San Juan Outfitters

Because the resident orcas weren't back on San Juan Island, I booked a whale watching trip to try to find orcas. I had heard the transient orcas were around. Unlike the resident orcas, transient orcas hunt mammals and have no problem finding food in the San Juan Islands. The transient orcas can be seen throughout the year whereas the resident orcas can be found May-September when the salmon population is high.

I chose San Juan Outfitters because they left from Roche Harbor. It was July 3 and there were only 6 passengers onboard. Bring a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and binoculars. They do have a few binoculars onboard but if the boat is full, you'll need to wait to use the binoculars.

After an hour ride, we found the orcas near the Canadian border.

There was a good sized pod and we watched them for nearly an hour. Never saw spy hopping or breaching though.

On the way back to Roche Harbor, we saw harbor porpoises sunning themselves and a bald eagle in a tree. It's so easy to spot bald eagles--just look for white ping pong balls in trees.

2019 07 03