Port Ludlow :: a Master Planned Resort Community for All Ages :: Birding, Boating, Golfing, Hiking, & More

The gentle waters of the Salish Sea caress the shoreline around Port Ludlow. These parts of the Salish Sea are more commonly known as Admiralty Inlet and Puget Sound. Occasionally a storm will pass through and stir things up but it takes a strong weather system to affect this area because Port Ludlow Bay is well situated so it's most protected. Almost all of the time, if you didn't know you were looking at salt water when you look out across the water, you'd think you were looking at a lake.

The waters around Port Ludlow are also prime habitat for marine life. Most of the shoreline is close to it's natural state, and has not been armoured against erosion (a practice we now know to be foolish and futile as well as destructive). Eelgrass grows right off shore in many areas, and provides important habitat for spawning and protection for many small fish. The Port Townsend Marine Science center is a great resource for comprehensive and up to date information about the marine life in this area. Some of the forage fish that are very important to salmon and orca recovery spawn in the eelgrass and in the gravel on the beaches around Port Ludlow. The Jefferson County Water Watchers and the Puget Sound Nearshore Project are great resources for information on forage fish, native shellfish, and the nearshore ecosystems of Puget Sound.

Many Port Ludlow residents enjoy recreational fishing, crabbing, and clamming in local waters. Although most of the salmon are protected and crabbing, clamming & fishing in general aren't what they used to be a few decades ago, they are still popular sports.

In addition to ducks and sea birds (which are listed on the birds page), several species of marine mammals visit Admiralty Inlet and Port Ludlow Bay. The following lists some of those which have been observed recently. (The links are to wikipedia or American Cetacean Society pages which open in a new browser window.)

• California Sea Lion
• Gray Whale
• Harbor Porpoise
• Harbor (Common) Seal
• Northern River Otter
• Steller Sea Lion

Orcas (commonly known as killer whales) normally do not come into Port Ludlow Bay, however they pass by and can be seen with binoculars if you have good eyes and are really lucky (they'll look like kayakers with unusual silhouettes from this distance). The Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) pods generally stay out in deep water, in the traffic lanes, as they travel to the salmon runs in the south sound. The Transients (normally loners or small pods) have been known to frequent Hood Canal in recent years and have also been spotted just north of Port Ludlow Bay, in the Oak Bay area.

In the summer and the fall, shy harbor porpoise can be easily observed swimming around the mouth of Port Ludlow bay. Although it's hard to say exactly what they are doing since they are under the water most of the time, they are probably foraging. Most of the time they are in pairs or groups of 3.

Occasionally a gray whale will wander inside Port Ludlow Bay. They usually do not stay for long but sometimes they treat people in the marina to a show of their flukes. The mud over in Saratoga Passage must be much richer in the copepods and other tiny creatures that the gentle giants suck up and sieve through their baleen.

River otters are frequent visitors to Port Ludlow Bay. Their antics can be observed from the docks and along the shores.

Harbor seals are often found patrolling Port Ludlow's waters, with their round heads and big eyes visible as they dog paddle around. Usually they are by themselves, but on rare occasions you can see a group of 30 to 50 swimming together.

Sea lions are more often heard than seen, unless you take a trip out to Colvos rocks in your kayak or skiff. On quiet summer nights you can hear them slapping the water with their catch in order to stun their prey before they devour it. On one memorable occasion, a group of sea lions followed a unusual large bait ball of anchovies all the way inside the bay. This was a fascinating scene because there were so many fish trying to get away from those hungry sea lions that they appeared to be a wave that moved around the bay.