Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Bigg's Killer Whales (T65As & T65Bs)
Steller Sea Lions
Tufted Puffins

July 29, 2025 | 9 AM, 1 PM, and 5 PM Whale Watch

conditions. We worked our way south as reports of whales around the Olympic Peninsula started filtering in. We slowed at Lawson Reef to visit with three Steller sea lions snoozing peacefully on a channel marker, also noting the pelagic cormorants roosting above them. We continued south to Admiralty Inlet, passing flowing bull kelp forests off Ebby’s Bluff and many flocks of rhinoceros auklets. It was near Marrowstone Island that we met up with a group of nine Bigg’s killer whales! The T65As (minus T65A5) and T65Bs were having a family reunion. They were tightly grouped up and swimming south with the stunning backdrop of the Olympic mountain range behind them. It was a breathtaking encounter, and all the more memorable knowing we were witnessing cousins playing and two sisters catching up. Our cruise home was beautiful, with Koma Kulshan guiding us back towards home.

On our 1PM departure, we spent time with the iconic Bigg's Killer Whale family, the T137s! This small fam is led by Matriarch T137 Loon. She travels with her oldest son, T137A Jack, as well as her two daughters, T137B Tempest and T137D Wright. Loon and her kiddos traveled through the expansive Strait of Juan de Fuca under sunny skies. We always love getting to visit with this matriline as all of their dorsal fins have noticable differences, so they make for amazing examples of how we ID our whales. After our visit, we stopped at Smith Island and were lucky enough to spot some tufted puffins. What a lovely afternoon!

This evening we visited with yet another family of Bigg's Killer Whales, the T46s! This sibling squad consists of eldest (assumed sister) T122 Centeki and her little (not so little) mature brothers T46D Strider and T46E Thor. And we can't forget about the youngest brother of this four member fam, 13 year old T46F Loki. Although T46 Wake, the mother and matriarch of this group, is presumed deceased due to old age, this family continues to stick together and carry their mothers legacy forward every day. The evening lighting cast a soft, golden glow over the whales, water, and islands, making this evening truly magical!