Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Humpback whale (CRC-23519, CRC-18676 "Exclamation", & CRC-19815)
Harbor seals
Steller sea lions
Bald eagles & turkey vultures
Harbor porpoises

July 19, 2026 | 10 AM and 3 PM Whale Watch

10 AM

We started with a rich wildlife stop at Bird Rocks, where harbor seals were hauled out, glaucous-winged gull chicks explored the grasslands, double-crested cormorants tended their nests, Brant's cormorants huddled near the waterline and black oystercatchers photobombed the scene. This National Wildlife Refuge was the first of several we had the pleasure of visiting this morning. Not much farther south, we sighted flukes just as they disappeared beneath the horizon...a humpback! Whooohoo! There is nothing quite like sighting the first signs of whales, and we rode that high all morning.

The humpback gradually worked their way towards Bird Rocks, gently pushing against the ebbing tide. Several fluke displays revealed their ID, showing them to be a newer visitor to the Salish Sea, first documented on Happy Whale the previous week in the Strait of Georgia. We celebrated getting to meet welcome CRC-23519 to the region.

Our search continued south into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We scanned Smith and McArthur Banks, looking out towards the glassy seas spread between us and Victoria. No whales in sight, but we did pass some rhinoceros auklets and common murres. We took a scenic detour near Castle Island, marveling at the pigeon guillemot activity, a well hidden bald eagle, and several sleepy harbor seals. We visited with some Steller sea lions on both a Lawson Reef navigational marker and Williamson Rocks marker. These pinnipeds were basking in the warming morning light. Williamson Rocks was bustling with activity, with nesting cormorants, gulls, pigeon guillemots, black turnstones and some charming harbor seal pups! We worked our way up into Burrows Bay and through Allan Pass, sighting harbor porpoises amongst the currents and watchful bald eagles in the tree line.

As we worked our way towards home, we slowed for one last look at CRC-23519, who had made their way towards southern Cypress Island. We truly had such a wildlife rich morning exploring the Salish Sea, and hope guests left with a greater appreciation for the diversity and complexity of this inland sea ecosystem. - Sam

3 PM

The flood tide kicked in this afternoon, sparking some incredible upwellings near Salmon Bank that had the birds going wild. Common murres, rhinoceros auklets, cormorants and gulls galore! They were actively feeding on small schooling forage fish who'd gathered so high up in the water column that at times we could see them teeming at the surface while cruising by. This activity is exactly the kind of setting where we'd hope to find rorquals, and sure enough there were many humpbacks out in Juan de Fuca this evening! We were planning to visit with two mature humpbacks just south of Salmon Bank, when word came in from a friend near Middle Bank that they had some very active whales. So we made the turn to the west and continued towards the splashes on the horizon. It was the right call, as the activity continued long after we got on scene, two humpbacks breaching and pectoral flipper slapping up a storm! Gorgeous showings of their flukes revealed one to be the very aptly named "Exclamation!"! Otherwise known as CRC-18676, joined by traveling companion CRC-19815. We marvled as the surface activity conitnued beneath the watchful gaze of Kulshan, the evening lighting casting rainbows in the whales' blows.

We also had the pleasure of visiting with many pinnipeds this evening. Colville Island was playing host to dozens of harbor seals, pups amongst them, and many gathered turkely vultures and bald eagles. Whale Rocks was bustling with Steller sea lion activity, the juveniles getting quite rowdy with one another while the largest bulls slept. Our cruise to and from the Strait was smooth sailling under sunny skies, a perfect summer afternoon. - Sam