Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Humpback Whale (BCZ0180)
Harbor Seals
Sea Stars
Steller Sea Lions
Bald Eagle

July 21, 2025 | 9 AM and 1 PM Whale Watch

Calm, slate skies greeted us this morning as we made our departure out of Cap Sante marina. An extreme low tide brought us some intertidal predators to begin our adventure, including a beautiful great blue heron stalking in the shallows as well as some purple sea stars clinging to the pilings of the breakwater. Turning out into Rosario Strait, a steady, autumnal fog greeted us. Venturing into the gray, we soon made our way to Colville Island, where we spotted some harbor seals resting on the rocks. We even spotted a mom and pup pair! With reports of orcas near the distant shoreline of victoria, we pushed out into the thick fog bank hovering over the strait of Juan de Fuca. Thus, the search began. We kept steady eyes out up the Strait until we broke out of the fog at the south end of Haro. Here, we searched the US side of the border north and then south. From here, we ventured back into the fog toward Hein bank. We took a brief search break at the Hein bank navigational marker, where we visited with some very charming sea lions and a few nesting cormorants too. Then, the search resumed. We made our way in a large arc back to the east, the fog slowly starting to lighten upon our return to Rosario Strait. We ended our day with a visit through south Lopez, spotting a few more harbor seals and lots of pigeon guillemots flitting around the cliffs of Castle Island. I must say, hats off to our friends in the PWWA. Together, we searched an incredible amount of water, all working together to try to combat the rather oppressive fog. The search effort was expansive and dedicated, however the orcas seen off Victoria most likely slipped into the gray fog bank, flying under the radar as we searched for them. In the end though, cloaked in the fog, these whales evaded us. It is rare to not see whales on our adventures, but sometimes external variables, like weather, can impact the search. We greatly appreciate the strong spirits of our guests this morning, and sincerely hope they make it back out with us again soon.

This afternoon, with renewed hopes and a new search route in mind, we made our way north up the east side of Guemes Island. The flood tide pushed us north quickly, and soon we were passing the Patos Island lighthouse. Conditions up here were absolutely gorgeous. Clear skies, the fog bank well behind us, and calm seas made for a beautiful morning as we made our way into the strait of Georgia. Passing the US Canadian border, we ventured up to Tumbo Island where we spotted the blows of a humpback whale! As we got on scene, we got absolutely serene looks at this individual as it surfaced. We were also able to get some crisp ID shots to reveal we were on scene with a Salish Sea summertime resident BCZ0180, affectionately known as Monarch! Monarch made their way slowly south, taking us back into US waters. After a long down time, Monarch surprised us all by surfacing close off our starboard side! After a couple amazing breaths, Monarch graced us with a glorious high arching fluke right off our bow. We paused and waited for Monarch to gain some distance from us before we repositioned for a couple last looks. waving goodbye to Monarch, we began the cruise back down south. Along the way, we got beautiful looks at the outer islands and a bald eagle perched on the reef marker just off puffin Island. making it even further south, we met up with a few sea lions resting on a red nav. marker. We jetted home with an absolutely phenomenal day under our belts. Today illustrated well just how fast things change here in the Salish sea. Truly, every day and every single trip is different!

-Amy