Sea Quest 
We are enjoying an excellent summer for whale-watching kayak tours in the San Juan Islands. We set a record for the most 80 degree days ever and orca whales have been very active – the perfect blend for Sea Quest guests! All three pods of the salmon-eating orca have been putting on consistent shows as … Read more
The current was weakening towards slack – the moment between tides when the sea becomes motionless and kelp bulbs expose themselves to the calm pewter surface of Puget Sound. As I contemplated the stillness from the cockpit of my kayak, I re-considered my choice of not notifying anyone of my plan for kayaking in the … Read more
Sea kayaking is a technology that is at least 4,000 years old. Peoples of the high northern latitudes (Greenland, Alaska, Russia, and Canada) were the first to invent wood- or whale bone-framed boats covered with a watertight skin. Some experts claim the Inuit were the first to invent these ingenious boats while others suggest it … Read more
What do kayak guides in the San Juan Islands do on their day off? Go kayaking, of course! At the end of June, my fellow sea kayak guides and myself had a couple of days off from our busy guiding schedule in the beautiful Pacific Northwest of Washington. We wanted to make the most of … Read more
The ocean is a deep and dark place. Haro Strait, our primary kayak tour route in the San Juan Islands reaches depths of over 400 meters. We sea kayakers enjoy the sunlit realm at the interface of air of water. But below 200 meters, there is no light and it becomes pitch-black and intensely cold. … Read more
We’ve been enjoying numerous whale watching encounters on our kayak tours in the San Juan Islands since the orca whales of L-pod returned this month. Local whale biologists have gotten a full set of identification photographs for the entire clan and have determined that two orcas did not survive the winter after they left the … Read more
The controversial satellite tagging of killer whales in Washington has ended for 2013. We have posted twice before on this topic and the potential dangers it holds for the endangered orca whales that we enjoy on our kayak tours in the San Juan Islands. This year’s target was K-25, a young adult male born in … Read more
Can you think of a more rewarding summer job than guiding sea kayak tours in the San Juan Islands? Would you like to lead kayak trips in the best waters for observing orca whales in the United States? A location with over 5000 seals, eagle nests along nearly every mile of shore, and the site … Read more
August is an excellent month for orca whale watching on our kayak tours in the San Juan Islands. This orca whale sightings report is from August 2011 and should give a good indication of what to expect this month on our killer whale watching kayak tours in the San Juan Islands, near Seattle, Washington. In … Read more
I booked the sunset kayak tour several months ago using the online booking system. The reservation process was seamless and professional. There were a total of six in our party ranging from 30 years of age to 63 – very close family. There was very wide range in athletic ability in our group and body … Read more
The San Juan Islands would seem to be an ideal habitat for great white sharks, the species infamous for knocking kayak fisherman and surfers into the water off California and Oregon a couple of times each year. Our huge populations of seals and sea lions and cool waters must be very attractive to these apex … Read more
Being the first company on San Juan Island to provide kayak tours using professional standards, we’ve seen a lot of copy-cat companies pop up over the years. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so we should take some comfort in all of this mimicry. But we can’t help but feel bad … Read more
Our last blog entry discussed the dangers from a new study that involves dart tagging the resident orca whales in Washington – the same friendly orcas we enjoy watching on our kayaking tours in the San Juan Islands. Despite widespread criticism, the NOAA research team darted the first orca whale on February 20. The target … Read more
A new orca whale research project for the San Juan Islands of Washington has just been approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service, the infamous federal agency known for constantly blocking protections for marine mammals or bungling their conservation management. This study will directly impact the killer whales we enjoy observing on our San Juan … Read more
Bluebirds used to be a favorite of San Juan Island bird watchers as their bright colors and cheerful warbling sounds could be enjoyed near most farms, orchards, and woodlots. Unfortunately, these beautiful thrushes completely disappeared over large portions of their former range across North America, including Washington’s San Juan Islands. Bluebirds were victims of the … Read more
July was another superlative month for killer whale watching kayak tours in the San Juan Islands, near Seattle, Washington. Orca whale encounters typically reach their peak in July and the weather is usually fantastic, too. This July did not disappoint – less than ½ of rain fell and high temperatures ranged in the 60-70s. Our … Read more
People who enjoy orca whale watching and kayaking in Washington’s Salish Sea rejoiced at yesterday’s news. U.S. District Court Judge James Redden ruled that the National Marine Fishers Service (NMFS) miserably failed yet again to produce either a legal or scientifically adequate plan to protect endangered salmon from extinction. This is the 3rd time in … Read more
Our orca whale watching kayak tours in the San Juan Islands of Washington began well this summer and here is our success report for June. Cetaceans (either whales or their small cousins the porpoises) were sighted on 80% of all our kayak tours combined. We encountered killer whales on 80% of the camping trips! Orca … Read more
NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) claims their new orca whale watching regulations for kayakers and kayak tours in the San Juan Islands are based on science, but the overwhelming majority of field scientists who work with wild orca whales disagree. As do those who know orca whales intimately, such as our kayak tour guides who … Read more
The new whale watching rules we discussed in our previous article apply to kayaks and most commercial and private boats. They are meant to protect the orcas from sound pollution that can interrupt hunting and cause stress in whales. Strangely, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) applied these new regulations to include silent sea kayaks … Read more
We haven’t yet crunched the numbers, but it appears that new orca whale watching rules for the San Juan Islands of Washington have not had any impact on our killer whale watching kayak trips’ success rate this year. We will publish our June 2011 results in a few days so stay tuned our blog! Most … Read more
It’s been a strange winter in the San Juan Islands of Washington state. Fickle weather and inaccurate forecasts have made it difficult to lead many kayak tours this season. Compared to the horrendous storms the rest of the country has suffered with, we have been fortunate to have much milder conditions in Washington and the … Read more
The federal government’s new plan to save salmon in Washington appears to be the typical politically-influenced poppycock that we’ve come to expect from the agencies in charge of saving salmon, orca whales, and our oceans. An intelligent salmon management plan for the Columbia River is critical to saving the threatened killer whales of the San … Read more
September is a gorgeous month for kayaking in the San Juan Islands as it ranks as the third driest and warmest month of the year. September averages just a bit more than an inch of rain for the entire month so kayak camping expeditions are usually very comfortable. As the general tourism activities wind down … Read more
Research Points to the Inescapable Dangers of Toxic Chemicals – Sperm Whale Study Even whales living in the remote Galapagos Islands appear to have been exposed to higher levels of pollutants than those in other areas of the Pacific, despite the islands isolation from cities and industry. New research, published this month in Environmental Health … Read more
August was another solid month for orca whale watching on our San Juan Islands kayak tours. Starting in June, we had an unbroken streak of daily killer whale activity in Washington’s Salish Sea that ran for 83 straight days until August 20th when they mysteriously disappeared. Fortunately, the orcas quickly returned after being absent for … Read more
Vast numbers of leaping silvery salmon have been a frequent sight this summer in the San Juan Islands, a scintillating abundance that we haven’t enjoyed for the past couple of decades. This year’s salmon productivity has led to lots of well-fed wildlife and a record-setting orca whale watching kayak season in the San Juans near … Read more
While super quiet sea kayaks are now accused of being a threat to orca whales in the San Juan Islands by a misguided and misinformed National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the same agency remains silent about the US Navy plans to increase ocean warfare training and testing of new sonar devices in the killer whales’ … Read more
July was a great month for our killer whale watching kayak tours in the Salish Sea of Washington state. And our whale watching luck in the San Juan Islands has carried right through into August. As of August 17th the local orca whale pods have been sighted in the Salish Sea for 80 straight days … Read more
To contend with the ever increasing level of noise in the oceans, North Atlantic right whales have recently learned to yell in louder voices to each other. Some biologists are now speculating if orca whales living in our San Juan Islands kayaking routes must do the same. The discovery of the right whales yelling in … Read more
June finished in fantastic fashion with orca whale watching sightings in the San Juan Islands on almost every day of the month. Our San Juan Islands kayaking tours encountered killer whales on nearly all of the camping trips! All of our 5-day San Juan kayak expeditions saw both orca whales and porpoises. All of the … Read more
Here is a fishy tale of two species at the opposite end of the biological spectrum: a giant on the rise, and a tiny sliver of silver quickly becoming extinguished. The humpback whale’s recovery from near extinction is a heartening success story. Many whale biologists believe their population is now at 10% of historical levels, … Read more
Many big events in the small world of San Juan Island whale watching took place this week. And our San Juan Islands kayak tours were there to witness the best of it! First, a run-down of some biological and scientific notes on orca whales from this week: We have now confirmed that all three of … Read more
One of our local pods of resident-type (fish-eating) orca whales has returned to the San Juan Islands and we look forward to kayaking with them soon – maybe today! L-pod, the largest of the killer whale families that reside in the San Juan Islands from spring through fall, appeared on the west side of San … Read more
A mother humpback whale and her calf swam past our afternoon day trip in the San Juan Islands of Washington just as they launched their kayaks into the water. This is one of several sightings of humpbacks whales in the San Juan Islands and other Salish Sea locations this spring. We hope this will lead … Read more
A humpback whale appeared on today’s afternoon day trip in the San Juan Islands of Washington. This exciting discovery is the area’s first humpback whale of the spring. We hope it remains in the area and is joined by more of its huge acrobatic fellows. Today, humpback whales are uncommon visitors in Washington waterways from … Read more
