Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Bigg's Killer Whales (T46Bs, T36As, T99s)
Sea Otter
Bald Eagles
Harbor Seals
Sea Lions

July 8, 2025 | 9 AM and 1 PM Whale Watch

Soon after we got out of the marina this morning a passing report came in of orcas on the north side of Guemes Island, but we needed to find them again. Slowing down, we scanned all around the boat as we made our way slowly north. Soon enough, our deckhand Serena spotted blows and dorsal fins in the distance! We gradually made our way on scene and began working on IDs. After examining a few photographs, we realized we had found a very famous family here in the salish sea, the T46Bs. T46B Raksha led the way with her son, daughters, and a few of her daughters' calves as well. We traveled with this family down Rosario Strait, getting gorgeous looks at the youngest members of the pod, including T46B3A Munro who was born just a few months ago. As the wind gradually picked up from the south, we decided to say goodbye to Raksha and her family and continued the search north. We made a stop at peapod rocks where we found many harbor seals hauled out as well as a handful of juvenile and mature bald eagles camped out on the island most likely attracted there by carrion. Cruising back down south we made one last stop at a red navigational marker for some sea lions, a few of which were wrestling with each other in the water. Cruising back to the dock, we marked another amazing day exploring the Salish Sea!

With new reports of killer whales to the south, we decided to push off and head for Bird Rocks on the way to south Lopez. At this wildlife refuge, we spotted a few harbor seals and a sea otter rolling around in the bull kelp bed! Continuing on, we closed in on the report and began to see exhalations in the distance. with photo confirmation, we realized we were on scene with two families, the T36As and the T99s. Matriarchs T36A Leland and T99 Bella led the way with their families, cruising slowly to the west. I haven't seen the T99s in a while, and it was awesome to see how big Barakat, Bella's son, had gotten in a few years. He still has a while before he reaches full size, but his sprouting dorsal fin now makes it much easier to differentiate him amongst his other siblings. This group was large and spread out in two or three smaller groups consistently, most likely scouting for food. It became clear that one scouting party about 600 yards off our port side had found something, because the other scouting parties began porpoising towards them at high speeds to reconvene and begin the hunt. We even got to see one individual porpoise right off our bow, which took us all by surprise. Once we made our way over to the hunting party, we saw spy hops, headstands, and milling behavior that indicated prey sharing. We even got to see a breach as these families celebrated their meal. With the seas starting to get larger, we decided to peel off slowly and head for the Deception Pass Bridge. Along the way, we stopped at Lawson Reef to check out some sea lions that were utilizing the navigational marker. Continuing east, we got phenomenal looks at Deception Pass-- something we don't always get to see on our trips. After a spectacular afternoon adventure, we cruised up Rosario Strait and headed for the dock!

-Amy