Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Bigg's Killer Whales (T123s)
Gray Whale
Steller Sea Lions
Harbor Seals
Bald Eagles

May 6, 2026 | 1 PM Whale Watch

What a day-- we had surprise orca whales right in our backyard! We always tell our guests to keep an eye out on the water whenever possible, because you never know what might pop up. Today, we were delighted to spy a towering black dorsal fin breaking the surface as we cruised up towards Orcas Island.

Before this surprise sighting, we started our search along the back side of Guemes Island. Our first major wildlife sighting was at Sinclair Island where we found a navigation buoy packed with Steller sea lions. A report further north had us continue from there toward Point Lawrence, but we discovered a pod of Bigg's killer whales on the way! It didn't take long to determine that these were the famous T123's, a family group led by T123 Sydney. Her son, T123A Stanley, has grown into a massive male, and his dorsal fin was easy to spot and ID. Traveling with these two were Stanley's little sisters, T123C Lucky and T123D Darcy. Sydney and her kiddos made their way south, at times separating then reconnecting, most likely scouting for food.

After traveling with these orcas south in Rosario strait we split off at Towhead island and headed up to Vidi rocks where we found a nice bob of harbor seals and a bald eagle. While there, a sharp eyed passenger spotted a blow in the distance near Eliza Island and so we went to investigate. It turned out to be a young gray whale, likely one that has been feeding and traveling around Bellingham Bay for some time. We got many great looks at this beautiful whale before waving goodbye and heading back to Anacortes. What a phenomenal day!

-Tyson