The resident killer whales have returned to the San Juan Islands of Washington this month just in time for the launch of our kayak tour season! At least two of the three resident orca whale pods have been sighted this month. Additionally, there has been a great deal of transient killer whale activity. Today’s afternoon … Read more
Thanks to the suggestions of our kayak tour guests, we have implemented an online reservation system for making reservations with Sea Quest. The hard work is mostly over and it is now operational for our San Juan Island kayak trips. In the next couple of days we will be adding the Alaska kayaking tours, the … Read more
Our spring birding tours on San Juan Island have been very productive with some occasional surprises. April is an interesting month for bird watching in Washington state as many winter visitors overlap with newly arriving summer breeders and passing migrants. This makes for some great diversity on our bird watching tours in April and May. … Read more
A total of five gray whales have perished in the waters surrounding the San Juan Islands over the last ten days, and all seem to have died from starvation. As we mentioned in a previous blog entry, this spate of gray whale deaths in Washington is not unusual. Large die-offs have occurred before, most recently … Read more
This week our one day kayaking trips in the San Juan Islands had great success with finding a variety of pinnipeds, the “fin-footed” mammals such as seals and sea lions. Four species in total were found on our sea kayaking tours this week, which is about the maximum that can be found in the inland … Read more
Each spring around 20,000 gray whales migrate north from Mexico along the Pacific coast of Washington. Perhaps 1% of these, around 200 gray whales will enter the inland waters of the Salish Sea and the San Juan Islands, treating kayaking trip participants to some amazing whale watching encounters. Only a dozen or so gray whales … Read more
Some excited boaters today confirmed an attack by killer whales on an adult gray by videotaping the encounter. The attack took place southeast of the San Juan Islands while whale watching near Whidbey and Camano Islands. This is the same area that a pod of “transient” killer whales attacked gray whales with a calf that … Read more
Seven gray whales have been observed from the northern Puget Sound up to the San Juan islands this spring, entertaining those lucky enough to find them while kayaking in Washington. Sadly, a very young and malnourished gray whale beached itself this past week in Puget Sound near Seattle, Washington. At first, people thought that killer … Read more
At long last we have published our new San Juan Islands kayaking tour route and orca whale watching maps. Each San Juan Islands kayak trip, ranging from half-day to 5-days, has a separate map that shows both the kayaking route and the most important killer watching zone in the entire Salish Sea. You can download … Read more
Last week three gray whales were seen traveling together near Seattle, Washington. Their peaceful migration northwards was interrupted by a pod of “transient killer whales”, the type of orca that mainly eats other marine mammals. Groups of transient orcas are known to kill gray whales, especially calves. Encounters between transient killer whales and gray whales … Read more
Sea Quest announces a new Alaska kayak tour in Prince William Sound. Like our original Alaska kayaking trips, the new Alaska kayak adventure was designed to include the best that coastal Alaska has to offer: fantastic humpback whale watching, stunning wilderness scenery, and amazing glacial geology. But the new Prince William Sound kayaking adventure offers … Read more
“Oldsquaw” is a word that may catch a few eyes in this age of political correctness, just as the bird with this name did on our sea kayak tours this week in the San Juan Islands. Oldsquaw is the original American name for the long-tailed duck, a sea duck that nests circumpolar in the arctic … Read more
The latest confirmed birth, recorded on February 21 in L-pod, brings the “southern resident” killer whale community population up to 89 whales. Their population, believed to have been historically in the high 100s, was cut in half or worse by captures for marine parks, which ended in the 1970s. Pollution and declining salmon populations then … Read more
We are offering 2 for 1 pricing for limited time on a few of our remaining Baja kayaking trips this spring. Don’t miss the chance to save up to $1795 on the best Baja paddling trips this season. Call us for details and Baja travel advice. Special pricing is available only for these departures: Sea … Read more
Sea Quest Kayak Tours guides call for all aquariums to release their captive orca whales back into the wild. Having considered the scientific facts, studied the orca whales firsthand for several decades on our sea kayak tours in the San Juan Islands, and using our accumulated knowledge as scientists, educators, and naturalists, we find the … Read more
Unknown to most whale watchers and kayak tour participants, killer whales in the San Juan Islands occur in two very different species. The two orca whale species in Washington are currently known as “Resident Killer Whales” and “Transient Killer Whales” until better names are decided on. Both species of orca whales in the San Juans … Read more
The good news is the most recent orca whale born in our primary kayaking in the San Juan Islands looks robust healthy. The bad news is this baby orca is the first-born of a very inexperienced mother, only 12 years old, who will need help from her aunt and grandmother. More alarming is that in … Read more
