A quick post regarding our Southern Resident Killer Whales

For those who do not follow our Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW), our population suffered a small decline in 2008. This has prompted more discussion amongst both government and non-government organizations to research and discuss the causes of the decline. More information on Southern Resident Killer Whales can be found on our website.

Good news was traveling through the research and whale watch...

This past Saturday (Valentine's Day) marked the first official Whale Watching trip of the season. We departed from our home port of Roche Harbor, on San Juan Island Saturday. I drove the boat, and Kendall helped out on deck as the naturalist and first mate.
We had an excellent trip, with clear skies and calm seas. The temperature was quite cool, but everyone on board stayed warm.
While no Killer Whales were sited that day, we were able to get some close looks at...

Another beautiful day in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island Washington. Kendall and I were lucky to have a group from Olympia up for the day, hoping to spot Killer Whales and other wildlife. Even though our Southern Resident Killer Whales were spotted 3 days ago near Port Angeles, there has been no sign since. This time of the year, our Whale Watching trip to encounter the unexpected, so we always leave the dock with a spirit of adventure.
Our search for wildlife...

San Juan Island Whale Watching and Sea Kayaking

Well it didn't take long to confirm the whale sightings I heard about. Killer Whales were sighted off of Discovery island, at the confluence of Haro Strait and the Straits of Juan De Fuca (about 18-22 miles SW of our Roche Harbor location on San Juan Island). They were sighted mid-day on January 28th, which coincides with the Killer Whale sighting in Rosario Channel earlier in the day. The earlier sighting was 12...

There is some momentum developing for our whale and wildlife tour next weekend, as well as our kayak trips. While I have not confirmed the report, Southern Resident Killer Whales were sighted last week in the Straits of Juan De Fuca (at the confluence of Juan De Fuca and Haro Strait) about 18 miles from our facility in Roche Harbor. Definitely within reach for our 3-4 hour whale watch tour. We're hoping that the sighting means there are some early season salmon...

For those who visit our blog, my apologies for our lack of entries this winter. Much happening though at San Juan Outfitters. I'll give some quick updates, and then follow up later with more detail.
Regarding our staff. I'm very happy to announce that San Juan Outfitters will have close to 90% of our staff returning from last season or previous seasons! One of our goals as a company is to provide a meaningful employment experience, so I'm very happy to have so...

No sign of the Killer Whales (Orcas) spotted yesterday at Kelp Reef. We had no tours today, so I did not fully engage myself networking with my friends out of Victoria who probably had whale watch trips today.

I did take some time looking carefully across the straits on a bike ride today. Despite the cloud cover and Puget Sound Fog/low clouds that settled in over the island today, it was warm and calm. I told my friend Joe we should be thankful for the warm (52...

Noon trip from Roche Harbor, San Juan Island

We had ideal conditions to paddle today. Essentially no winds, minimal tides, and cloud cover made the water absolutely calm. I lead our trip today with four guests out into Speiden Channel, and west into Haro Strait. Tons of bird life right outside the harbor, between Pearl Island and Barren Rock (a national wildlife refuge). We spotted Hooded Mergansers, Harlequin Ducks, Surf Scoters, Buffleheads, and Double...

Orca Whales were heard on the west side of San Juan Island today, through the hydrophone array at Lime Kiln State Park. They were later spotted from land in the vicinity of Kelp Reef around 11:00am. I wish my kayak trip left a bit earlier today, as the whales were south bound. That means they could have been up in the northern part of Haro Strait, where sea kayak tours typically paddle. No news on which whales, but typically when we hear vocalizations on the...

No confirmation on whales sighted between Tuesday and today. The weather picked up today as predicted, with winds and rain persisting between 11am and 3pm. The weather will be better tomorrow, and I'll be leading a group of at least 4 guests at noon from Roche Harbor, San Juan Island.

I'm hoping to spend the majority of the tour on the west side of Henry Island, where I typically can spot great wildlife. A few days ago, we saw Harbor Seals, Stellar Sea Lions...