Extended Range Whale Watch

Highlights

10 hrs & 120 Nautical Miles
16 Bigg's Killer Whales (T19s, T49As, T65Bs, & T100s)
Steller Sea Lions
California Sea Lion
Harbor Seals
Harbor Porpoises
Bald Eagles
Mouflon Sheep
Tons of Birds

April 22, 2025 | 8 AM Extended Range Whale Watch

There's a reason our extended range tours are such a fan favorite. More time with wildlife, a relaxed search pace, the ability to explore so much of what this ecosystem has to offer. These trips stand apart from the rest, and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate Earth Day!

Our ten-hour adventure began just after sunrise. We spied a common loon while exiting Cap Sante Marina, and watched the antics of dozens of pigeon guillemots along the working waterfront. Continuing west, we hugged the southwestern shoreline of Cypress Island, tucking into Strawberry Bay. Here we found a bald eagle, gulls in a tree, swallows, and many pigeon guillemots. We angled across Rosario Strait, hugging the eastern shoreline of Blakely Island, stoping outside of Peavine Pass to visit with harbor seals. In the pass, we found a small kettle of turkey vultures soaring above the emerald sea.

Hearing rumors of whales to the west and north, we cut through Cayou Pass, Wasp Pass and then north up Presidents Channel. It was just south of Sucia that a sharp-eyed passenger spied dorsal fins on the horizon. It was a T-party! Three matrilines of Bigg’s killer whales were frolicking in the glass-calm waters:

T19 Mooyah/Nootka
T19B Galliano
T19C Spouter
T65B Chunk
T65B1 Birdsall
T65B2 Corvus
T65B3 Rook
T100B Freya
T100B1 Sedir
T100B3 Selkie
T100E Tharaya

This group of eleven whales spent the morning milling and socializing within a half mile radius of where we found them. Spouter, Birdsall, Sedir and Corvus were engaged in a MOSI (male only social interaction) for much of the morning, at one point showing us clearly just how “excited” they all were. Galiano, Mooyah, and Chunk were calmly traveling in tandem while Freya and the rest of the youngsters played nearby. At one point nearly all of the whales started tail slapping, which we had a hunch might have been a signal to other Bigg’s potentially nearby…

It was hard to leave this incredible group, but we wanted to see what else Mother Nature had in store for us. So, we worked our way west, stopping at Skipjack to visit with dozens of harbor seals hauled out along the sculpted sandstone and admire the aerial acrobatics of five bald eagles who were soaring overhead. We continued to Point Disney, marveling at the unique geology of Waldron Island, then visited White Rock where eagles, seals and gulls were gathered. We circled gull rock next (aptly named), then continued west to Spieden Island. We wanted to be thorough in searching this area, as we had a hunch the T49As might be around. Sure enough, Captain Shane spotted spouts as we neared Green Point!

It was indeed the T49As:

T49A Nan
T49A3 Nat
T49A4 Neptune
T49A5 Nebula
T49A6 Charlie II

These five were stealthy, doing their best to sneak up on lone Steller sea lions that might be a bit too far from the raft of their peers near Green Point. We earned respect for the patience and quiet hunting techniques of this apex predator, enjoying watching the antics of the Stellers (and lone California sea lion hiding amongst them) on the whale’s deeper dives. The superbloom at Spieden is starting to wind down, the pinkish flowers layering the hillsides slowly fading away. We felt fortunate to be able to witness the beauty of the spring bloom before it fades completely. Mouflon sheep grazed along the hillsides, lambs nursing from their mothers, a charming reminder of how much new life spring brings.

We began to leave the area, angling back to the east, when the T49As surprised us by escorting us out! They’d picked up the speed, and were porpoising east with a purpose. It seems they’d finally heard the T-party! The four pods met up in the middle of Presidents Channel, every whale disappearing in unison for some time, then erupting at the surface in social behavior. It was such a special moment to be present for!

Having been truly been spoiled by Bigg’s for the bulk of our trip, we wanted to save time for exploration, so we ventured back to the west. The search continued, passing the Cactus Islands, Battleship Island, and cruising close to the western coastline of Henry Island. We found a large flock of Bonaparte’s gulls at Henry, and so many birds at Salmon Bank! White-winged scoters, red-necked grebes, Pacific loons, rhinoceros auklets, cormorants, pigeon guillemots, common murres, and more! It was a birder’s dream drifting amongst the flocks that were gathered at this upwelling zone.

We continued to search the banks for life, passing McArthur, Lawson Reef, then cruising through Deception Pass. It’s always stunning visiting this iconic landmark, its churning waters adding excitement to any sailing. We found harbor porpoise nearby, and more seals and birds. We rounded out the trip with a scenic cruise past the Burrow’s Island lighthouse, before continuing north to Guemes Channel and home. In total we covered at least 120 nautical miles together! Just before turning the corner to Cap Sante, we found some debris floating in the channel that we picked out of the water. A little thank you to Mother Nature for a beautiful day.

We cannot wait until our next specialty trip in May! We have a Full Day 6-7 hr whale watch on May 16th and it can’t come soon enough!

-Shane, Tyson, Sam, Serena