Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Humpback Whale (CRC-22923)
Three Gray Whales
Steller Sea Lions
Bald Eagles
Harbor Seals

April 11, 2026 | 1 PM Whale Watch

A soft gray drizzle greeted us today as we cruised out of the harbor. Passing through Guemes Channel and out into Rosario Strait, we spotted a large blow through the thin, misty rain. This large blow happened to belong to a small humpback-- a juvenile traveling south. After a few beautiful views at this individual surfacing and diving, we were able to get an ID shot and were formally introduced to CRC-22923. According to Happywhale, this individual had been seen 27 times exclusively in Monterey Bay. It was so exciting getting to welcome this young cali humpback to the Salish Sea! Hopefully, this whale will get identified again so we can determine if they're just passing through or hanging out in the San Juans for the summer.

After our humpback encounter, we continued to the south towards Castle Island and south Lopez. Here, we spotted gorgeous bull kelp forests flowing along the surface and a bald eagle perched on the rocks of Colville Island. From here, we turned east towards Whidbey, where some more blows were waiting for us. this time, captain Carl had found us not one, not two, but three gray whales feeding in the shallows along the shoreline! We got some phenomenal looks at these individuals as they made slow circles. After visiting with our second whale species of the day, we jetted back to the north to view some sleepy Steller sea lions on the red Lawson reef can.

Just a little ways further, we paused at Williamson rocks to witness a killer predation event: a bald eagle tearing into an unidentified carcass right on top of a cluster of cormorant stick nests. Bobbing along in the water, several harbor seals watched us with curiosity as we passed by and continued on into Guemes Channel. What a lovely afternoon exploring the Salish Sea!

- Amy