Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Bigg's killer whales (T135s, T137s, T34s & T36s, T75Bs)
Harbor seals
Steller sea lions

July 29, 2026 | 10 AM and 3 PM Whale Watch

10 AM

What a fantastic morning out exploring the Salish Sea. Our first whales were seen from the boat this morning as we were preparing for guests to arrive and by the time we were on scene with them it was 25 min off the dock, just along side Lopez Island in Rosario Strait! We were able to see 3 orcas moving swiftly towards the Strait of Juan De Fuca. It was the T135 pod, some rare visitors to this part of the Salish Sea! We followed them all the way to Davidson Rock before making the turn towards the inner San Juan's to see what else we could find. We did a slow down at Bird Rocks where we saw dozens of harbor seals and two Stellar Sea Lions! We continued on our way through Rosario Strait to Pea Pod Rocks where we saw two bald Eagles on the navigation marker and then made a turn towards Lummi Island and Bellingham Bay. Just outside the bay we arrived on scene with the T137, T34’s and T36’s. We spent time mainly with Jack and the rest of his crew he was traveling with ! We saw them toss a seal in the air!! It had a gnarly gash on its side from the whales as well. They celebrated their kill with a spy hop and a tail slap or two. It was a beautiful trip filled with wildlife activity from start to finish. - Clare

3 PM

Talk about an orca-packed afternoon! I checked my watch, and just two minutes past 3PM we were on scene with our first group of killer whales right outside Cap Sante in Fidalgo Bay. We were greeted by the T36s, led by T36 Flapjack. Traveling with Flapjack was her presumed grandson, T137A Jack, who has continued his solo summer schenanegins. Also in the mix was Flapjack's second born daughter T36B Tattertip, as well as Tattertips first born T36B1 Bhotia. Traveling with Bhotia was her first born daughter, T36B1A Maple. All together that makes four generations of killer whales in the mix! We hung with this group until they swam into the dangerouslzy shallow tidal flats, where we had to say goodbye. Luckily, there were more reports filtering in from the strait of Juan de Fuca, so we headed that way to investigate. Just south of Iceberg Point, we met up with the T75Bs, led by matriarch Pebbles! Pebbles led her charming family towards Cattle Pass. After getting some amazing looks, we said goodbye and pointed for Whale Rocks, where we spotted several snoozing Steller sea lions. Passing up through Cattle Pass, we stopped at Turn Rock where we were delighted to spot a sea otter! This is a very rare species to encounter due to their low numbrs in the Salish sea, so we were very excited. After visiting with this furry friend we curved up Upright channel and towards Thatcher Pass, taking a stunning inner-island route. As we crossed Rosario Strait, we recieved a report of orca whales passing bz Cap Sante. We had a hunch as to who these whales were, and pushed into Guemes Channel to re-discover the T36Bs! Great timing too, because it looked as though they had just stumbled across some food. Gulls circled overhead for scraps and the two littles in the group, T36B1A Maple and T36B4 Auk, delighted us with a few mini breaches and a spy hop! Jack also wowed us all with his towering dorsal fin that wobbled nice and tall above his grandmother, aunt, and cousins. After our visit with this family for the second time today, we cruised back into Cap Sante. Such a unique day on the water with so many orcas!!! - Amy