Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Bigg's killer whales (T19s, T65A3)
Harbor seals
Steller sea lions
Sea otter eating massive sea urchin!

September 5, 2026 | 10 AM and 3 PM Whale Watch

10 AM

With word of whales in the heart of the islands, we made a turn west for Thatcher Pass. Slowing at Pointer Island, we spied harbor seals hauled out on shore, gulls everywhere you looked, and a mix of cormorants painting the slopes white with guano. We turned to enjoy the steep cliffside of Blakley, admiring the madrona trees before working our way through the islands towards Pole Pass. We slowed as we approached this bottleneck, taking a moment to admire the flowing bull kelp and drifting jellies.

After weaving through the Wasp Islands, we turned south in San Juan Channel and spied towering dorsals on the horizon. It was the T19 brothers, "Galiano" and "Spouter", led by their mother "Nootka/Mooyah". The trio explored every inch of shoreline along the western coastline of Shaw Island. Towering madronas stood tall above the emerald waters below, the inky fins of the orcas dramatically slicing through the currents with every surfacing. It was a beautiful setting for this encounter.

We left the pod to continue their circumnavigation, and went to explore the waters near Turn Island. We slowed to visit with a sea otter munching on a truly massive sea urchin amidst the bull kelp. A perfect visual to illustrate the role of sea otters as a keystone species and guardians of these forest canopies.

Our continued search led us through Lopez Sound and out Lopez Pass. The waters of Rosario Strait were calm, and some distant fog lingered near the Deception Pass Bridge. We visited the Bird Rocks National Wildlife Refuge, where cormorants nested, gulls flocked, black oystercatchers wandered along the intertidal zone and a sleepy Steller bull lounged atop the rocks. A wildlife rich final stop in our wonderful morning adventure.

3 PM

We were lucky enough to enjoy two separate encounters with Bigg's Killer Whales this evening. T65A3 "Amir" was wandering between bird mills in the placid waters north of Clark Island. The towering peak of Kulshan watched the scene below as impressive storm clouds built up behind her. Common murres cried out to one another, and the powerful exhalations from Amir rang out across the water. It was such a tranquil scene.

We explored south from here, slowing at a navigational marker with several Steller sea lions crowded on top of it. Pelagic cormorants perched in the rafters above them. The sea lions grunted and bared teeth as they tried to find the most comfortable positions, then settled into using each other as pillows. We cruised past Eagle Cliff where hundreds of birds were milling amidst leaping forage fish, then continued south towards James State Park.

Just south of James, "Nootka/Mooyah" was traveling with her boys "Galiano" and "Spouter" on either side of her. Her three-foot tall dorsal was dwarfed by the impressive six-foot fins of her boys. They led us through the pass, and a very enthusiastic boy hiking the trails above the bluffs made sure we knew exactly where the whales had gone once they'd rounded the corner out of our line of sight. Kid, if you ever want a job as a whale spotter, you're hired. The trio proceeded to shift into hunting mode north of James, and while we can't confirm if they were successful, their surface behavior indicates they likely were. As they entered Thatcher Pass, the lighting shifted and beautifully illuminated every blow. The scene looked like something straight out of a painting, and we were marveling at each misty plume.

As we cruised back to the east across Rosario Strait, the impending storms had engulfed Kulshan, only her foothills now visible in the dramatic evening light. Further to the south, thunderheads had also eclipsed the peaks of the Olympic Mountain range. We enjoyed the calm bubble, courtesy of the rain shadow effect, here in the islands, marveling at the beauty and power of Mother Nature.

Sam