Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Bigg's killer whales (T109As, T36A1s)
Steller sea lions
Harbor seals
Sea otter

August 21, 2026 | 10 AM and 3 PM Whale Watch

10 AM

We love leaving the dock to word of whales in our range, and that's exactly how this morning's adventure began. We spied flocks of rhinoceros auklets and gulls as we crossed Rosario Strait, then slowed at a navigational marker to visit a sleepy Steller sea lion bull. As we cruised through Thatcher and Cayou passes, we marveled at the absolutely lake-like conditions. A calm had settled in over the Salish Sea. We slowed as we neared the Orcas Island ferry terminal, spying dorsal fins nearshore. It was the T109As, a family that doesn't often venture this deep into the Salish Sea, seemingly preferring the shorelines of Vancouver Island. It was a pleasure to see Frio and her five youngest again. The family traveled in tight formation as they scoped out the Orcas shorelines, then bounced across the pass to Shaw. The backdrop here was nothing short of breathtaking; their blows were beautifully illuminated in the morning light. We waved goodbye to the pod at Upright Head, then continued our search for wildlife.

We slowed near Turn Reef to visit with our favorite furry friend. The sea otter was busy grooming itself while rolling near the kelp forest. At Whale Rocks, a large gathering of Steller sea lions basked in the sunshine. Between Salmon and McArthur Banks, a dozen different bird mills comprising of thousands of birds were gathered for feeding. Common murres, rhinoceros auklets, cormorants, gulls galore and some little phalaropes! With a final slow down at Colville Island for harbor seals, we swung back into Rosario Strait and angled for home. - Sam

3 PM

Man, were we spoiled by the Bigg's this evening! It's been a while since I've seen that much surface activity from these beautiful orcas. Leave it to Indy to spice things up...

Shortly after leaving the marina, we arrived on the scene to find three Bigg's killer whales initiating a hunt in the shallows of Sinclair Island. Tierna (T36A1) and her son Drift (T36A1A) were joined by a third whale, whom no one had yet identified when we arrived. You can imagine our delight when we scanned through the camera and saw Indy's dorsal in the mix! Hey Indy, how've you been? It's been a while.

After making a successful kill, the trio proceeded to tail slap, spy hop, cartwheel and breach repeatedly. It was such a delight to witness this apparent celebration of a successful hunt. The gulls seemed happy too, as dozens began circling the activity and swooping in to pick up scraps.

We left the trio heading south down the western side of Cypress Island and made our way to some of the local pinniped hangouts. First up was a visit with a sleepy Steller sea lion bull on a nearby navigational marker. Above them were so many pelagic cormorants, including two little fledglings! Just to the west, the Peapod National Wildlife Refuge was playing host to harbor seals and bonaparte's gulls.

We continued south down Rosario Strait, and soon met up with another group of Bigg's just northwest of Strawberry Island. It was the T109As! Frio and her five youngest had made their way through Thatcher Pass and out into Rosario Strait since we'd last seen them, and were apparently finishing up a kill. As if we hadn't been lucky enough already, we arrived in time to witness a double spyhop, tail slaps and more! The three youngest siblings played together while the oldest trio diligently worked on dinner. What a night!

-Sam