Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Bigg's Killer Whales
Harbor Porpoises
Bald Eagles
Steller Sea Lions
Harbor Seals

May 19, 2025 | 12 PM Whale Watch

Despite some classic pacific northwest weather, we had an epic day with Bigg's killer whales!

We headed north in Bellingham Channel and immediately began seeing harbor porpoises everywhere. We continued into Rosario Strait and toward a report of Bigg's orcas whales. We arrived just in time to see members of multiple pods finishing a hunt and beginning to celebrate. The hunting and partying continued for a long time, and we even got multiple breaches, tail slaps and even a head stand! It's special when we get to see so much surface action.

We followed the whales south for some time, and when we neared eagle cliff, a bald eagle came out and joined the show. It swooped down multiple times for scraps in the water before moving on. We waved goodbye to the orcas after that and headed north to a marker Buoy near Sinclair island where we found a Steller sea lion safely napping. We visited Viti Rocks after that and found a bob of harbor seals and a beautiful juvenile bald eagle. On our cruise home we watched more harbor porpoises north east of Guemes Island before making our way back into Cap Sante.

Here's a list of the Bigg's killer whales we saw today:

T100 Hutchins
T100C Laurel
T100E Tharaya (cannot confirm presence with photos, may have been absent)
T100F Estrella
T124A2 Elkugu
T124A2A Agafia
T124A2B Litton
T124D Field
T124D1 Salish II
T124D3 No Nickname
T124D4 No Nickname (born winter 2024)
T49A2 Jude

We'll be back on the water for our next noon whale watch on Wednesday, and don't forget about our Memorial Day Weekend tours on the 23rd (1 PM), 24th (1 PM & 5 PM), 25th (1 PM), and 26th (1 PM)!

-Naturalist Tyson