Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Bigg’s killer whales: T60 brothers & T123s
Steller sea lions
Harbor seals
Common murres
Harbor porpoises

September 16, 2026 | 1 PM Whale Watch

Conditions were glassy as we cruised south down Rosario Strait this afternoon, and harbor porpoises surfaced around us as we let the Olympic Mountains guide us towards the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The deeper into the strait we got, the more flocks of common murres we encountered. We slowed to visit with a couple dozen harbor seals who were hauled out and sunbathing at Colville Island, the beautiful blades of bull kelp flowing in the currents just offshore. We visited with their larger pinniped cousins, Steller sea lions, at Whale Rocks. The rocks were bustling with activity today as Stellers vied for space atop the islands, using both vocalizations and body language to get their point across. A great blue heron used the bull kelp stipes as a makeshift dock, and cormorants and gulls mingled with the pinnipeds.

We ventured across Salmon Bank and over towards Hein, the placid conditions making it easy to spy any disturbance at the surface. As we neared Hein Bank, two tall dorsal fins rose from the depths. It was the T60 brothers, Onca and Lynx! These two were on a set course north, and we cruised with them as they determinedly made their way towards Eagle Cove, San Juan Island. Kulshan watched over the scene, her dramatic snow-capped peak the perfect backdrop for this intimate encounter.

We waved farewell to the boys and let Kulshan guide us home. We passed bird mills as we neared Iceberg Point, then slowed to admire the sights at Castle Island. As we entered Guemes Channel, and prepared for our return to the dock, the crew's interest was piqued when Captain Carl took a ninety degree turn up Bellingham Channel. Interesting...that surely could only mean one thing...WHALES!

A bonus pod of Bigg's were making their way south down Bellingham Channel, aiming right for us! As the six-foot dorsal of a male erupted from the water, we had to laugh at the irony. While it looked a lot like T60C "Yelnats", the older brother of Onca and Lynx, we knew it to be his doppelganger T123A "Stanley". Hey there Stanley! We knew that must mean Sidney, Lucky and Darcy were nearby. Sure enough, Sidney and Darcy raced south after Stanley, wowing us with a close pass as they porpoised past. Lucky was doing her own thing today, ranging half a mile to a mile off from her family.

Just when we thought the encounter was coming to an end, the trio turned into Guemes Channel, as if guiding us home. How delightful! We enjoyed an extended encounter with them, Darcy playing with something in the shallows while Sidney and Stanley surfaced side by side.

What a stellar conclusion to a beautiful day on the water!

Sam