Friday, April 16, 2010
Burrows Island Wildlife and Great Kayaking
Andaria had another super fun 5 Hour trip around Burrows island yesterday. Her and her guests had too many seal encounters to count and she told us that the Harbor porpoise were out in force all day.
After the trip her guests called in to reiterate how much fun they had (we love it when we get direct feedback like this). One couple said that their favorite part was exploring near the shoreline during the low tide. There were beautiful Purple Sea Stars (Pisaster ochraceus), a couple of gorgeous Striped Sun Stars (Solaster stimpsoni), and even some Sea Pens (Order-Pennatulacea).
Sea pens are colonial cnidarians (like jellyfish) that are generally grouped together with other soft corals. They sift plankton from the water as it drifts by. These animals are rarely seen on our tours because they live a bit deeper in the water column and the water has to be unusually clear to see that deep. It's always a treat to have a glimpse at these beautiful animals!
After the tour I met up with Andaria and two other guides (Ben and Wyatt) and we paddled around Burrows and Allan islands to enjoy the fantastic evening light. It was a flat calm day and once again we were surrounded by foraging porpoise. Hearing their sharp exhalations around our kayaks created a relaxing atmosphere as we watched the sun setting over the San Juan Islands
After the trip her guests called in to reiterate how much fun they had (we love it when we get direct feedback like this). One couple said that their favorite part was exploring near the shoreline during the low tide. There were beautiful Purple Sea Stars (Pisaster ochraceus), a couple of gorgeous Striped Sun Stars (Solaster stimpsoni), and even some Sea Pens (Order-Pennatulacea).
Sea pens are colonial cnidarians (like jellyfish) that are generally grouped together with other soft corals. They sift plankton from the water as it drifts by. These animals are rarely seen on our tours because they live a bit deeper in the water column and the water has to be unusually clear to see that deep. It's always a treat to have a glimpse at these beautiful animals!
After the tour I met up with Andaria and two other guides (Ben and Wyatt) and we paddled around Burrows and Allan islands to enjoy the fantastic evening light. It was a flat calm day and once again we were surrounded by foraging porpoise. Hearing their sharp exhalations around our kayaks created a relaxing atmosphere as we watched the sun setting over the San Juan Islands
Labels: kayak, San Juan Islands, san juan islands kayak tours, sea kayaking
# posted by Anacortes Kayaks @ 10:52 AM 
