John's island in search of wildlife. We were astounded with the number of Bald Eagles we spotted, an all too appropriate find for a new couple that will be together for life, just like Bald Eagles. The scientist in me however, couldn't possibly leave out the fact that Eagles will split up to find a more compatible mate for...

This morning, we ventured out of Roche Harbor with a report of orcas across Haro Straight. Great, right? Wrong. Only one boat had tried to get there so far, and they were forced to turn around due to high seas. Haro is a tricky place. On some days it's like glass, and on other days, you would be crazy to try to cross it. Today started off like the latter. In the interest of the guests dry clothes and lack of nausea, we headed north to Speiden Island to check out some harbor seals, and any other...