Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Bigg's Killer Whales (Jude & Indy)
Minke Whale
Steller Sea Lions
Mouflon Sheep
Fallow Deer
Bald Eagles

October 17, 2025 | 12 PM Whale Watch

Today’s epic wildlife sightings started before we’d even left the dock. A harbor seal popped up in the neighboring slip in Cap Sante Marina clutching a fish! We watched in delight as it dropped, then relocated the fish, coming up to snorkel on its back as it scanned for its prey below. It was great omen for the day to come.

We cruised west, entering Thatcher Pass and exiting via Spieden Channel. Our inner island cruise was full of bird sightings, with common murres, marbled murrelets, ancient murrelets, pelagic cormorants, Bonaparte’s gulls, glaucous-winged gulls, great blue herons, pigeon guillemots, shearwaters and more sighted between Rosario Strait and Haro.

We slowed as we approached Spieden Island. Stellers were grouped up in rafts amongst the bull kelp, flippers held up to warm their core. Mouflon and fallow deer grazed in large herds on the slopes and we must have encountered at least ten bald eagles! Harlequin ducks dotted the shoreline and the fall foliage carpeted swaths of the forest floor. Just beyond Spieden, we met up with the dynamic duo of Indy (T65A5) and Jude (T49A2)! These two Bigg’s killer whales were full of energy today, tail lobbing, breaching and being all around rambunctious at the surface. It was such an energetic and memorable encounter. They led us up to the Turn Point Lighthouse, then we bit them farewell and continued east.

Captain Carl heard word of a minke whale near White Rock, so we went over for a look. Sure enough, a slinky minke was circling the glassy waters. It kept a low profile, but was quite friendly by the end of our encounter. From here, we cut back through the islands via Pole and Thatcher Passes and continued onwards toward home. What a wildlife packed adventure!

-Sam