Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Bigg's Killer Whales (T19s)
Humpback Whale (Gretzky)
Steller Sea Lions
Harbor Seals
Sea Otter

April 26, 2026 | 1 PM Whale Watch

Orcas and a humpback in one trip?? Sounds almost to good to be true!

After cruising down Rosario strait, stopping briefly at Bird Rocks to check out some bobbing harbor seals and a few sunbathing cormorants, we turned into the strait of Juan de Fuca and spotted a tall white blow in the distance off south Lopez Island. This humpback turned out to be CRC-17702 Gretzky, who we also got to see yesterday. Gretzky surfaced in circles around us as they scouted the underwater ledge of McArthur Bank. We got to see several absolutely gorgeous surfacings and sounding dives in pristine sunny conditions, and the Olympic mountains provided the most stunning back drop during our visit. Gretzky even surprised us with an unexpected surfacing off our bow!

After spending all the time we could with this whale, we pushed off to San Juan Island where another report was coming in. Slowly moving into shore, we spotted two looming dorsal fins that took our breaths away. It didn't take long to determine that we were on scene with an incredibly famous Bigg's killer whale family- the T19s! This group is led by mother T19 Mooyah, who is estimated to be in her 60s. Traveling with her were her two impressive adult sons, T19B Galiano born in 1995, and T19C Spouter born in 2001. This trio is rarely seen separated, and they kept a tight knit swimming formation as they made the turn into Cattle Pass.

When these whales turned past the Cattle Point Lighthouse, we waved goodbye and made our way over to whale rocks. Here, we spent some time with a colony of rowdy Steller sea lions before moving back to the east. As a grand finale, we were able to spot an incredibly rare sighting at swirl rocks, a sea otter! Only the second sea otter I've seen this season. What a phenomenal way to round out this absolutely stunning day exploring the Salish Sea!

- Amy