Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Bigg's Killer Whales (T65As, T36s, T37As, T99s)
Minke Whale
Sea Otter
Bald Eagle

August 6, 2025 | 9 AM and 1 PM Whale Watch

This morning a light drizzle greeted us as we dipped down into Rosario Strait and skirted along the coast of Burrows Island. In the trees, we spotted a bald eagle and also got gorgeous views of the Burrows Island lighthouse. We crossed over to the strait of Juan de Fuca next, making our way to hein bank. Here, we spotted at least two minke whales feeding in the area, getting some amazing looks in flat calm conditions. We hung with these whales as they circled the bank, getting great looks at a few of our bird species including glaucous-winged gulls, rhinoceros auklets, and common murres. We also spotted a sea lion hanging out on the hein bank navigational marker! When it was time to head home, we made a pit stop at south Lopez, cruising by Castle Island. As we scanned this area, we spotted another bald eagle perched on the rocks of Blind Island. Making one last stop at Bird Rocks, we got amazing views of a sea otter, harbor seals, and even a juvenile oystercatcher! As we cruised back into the dock, the clouds began to break up, making for a perfect finale to our morning adventure.

We had to break out the teacups, saucers, and pastries this afternoon, because we had ourselves a T party! With word of multiple families of our Bigg's Killer Whales grouping up by Dungeness Spit, we knew we had to try to make the journey. On our cruise out into the strait, we stopped briefly at Colville Island where we spotted harbor seals and a lone bald eagle perched high on the rocks. Continuing south, we eventually met up a massive extended group of Bigg's!!

Here's a breakdown of who was present: Matriarchs included T65A Artemis, T36B Tattertip, T37A Volker, and T99 Bella. Traveling with them were (most of) their kiddos of course. This massive party formed two primary groups, with moms, sisters, juveniles, and calves swimming in one tight knit unit while three teenage boys (T65A3 Amira, T37A2 Inky, and T99C Barakat) socialized with each other about 50 yards away.

21 year old male T65A2 Ooxjaa was apparently too cool for the teenage hangout, and he instead chose to swim close to his mother Artemis and his younger sister T65A4 Elli. It was also nice to see T37A1 Inyo back with her family for a bit, as she often travels alone or with other groups. All together, we had at least twenty whales present, an absolutely magical sight. Typically, because they strategically use stealth to sneak up on prey, we don't see big gatherings of Biggs like this-- so getting to see so many whales in one group was such a treat! Unfortunately, these families were leading us further west, away from home. We stayed as long as we could, getting some absolutely amazing looks, including some adorable views at T36B1 Bhotia's new teeny tiny 2024 calf, before we had to depart to make the long journey home. On the way back up north, we discussed how we ID whales and how we use those IDs to analyse social gatherings like this, such as finding patterns of and documenting who is swimming with who to use for future study of social structures. What a fantastic afternoon!

Amy