Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Bigg's Killer Whales (T123s & T19s)
Steller Sea Lions
Harbor Seals
Bald Eagles in Aerial Combat!

May 24, 2026 | 10 AM and 3 PM Whale Watch

10 AM Tour

Another beautiful day in the wild onboard the Island Explorer 5. Heading out of the marina, some friends from shore shouted a possible sighting to us... with that we were off!!

We headed around Guemes Island and as we passed through the Saddle Bag Islands, a few guests spotted some dorsal fins and spouts heading toward Hat Island! We turned and were soon on scene with 4 orca whales. They turned out to be the T123 Bigg's killer whales, and as we watched, they soon dispatched some food. This initiated gulls to come investigate and soon three bald eagles were engaging in combat over scraps at the surface. In no time the whales finished their lunch and continued on, and so did we.

Heading up to Viti Rocks we found a nice bob of harbor seals and then slipped over to Sinclair Island to check out some juvenile Steller sea lions napping on a navigation buoy. We headed back toward Samish Island and joined the T123's one last time before heading back to Anacortes.

3 PM Tour

As we headed around Guemes Island we made our first stop at Viti Rocks to check out some harbor seals, along with a juvenile bald eagle that was well camouflaged in the grasses on the rocks. We continued north from there and after passing beyond Lummi Island we joined up with the T19 Bigg's killer whales as they were dispatching a harbor porpoise. The hunt did not last long as these three adult orcas are very proficient in their work. We even got to see some remnants of the hunt left at the surface which indicated it was a harbor porpoise for late lunch. We followed them to Matia Island before turning back to the south. Near Sinclair Island we stopped to check out some Steller sea lions before returning back to Cap Sante for the day!

- Tyson