Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Bigg's Killer Whales (T46s)
Humpback
Common Murres
Sea Lions

August 15, 2025 | 1 PM Whale Watch

With an atmospheric river bringing some much needed rain to western Washington, we donned our rain gear, prepared for some wind, and set out in search of wildlife. The wind was certainly howling today, rolling in from the southeast and making for some sporty conditions in Rosario Strait and Juan de Fuca. Today’s passengers were hearty, and down for the adventure, and our search proved fruitful! We were able to spend time with both Bigg’s killer whales and a humpback today.

We met up with the T46s, a pod of four Bigg’s killer whales near Eastern Bank. They were cruising through a calm bubble amidst the storm, which we were very grateful for. We were getting some serious Hoa Hoa vibes from Mother Nature today, as the forested Olympic peaks were layered with mist while rain gently fell around us. It was truly breathtaking, and iconically Pacific Northwest.

On our return trip home, we surfed the swell up to Salmon Bank where Captain Tyson found us “Victory” the humpback whale! She was feeding amongst at least a thousand(!) common murres and hundreds of gulls. It was an insane amount of life, and they all seemed to be comfortable surfing the swell along with us. Nearby, at Whale Rocks, dozens of Steller sea lions were gathered. A perfect finale to our wildlife encounters.

We enjoyed some calmer seas inner island on the way home, and buckled up once again for a final Rosario crossing before returning to port. It was such a stunning and memorable day on the water, and we’re grateful to our guests for being so up for the adventure of it all!

-Sam