Glassy seas with the lightest of rains.  Occasional oyster catchers squeel and seagulls cry to punctuate this otherwise dead-calm suspension in space.  Grey skies aren’t dark enough to occlude flickers of light on the water or dull the green from the cedars on shore.  The only real movement on the water is the kayak roughing the water enough to send ribbons streaming from bow and stern like a gown as she glides across the Salish. 

These are the conditions of early...

Welcome to the world, baby orca! A brand-new baby Bigg's killer whale was spotted traveling with the T46B family of mammal-hunting killer whales on November 26, 2018 in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The official identification designation and maternity is still to be identified. We love celebrating new orca babies!

color:#333333">Also spotted traveling in the same vicinity as the T46B family was a group of California transient mammal-hunting killer whales. These California...

We at San Juan Island Outfitters are proud to employ many incredible “Wild Women” that make up our team of professional outdoor adventure educators.  Our company would not run if not for these amazing women that fill positions from senior managers to vessel captains, naturalists, kayak guides, and reservation staff. As a small family owned business, we take pride that 50-60% of our staff each summer are women, and because of that we wanted to take the opportunity to...

We’re frequently asked why we only offer sea kayaking with certified guides. Why?

The first and most important reason is safety. Let’s talk sea kayaking 101!

Tides and Currents

The water around San Juan Island is diverse and fast changing. Topography of the ocean floor includes depth changes that in many spots plunge very quickly along oceanic shelves caused by ancient subduction zones. Even our island “count” changes day-by-day based on tidal exchange, leaving land mass...

Jordan | September 8, 2018 | M/V Sea Hawk | 2:00 trip

Today was such a great day out on the water! Although the sky was gray and it was slightly drizzly, the day was still full of great excitement! Captain Erick and I headed out of Roche Harbor on the Sea hawk in search for our whales!

We heard reports of wildlife nearby so we headed out of the harbor towards the animals. Almost immediately we found our whales! We found the killer whales within the Spieden Channel near...

Jordan | September 3, 2018

The World's Second Most Wide Spread Mammal

Orca whales are one of the most magnificent animals in the world that have left people in awe for centuries! Not only have we heard the stories and the legends, but also countless confusing labels describing these animals. But what does it all mean?!

As we go through this life, we all hear terms thrown around describing these mysterious black and white creatures of the sea: orca whales, killer whales, blackfish or even sea pandas...

M/V Sea Hawk- 8/20 @ 2pm

Today was a beautiful day out on the water!  As we got off the dock Captain Gabe and myself were very excited at what potential the day would hold!  We had heard reports of Transient orcas all the way into Vancouver Island, but knew that would be quite a trek!  We decided to give it a shot and the enthusiasm of our guests made it clear that this was the right choice!  Everyone was ready to be naturalists as we started our search out into the...

Jordan | September 2, 2018 | M/V Sea Hawk | 3:00 trip

Today was a gorgeous day out on the water as the sun dazzled our guests on this fine holiday weekend. Captain Sarah and I were eager to get out of harbor in search of our whales! Luckily, we heard reports of whales coming from the west side of San Juan Island, and, although it’d be quite a long journey, we knew it’d be worth it.

So, we set out of Roche Harbor and headed south along the west side of the island within...