San Juan Islands Sea Kayaking from Anacortes

Julia and Monica just called in to tell us that they just had one of their favorite all-time whale watching experiences just a little while ago. While they were relaxing in the shade with their guests they witnessed both J-Pod and K-pod as they swam down Bellingham Channel, coming to within 50 feet of shore! Monica told me that there was an incredible amount of breaching, tail-slapping, and pectoral slapping going on. The view from shore was awesome, better even than from a kayak according to Julia. And she should know, after getting "mugged" by the whales just a few days ago while out on another trip. To make things even better, after the 20-30 minute whale show was over and everyone was headed back to their favorite shady spot, a lone female came racing back to the north, her full body coming out of the water and only 10 feet from the shore. She rounded the north end of Cypress Head and went into the small bay that our kayaks were beached near. The reason for this strange behavior became clear as a small baby whale surfaced ahead of her. Apparently the baby had strayed away and the mother had to come back to fetch the wayward calf. They grouped up and continued back south to rejoin the rest of the family.

In other news, this heat wave has been outrageous! We've been feeling 90+ degree weather for the last several days. I can say from direct experience that it would be a lot better to be out in a kayak right now. As the saying goes, "I'd rather be upside down in my kayak than right side up at my desk".

No sooner had I posted the last report about Julia seeing Orca whales when Monica called to say that she was also looking at them with her guests. She is on her way back in from a 5-Day kayaking trip that paddled out to the Wasp Island Group out near San Juan Island. What a treat to have the whales come by only a few miles from the finish line! She told me that there was an incredible amount of tail-slapping and breaching going on, more activity than she's seen before.

I have to say that I'm not surprised that Monica is getting lucky again. She's had better luck than anyone on staff this summer.

Julia just called me from between Guemes Island and Sinclair Island to tell me that the Orca whales just swam by and gave her a terrific show! She's been waiting all summer for this to happen to her and we're glad to know that she had a close encounter today. Julia and her guests are headed up to the Cypress Island Natural Area Preserve for a three day kayak and camping trip. Tonight they will be able to round off a glorious day up on Eagle Bluff, sitting on an watching the Sun set over the San Juan Islands and Canada.

This has got to be one of the nicest summers, in terms of weather, that the San Juan Islands have enjoyed in years. With the exception of a few moist days after Independence Day weekend we have seen nothing but sunshine for months.
Blake is out guiding a trip around Burrows Island as I post this report, he does not know it yet, but he is about to get "mugged" by J-Pod. They came into the San Juans from out west yesterday and headed north into Canada. We had a suspicion that they would be near Anacortes by morning, and here they are. I hope that he and his guests have a great encounter!

As usual, there have been a ton of seals seen in the scenic waterways between Burrows and Allan Islands. If we linger in the kelp beds long enough they tend to come in very close, occasionally even mouthing the rudders of the kayaks. As the seal pups get a little bigger they will become insatiably curious and follow us around for a while. Although Orca whales get all the press out here, Harbor seals should not be discounted as a "charismatic macro-fauna". They are amazing animals to observe in the wild, and unlike the killer whales they tend to stick around the kayaks longer and allow us to actually see more of their behavior.

[UPDATED REPORT: Blake just called, he's with J-Pod right now! I'm glad that we chose not to call and tell him about it. It's so much better to be surprised.]

This has been a good week for wildlife viewing out here in Rosario Strait. We've had whales come by on several days. On Sunday Monica was out with some guests on an overnight kayaking trip and had an incredible encounter with Orcas in Bellingham Channel. Lots of tail slapping and aerial displays were going on. Two hours later James and Ben were out on two different trips at Burrows Island and had a similar experience. On another Burrows Island kayak trip our guests were witness to a classic example of the predator-prey relationship when a Peregrine falcon attacked one of the resident Belted kingfishers. The smaller kingfisher repeatedly made quick dives into the water as the falcon dove upon it and bounced up again to fly in a new direction out of harms way. Evidentally the bouncing technique was a good choice and the falcon grew tired of the chase and moved on. Several years ago we witnessed a similar event at the same place that did not work out as well for the kingfisher.

Labels: san juan islands kayak tours, sea kayaking

The Southern Resident are reportedly breaching off of Washington Park right now. They came down from near Vancouver BC, traveled south through Bellingham Channel and are now close to Anacortes. We have no confirmation yet as to which pods are present, but reports indicate there are several whales acting very playful. Stay tuned for an updated report in a few hours. It looks like all three trips will be seeing them this morning.

In other news, the pupping season is in full swing now. Loads of baby seals are being seen swimming around their mothers and sometimes hitching a ride on her back. This is the time of the summer when we are extra careful to give the harbor seals some space, particularly when they are out sunning themselves on the rocks. This is a critical time for the young ones, they only get to enjoy their mother's nurturing for a few weeks before being left behind to fend for themselves.

Today has started out with a bang! More later...

We just got the report that we have Orca whales heading south down Rosario Strait as I type in this report. We're still waiting to hear from our guide Andaria as to how great the encounter was.

Although the weather has shifted to become a little more moist these last few days, the air temperature is still quite warm and the visual effect of the islands ensconced in misty clouds is amazing. We really can't worry about the weather though, it has been an outrageous spring and early summer with 80 degree days being the norm. Our Independence Day weekend went well, loads of folks came out to enjoy a great day on the water.