Extended Range Whale Watch

Highlights

156 Nautical Miles Covered
24 Bigg's Killer Whales (T36Bs, T65As,T65Bs, T75Bs, T117Bs, & T172)
6+ Humpbacks Whales (lots of breaching)
"Dexter" the Sea Otter
Harbor Seals
Tufted Puffins
Horned Puffin!!!
Bald Eagles
Great Blue Herons
Osprey & Nest
Lots of other birds

June 20, 2025 | 10 AM Extended Range Whale Watch

WHAT AN ADVENTURE!

Where to begin… Twelve hours, 156 nautical miles, 24 Bigg’s killer whales, 6+ humpbacks, tufted puffins, a horned puffin, a sea otter, and so much more! From start to finish, today was packed with action.

We started with a visit to Bird Rocks. This National Wildlife Refuge was bustling with activity. Double crested cormorants roosting, gulls partnering up, black oyster catchers yelling, pigeon guillemots swimming, harbor seals bobbing about, and a sleepy sea otter wrapped up in kelp amidst it all. From here, we ventured west through Lopez Pass, north towards Cayou Pass, west through Wasp, then north into Presidents Channel. There had been reports of whales around this area, but sadly they eluded us.

We cruised down to Spieden Island, scanning the southern coast for wildlife. Its exotic residents were sticking to the forest today, but many bald eagles were sighted and several families of Canada geese were swimming amongst the bull kelp and munching on algae. The goslings are growing up quickly! They still had their fluff but look more like gangly teens at this stage in their development.

We angled south down Haro Strait and met up with two pods of Bigg’s killer whales. The T65Bs and T75Bs were grouped up and resting. The youngest whales didn’t seem to understand it was nap time, just as we arrived on scene they showed some more playful behavior at the surface. It was peaceful getting to watch these eight orcas surface in near perfect synchrony as they slowly drifted north with the flood.

With more reports coming in from the west, we ventured down to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Westerly winds were picking up, creating white caps on the surface and blowing down spouts quickly. We knew a pod of Bigg’s had been sighted, but they got lost in the strait so we did our best to relocate them. Thanks to our attentive passengers, we did! A group of four Bigg’s were traveling west together. It turned out to be whales we don’t often have the pleasure of seeing in the Salish Sea: T117A, T117Bs, & T172! They kept up a consistent pattern of 6-7 minute downs after a nice surface interval, and wowed us all with a memorable pass following a deep dive. T117B1 is growing up so quickly! We’d gotten to see this little calf on last year’s Spring extended range too! Maybe it will become a trend.

The ebb was now working against the westerlies, and Juan de Fuca was showing us how moody she could be, but we couldn’t resist angling towards Port Angeles where some very enticing reports were coming in from… It was worth the push! We found ourselves in humpback soup, and got to spend some incredible quality time with Olympus and her new calf! To get to welcome Big Mama’s granddaughter and new great-grandchild back to the Salish Sea was so special. This little calf seemed to be enjoying the windy conditions, because it showed off no less than 62 breaches and head lobs!!! Where does it find the energy… The mood must have been contagious, because pretty soon a mature humpback was also breaching, cartwheeling, head lobbing and tail slapping off the other side of the boat. It was hard to know where to look. In total, we think we had six humpbacks close by, and many more in the five miles around us. It was hard to count all the blows.

Eventually it came time to leave the party, so we made the turn east and surfed the swells all the way to Smith Bank. We were hoping to find puffins, but what we were not expecting was to find two different species! The ever-elusive horned puffin(!) was surfing amongst the rhinoceros auklets, pigeon guillemots and several tufted puffins. One tufted puffin was remarkable friendly, twirling next to us while we drifted past the bull kelp.

It was hard to believe the day could get better, but we weren’t done yet. We continued east to the Deception Pass bridge, admiring this iconic location as we drifted through to calmer seas. We continued south to Saratoga Passage, where we met up with a very active group of Bigg’s killer whales! The T65As (all of them) and the T36Bs were just finishing up dinner, as evident by the smell in the air and the growing slick of oil at the surface. They moonwalked, waved their flukes, spyhopped, and generally frolicked across the pass. The two little calves, Maple and Auk, brought so much energy to the group, their fins dwarfed by those of Ooxjaa and Amir. We were delighted to see Indy back with his family, though he looks a little worse for wear. We watched as play transitioned to apparent hunting, then back to play. It was a phenomenal end to an epic day.

We took the scenic route home, mixing it up by cruising the La Conner Channel, and fully circumnavigating Fidalgo Island. This stretch of brackish water is a birder’s paradise. Bald eagles, osprey, black oyster catchers, great blue herons and more dotted the tree tops and shorelines. We even caught a brief glimpse of some white pelicans!

The sun was setting as we entered Cap Sante after twelve epic hours on the water. Today is sure to be one that no one soon forgets.

- Captain Tyson, Sam, Juliann, Serena, Juna and the stowaway Captain Carl