Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Bigg's killer whales
Steller sea lion
Harbor seals

August 16, 2026 | 10 AM and 3 PM Whale Watch

10 AM

We started the morning with secondhand reports of whales in the heart of the San Juan archipelago, so we set a course for Thatcher Pass. We made a wildlife stop at Pointer Island where harbor seals were sunbathing, glaucous winged gull chicks were whining for food and cormorants were drying out their feathers. We watched a tender interaction between a swimming mom and pup harbor seal pair, the two booping noses to check in with each other.

Working with our fellow PWWA captains, we set up a search grid, hopeful we’d pick up the early morning reports. Sadly, no one ever did find the likely suspects, but not for lack of searching. Hearing of new reports to the west, we set course for the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the ebb tide carrying us swiftly through Cattle Pass and past the iconic lighthouse. We kept our eyes on the horizon as we worked our way towards Canadian waters, hopefully we would spy blows on the horizon as the whales we’d set out to visit with were quickly disappearing to the west. We strategically search many of the upwelling zones in the strait, including Coyote, Hein, Salmon and McArthur Banks. While we passed many bait balls at Salmon and McArthur, no whales were to be found. We did see flocks of rhinoceros auklets, common murres, a variety of gulls and cormorants all feeding on schools of forage fish. As we neared Lawson Reef, we slowed to visit with a very proud Steller sea lion perched atop a navigational marker.

Sadly, this morning was one of our rare trips where whales were not seen. It was certainly not for lack of searching, as we covered nearly 80 nautical miles together. The beauty of the Salish Sea this misty morning was unparalleled, the sun rays shining down through the smokey haze hovering above the Olympic Mountains was like something out of a painting. I truly hope this morning’s guests left with a greater appreciation for the beauty and diversity of this complex inland sea ecosystem. - Sam

3 PM

What an epic evening for Bigg's! Word of a group of Bigg's killer whales far to the north but moving south with purpose came in early afternoon and made us hopeful for better odds on our evening excursion. They were first seen in Canadian waters, and gradually worked their way along the border in Boundary Pass and down into Haro Strait as the afternoon progressed. We caught up with the T19s as they were just initiating a hunt off Comet Island. The trio took turns coming up to breathe while presumably keeping tabs on prey hiding in the depths. Eventually, the activity shifted: two large blasts of bubbles came roiling to the surface and we presume they made a successful kill.

Not far away, the T35As and T49As (minus A1 & A2) were traveling south down Haro Strait. The twelve gathered Bigg's were split into two groups: teenage boys Nat and Topaz were actively socializing while the three matriarchs and their young kids stuck close together. This made for the most breathtaking and spectacular surfacings, with layers of dorsal fins emerging from the depths in near unison. With two of the youngest members of the population in the mix (T49A7 &T35A1A), it was truly a memorable encounter.

Other highlights of the trip included harbor porpoise sightings outside of Thatcher Pass and a bald eagle and belted kingfisher in Pole Pass on the journey west. On the journey east we slowed at Spieden Island, where dozens of mouflon sheep and a handful of gorgeous fallow deer were grazing. Harbor seals were hauled out on shore, bull kelp flowing just beyond them. It was a fantastic finale to a perfect weather evening on the Salish Sea. - Sam