Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Bigg's killer whales (T60D & T60E)
Harbor seals
Cormorants & gulls
Bald eagle

September 12, 2026 | 1 PM Whale Watch

With a hint of afternoon sun peeking through the clouds, we left Cap Sante Marina and headed out in search of wildlife! With some promising reports out west, we quickly made our way through Guemes channel and followed the WA state ferry route to Pointer Island. We slowed to visit with several lounging harbor seals, double-crested cormorants, and gulls who were relaxing on the rocky landscape. Quickly continuing west, we paused only to admire the stunning coastlines of Orcas Island and Crane Island as we inched through Pole pass. We cruised around the north end of San Juan Island, waving to distant herds of moufflon sheep and fallow deer grazing on Spieden, and rounded the corner to the west side of Henry Island. After chatting with our whale-watching friends, we soon spotted two 6-foot inky black dorsal fins up ahead! Some quick ID work told us we were on scene with members of the T60’s Bigg’s killer whale pod - brothers Onca (T60D) and Lynx (T60E)! We followed in awe as they circled into mosquito pass, past Roche Harbor, and back out into Haro strait, before beginning a circumnavigation of Henry Island once again. We observed stealthy behavior from the pair, as they quietly cruised past a rock full of sleeping harbor seals, and swam directly through a bed of bull kelp. A lone bald eagle was perched in a nearby tree, a rare September sight in the Salish Sea. As the brothers began their next circle of the island, we waved goodbye and headed east, taking the beautiful inner-island route home!

-Juna