Today was another perfect day here in Roche Harbor.  Blue skies and warm weather made for a pleasurable paddle around Henry Island.  During our lunch break we did some tidepooling to see the great diversity of life in the intertidal areas where we saw seastars, anemones, crabs, gobies, and all kinds of shellfish. On the water we saw lots of bald eagles, jellyfish, and seals.  A high point of the trip had to be a mother seal with her new pup coming within 10 yards of us...

Capt. Gabe and I headed out of Roche Harbor with a beautiful, sunny day and slightly cooler temperatures than this hot, hot weekend. The reports of orcas were coming from way up in Canadian waters near Vancouver, so we sailed north to see if we could rendezvous with our friends north across the border. On the way there we stopped and said hello to almost 80 Harbor Seals hauled out on rocks near Spieden Island! I don't think I've ever seen so many Harbor Seals in one place...

A 3-hour family kayak tour departed Roche Harbor on an unexpectedly sunny day on the island, as always with hopes of catching a glimpse of the incredible wildlife here in the San Juans. Leisurely making our way to the west side of Henry Island, we bumped into a few members of J-pod making their way north to Turn Point on Stuart Island. Today, the whales were in transit mode, so we caught the pod porpoising and making their way towards Boundary Pass, of course with...

Today Captain Gabe and I left the dock with warm weather, calm seas, a boat full of excited passengers and best of all, Whale Reports!! We headed North off the dock to find some wildlife. As we exited Mosquito Pass, we spotted a small pod of harbor porpoise so we decided to watch them slip in and out of the calm water. Harbor porpoise are the smallest cetacean (whales, dolphins and porpoises) found in the Salish Sea, and were at one point the most abundant. They spend...

6/26/15:

San Juan Outfitters five hour tour departed Roche Harbor at 11:30am this morning and travelled South through Mosquito Pass.  The conditions were fantastic; a balmy 75 Fahrenheit and just enough breeze to offer our paddlers relief from the cloudless skies.  After taking a quick lunch at Open Bay, we were met by several J-Pod resident Orcas and enjoyed witnessing tail slaps and breaches from under fifty yards away.  Whether it's your first time or your hundredth...

What can I say, J pod, with a capital J, has been seeming to love the west side of San Juan Island lately. The Southern Residents were booking it north from Hein Bank up Haro Strait. So Capt. Gabe and I went south on the Seahawk and met them about half way down (south) San Juan Island. We stayed parallel with the front runners of the pod as they moved north. Among this smaller J pod group was Granny (J-2), the OLDEST LIVING ORCA (that we know of)!!! It's estimated that...

Today Captain Gabe and I had a wonderful day aboard the M/V Seahawk cruising down the west side of San Juan Island. The water was gorgeous and smooth, and it was one of our first warm days out on the water. I was happily wrapped in a fleece while cruising, but while sitting watching the whales the sun was just perfection! We spent plenty of time with some of the J16 matriline, including one of my favorite whales J26 Mike. J26 Mike is a full grown male killer whale, so he...

Looking for a good way to spend your weekend? Consider a getaway on the beautiful Stuart Island with San Juan Outfitters crew. A wonderful group of eleven set off from Roche Harbor last Friday afternoon with kayaks loaded full of camping gear, delicious food, and happy spirits! Kayak guides, Tyler, Adam, and Jaclyn lead the group from San Juan Island to the nearby Stuart Island. Along the way, the group spotted many majestic bald eagles and happy harbor seals while taking...

After leaving Mosquito Pass between San Juan Island and Henry island my kayak tour took a break to take in the stunning view of the Olympics, Victoria and the expansive Haro Strait in between.  As we sat, we heard the familiar expulsion of air indicating the presence of whales nearby.  Soon enough a mother Orca and her calf presented themselves to us. The young whale spy hopped and tail smacked playing in the calm current. A bull was soon to follow easy to spot because of...

Today Captain Pete and I left the dock on the Seahawk with a glorious sunny day, a boat full of curious and excited passengers, and plenty of whale reports from which to choose. Armed with our whale knowledge and eagerness to see wildlife, we headed North out of Roche Harbor. Right off the bat we were greeted in Mosquito Pass with a great blue heron taking off with its large, slow wingbeats as well as a bald eagle perched in a tree.

Heading out into Haro Strait towards...