Trip Highlights | 2016

2016 was a year for the record books.

This was the year whale watch crews will talk about forever.  There were more humpbacks and transient killer whales in the area than ever before.  Multi-species days became the norm!  The ocean is always changing.  Looks like great whale watching for years to come!

A whale's head emerges from the water near a white cruise ship with passengers on board, with mountains in the background.
A group of people on a whale-watching boat observing or photographing two orcas swimming near the boat in the ocean.
A vibrant sunset over a body of water with colorful clouds in the sky and silhouette of land in the distance, taken from a boat with part of the white railing visible.
A whale's tail emerging from the ocean as it dives underwater, with water splashing around.
Part of a boat with a dog hanging over the side, ocean water below, and a splash away from the boat.
A whale approaching a boat in the ocean, with its head and part of its body visible above the water.
Two orca whales swimming in the ocean with dorsal fins protruding above the water surface.
A killer whale (orca) breaching out of the water.
Two orcas swimming in the ocean, one jumping out of the water.
A cruise ship named Island Explorer on calm ocean waters, with a whale's dorsal fin visible emerging from the water nearby.
A whale surfacing in the ocean, with water splashing around.
A whale surfacing in the ocean with water spraying from its blowhole
A whale breaches the ocean surface with water spray.
Two dolphins surfacing in the ocean, close together, with sunlight reflecting on the water.
A whale surfacing in the ocean with a bird flying nearby
A dog swimming in the water with its head above the surface.
A young girl in a purple jacket with a hood, smiling on a boat with white railing, on a calm body of water with a mountain in the background.
Close-up of a humpback whale's head emerging from the ocean water.
Tourists on boat observing and photographing whales in the ocean.
A killer whale surfacing in the ocean with water spray and its head visible.
Seal swimming in the ocean.
Orca whales swimming in a body of water with snow-capped mountains in the background.

Trip Highlights | 2021 Gallery

Two orcas swimming in the ocean, with their dorsal fins and part of their black and white bodies visible above the water.

Trip Highlights | 2020 Gallery

A close-up of a black and white orca whale breaching out of the water with water droplets surrounding it, in a body of water with ripples.

Trip Highlights | 2019 Gallery

Photo of an orca whale emerging from the ocean with its dorsal fin visible and water splashing around.

Trip Highlights | 2018 Gallery

A whale breaches the water near the surface of a blue ocean, surrounded by seagulls flying overhead and water spray. Hills and trees are visible in the background under a clear blue sky.

Trip Highlights | 2017 Gallery

A white whale-watching boat with many passengers on the water, with orcas swimming nearby and mountains in the background.

Building the Island Explorer 5 Gallery

An orca whale jumping out of the water with its dorsal fin visible, surrounded by ocean waters.

Killer Whale Gallery

A whale's tail emerging from the water near a rocky shoreline and forested hills in the background.

Humpbacks Gallery

A dolphin swimming in the ocean waters with only its dorsal fin and part of its back visible above the surface.

Minke Whales Gallery

A whale surfacing from the ocean, with part of its back and dorsal fin visible amid water splashes.

Gray Whales Gallery

A seal resting on a rock near the water's edge by the ocean.

Pacific Northwest Wildlife Gallery

Snow-capped mountain in the distance with a calm body of water in the foreground, a small boat, and a clear sky

World-Class Scenery Gallery