Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Minke Whales
Harbor Porpoise
Steller Sea Lions
Harbor Seal
Loons, Grebes, Gulls, marbled murrelets, and more!

October 9, 2025 | 12 PM Whale Watch

Perfectly calm conditions all day long made for the dreamiest cruising. Bird mills gathered around the bait balls that dotted the horizon in every direction, with many of our seasonal visitors making the migration back to these inland waters. Common murres, marbled murrelets, rhinoceros auklets, pigeon guillemots, all three species of cormorants, gulls, white-winged and surf scooters, loons, grebes, and more! In and amongst the activity were small groups of harbor porpoises, including some mom-calf pairs. Their small dorsals quickly breaking the water amidst the activity.

As we were cruising south down Rosario Strait, we spied a minke near the Lopez Island shoreline! It was a darling little rorqual, and it led us up towards Bird Rocks. Our sharp-eyed guests found a second minke as we were scoping out the waters around Partridge Bank, this one swimming big circles between Partridge and Smith. We covered a lot of ground on our search-- sixty-two nautical miles in total as we thoroughly scanned the waters of eastern Juan de Fuca. We stopped at the SA buoy to visit with some showy Steller sea lions. Two males perched high atop the marker while at least four more played in the waters beneath them. It was a lovely wildlife stop, and the Olympic Mountains shrouded in mist set a beautiful backdrop.

We made a final stop at Williamson Rocks, where a lone harbor seal appeared to be floating atop the sea, and many birds were gathered. Black turnstones flitted around the intertidal zone, and cormorants and gulls covered the islands. It was a cacophony of sounds and sights.

What a lovely day exploring the Salish Sea!

-Sam