Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Bigg's killer whales (T137A, T77C, T77E, T38As, T35As)
Humpback whales (BCY1474 Kaju & BCY1335 Billiard)
Harbor seals
Bald eagles

August 2, 2026 | 10 AM and 3 PM Whale Watch

10 AM

We began our adventure this morning heading towards south Lopez. Here, we snuck inside Castle island and spotted lots of pigeon guillemots flitting about as well as several harbor seals hauled out on the rocks. From Lopez we continued on into the strait where we soon spotted the blows of BCY1474 Kaju and BCY1335 Billiard. These two humpbacks were swimming in close proximity and keeping each other company. We stayed for a few looks but continued on soon as we had reports of some more animals just a bit to the south. Sure enough, after our quick visit with Kaju and Billiard, we were on scene with three Bigg's killer whales! And an interesting three it was... In the mix were regular dispersers T77C Neftali and his younger sibling T77E Misneach. These two have been spending the summer together away from mom. In previous summers, Neftali has taken other siblings for side quests as well, so he's a regular drifter and an influence on his siblings. Our third whale was T137A Jack who, up until this summer, had been regularly seen with his mom and two little sisters. This season, it seems Jack's taken a turn for the adventurous life, perhaps taking notes from the adventurous Neftali. He's been seen hanging out with multiple family groups with his own family nowhere in sight, his most recent alliance being the 77 siblings. We joked that these three must be having fun with no parental supervision, and watched as they swam together, then separated, then swam together again. After our visit with this trio, we jumped back over to Billiard and Kaju just in time to see them get a little surface active. We were lucky enough to be able to witness a few cartwheels and tail slaps from Kaju, who must have been showing off for their friend. After so much adventure, we cruised home while discussing humpback research and the ongoing ID project known as Happywhale. Such a great morning! -Amy

3 PM

This trip was definitely a memorable one, and a good reminder that you truly never know what will happen when you leave the dock. This afternoon we had reports of orcas up by Sucia Island, so we pointed that direction. However, upon approaching Vendovi, we received a promising call from a water taxi that there were more orcas in Bellingham bay. With this information, we shifted plans and aimed east for Eliza Island. Once in the bay, we scanned hard, doing a massive slow loop. These whales were being sneaky though, and after about 30 minutes of searching, we decided it might be best to move on. Once we'd rounded the corner of Lummi, we received a new call from another friend on the water-- they'd found the orcas! So, we turned around and went back into the bay. After a few minutes to get oriented, we got some initial views at some quickly moving killer whales that I at first did not recognize. After getting some ID shots and flipping through our ID guide, I realized we were on scene with the lovely T38As, a family I'd never seen before! The T38As are led by T38A Dana, born in 2000. Traveling with her were her two young kiddos, T38A2 born in 2020 and T38A3 born in 2024. This young family had a need for speed, and also a need for misdirection. We traveled with them as they zipped through the bay, seemingly unable to make their minds up on where they wanted to go. It's ok Dana, you've got two little ones you're taking care of, we don't blame you for acting a bit frazzled. After an extended time without seeing them at the surface, one of our deckhands spotted them very far inshore, so we scooted over to reacquire, surprised with how far they'd made it in between surfacings. After getting our first looks in this placid, shallow water, it was clear that Dana had pumped the breaks and was now traveling calming and slowly. But then... a fourth fin popped up... and a fifth... and a sixth... Had Dana and her two little ones cloned themselves? Thats what we thought before realizing our deckhand had not spotted Dana and her family but rather an entirely different pod. Say hello to the T35As! We were delighted to catch up with T35A Lester and her family. And we were also greeted with the newest member of the family, little T35A1A, Lesters grandcalf. This little one was spotted just a few weeks ago and assigned to T35A1 Opal, Lesters first born daughter! For the longest time, there seemed to be a mystery whale in the group I could not assign an ID to. However, after some more close examination, I realized it was indeed Lesters second born, 13 year old Topaz. Topaz was confirmed a male and apparently is starting to grow, because he doesn't look much like his ID photo anymore. Compared to the exciting fast pace Dana set for her family, watching Lester and her crew felt slow, steady, and so relaxing. They calmly traveled south and we got some amazing looks at the whole family all together. With our time running out, we said goodbye to Lester and her family and pushed back out of the bay, finishing off the day with a bald eagle, some darting king fishers, and speeding pigeon guillemots all hanging out along the Cliffside of Guemes Island. Such an amazing trip and a good reminder that our days are always evolving and our routes are never set in stone! - Amy