Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Bigg’s killer whales: T46Bs (minus T46B3s) & T49C
Steller and California sea lions
Steller eating a Pacific spiny dogfish
Harbor seals
Pigeon guillemots

July 1, 2026 | 1 PM Whale Watch

What a gorgeous day on the water spent with a beautiful group of Bigg’s killer whales. Janet (T49C) was spending time with Raksha (T46B) and her pod. The seven fins of the T46Bs were dwarfed by the towering fin of Janet as they worked the current lines of Middle Bank. Once again this week, the T46B3s were not with the rest of the T46Bs, and we are curious to see if the split will stick.

Calm seas and partially overcast skies made for perfect spotting conditions throughout our cruise. Even little rhinoceros auklets and pigeon guillemots were easy to spot as we’d worked our way south in Rosario Strait and out to Juan de Fuca. We’d slowed near Castle Island to take in views of the flowing bull kelp, rainbow hues of the intertidal zone, and admire the bald eagles, pigeon guillemots and harbor seals gathered here.

On the return trip east, we had such sea lion luck! Steller sea lions were hauled out on a navigational marker near Salmon Bank, with many pelagic cormorants nesting in the rafters above them. Near Washington Park, we found a large male California sea lion dozing on another marker, while not far away a young Steller was ripping into a Pacific spiny dogfish in dramatic fashion! What a finale!

- Sam