If you are looking for some hot birding action in Washington, the winter bird population is hitting its peak in the San Juan Islands right now. The marine birds are especially abundant at this time of year and enjoying them from a sea kayak is a very relaxing and rewarding way of bird-watching in the … Read more
The first baby orca of 2010 has been born to J pod on January 3, boosting an endangered population of killer whales that needs every birth it can get. The orca calf’s mother is only 12 years old, raising concern for the survival of both the mother and her calf. Killer whales don’t usually become … Read more
Amazingly enough, the National Marine Fisheries Service has a plan to ban kayaking on the west side of San Juan Island in the heart of the orca whale watching zone. Without the backing of any scientific studies that show kayaking with killer whales has any negative effect on the orcas, NMFS was planning to shut … Read more
Jumbo Squid, also called Humboldt Squid, are invading Washington’s Salish Sea and their effects on orca whales is being questioned. These swift predators grow 7 feet long, live in huge schools, and could have a major impact on the San Juan Islands’ orca whales if they become permanently established. The “Diablo Rojo” eats everything from … Read more
Amazing photographs taken by Ingrid Visser of killer whales attacking and killing a mako shark have recently been published. Although Ingrid’s studies take place in New Zealand, the hunting techniques she describes are very similar to those used by killer whales pursuing seals in the San Juan Islands of Washington: cooperative herding, surpise attacks, and … Read more
Our San Juan Islands birding tour on August 28, 2009 found a real rarity for our part of Washington. Among approximately 3000 marine birds of various species feeding on the Salmon Bank were several dozen Sooty Shearwaters as shown in the picture below. This species is usually restricted to open ocean waters and seldom penetrates … Read more
A total of seven different local organizations will receive more than $1.4 million in funding to improve salmon habitat in the San Juan Islands of Washington, our main sea kayaking base. This is great news for our orca whales as their most important food source are salmon, especially locally bred chinook. All five species of … Read more
Our friend Captain Jim Maya of Maya’s Westside Charters photographed a gray orca whale calf last week while operating a whale watching tour from San Juan Island. The baby killer whale was discovered south of Victoria in a family of transient-type orcas identified as the T-11 pod. Ken Balcomb at the Center for Whale Research … Read more
Blue whales are the most exciting species that we see on our Baja kayaking trips in the Sea of Cortez of Mexico. Only a few thousand blue whales are believed to have survived the days of commercial whaling and they usually are found far from land. But the Blue Whale Triangle is a special place … Read more
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) took an important step toward protecting critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act for the Cook Inlet beluga whale in Alaska by proposing to designate more than 3,000 square miles of the threatened whale’s habitat for protection. In October 2008 NMFS listed the Cook Inlet beluga whale as endangered … Read more
There are plenty of stories of dolphins saving humans. Authentic tales of dolphins assisting swimmers in distress are numerous. On the opposite side of popular mythology is the killer whale, the largest of all dolphins. Orcas are often erroneously depicted as dangerous to humans. But transient type killer whales do hunt other mammals, if not … Read more
We have decided to extend our price discount for our Baja Mexico kayak tours that we announced last week. The special sale is for our most popular Mexico kayak trip, the Sea of Cortez Blue Whale Triangle Kayak Tour, the world’s best location to see a blue whale while kayaking! Until further notice you will … Read more
For Thanksgiving Week we are announcing a special price discount for our Baja Mexico kayaking tours. The special sale is for our most popular Baja kayak tour, the Sea of Cortez Blue Whale Triangle Kayak Trip, the best location in the world to see a blue whale from a kayak! Send us your completed reservation … Read more
The Leonids are arriving! Lucky participants of our Baja kayaking tours in mid-November could see a once in a lifetime show. The Leonids are famous for not only spectacular meteor showers but also “meteor storms”. Most meteor showers fluctuate from year to year, but the Leonids are particularly variable. Some years they produce only 5 … Read more
An island of floating plastic garbage twice the size of Texas is trapped within the current gyre in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean. The trash originated from countries that ring the Pacific and is continuing to grow in size. The Algalita Marine Research Foundation has been studying the phenomenon for over a decade. … Read more
This past weekend, on our one day San Juan Islands kayak tour, we found an unusual jelly fish that we have never before encountered in this area on our kayaking trips. As you can see from the photo, it was stunningly beautiful with an amber bell, purple stinging tentacles, and pink oral tentacles. It was … Read more
Lonely Planet just created a list of the “World’s Top 10 Cycling Routes” and named the San Juan Islands to it. This is part of their series of “Best in Travel” lists, now available in book form. In addition to the San Juan Islands of Washington State, the list includes vacation locations in New Zealand, … Read more
A newborn killer whale calf has been confirmed in J Pod, one of our three resident orca pods that reside in the Salish Sea, which includes Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands of Washington state. This birth brings the population of J Pod to 27 and the total for all three pods to 87. … Read more
