Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Bigg's killer whales (T49As & T19s)
Steller sea lions
Harbor seals
Common loon!

September 7, 2026 | 1 PM Whale Watch

Such a lovely afternoon with two groups of Bigg's killer whales!

As we turned out of the marina, we spotted a common loon bobbing in the water way, a sure sign that fall is approaching. Continuing to the north, we skirted along the east side of Guemes island and stopped at Sinclair for a very entertaining sea lion encounter where we watched two individuals try to jump up onto a navigational marker. Two more sea lions were already resting on it, and did not seem keen to share their space. After a few minutes, we moved on and pushed further up towards Orcas and Waldron. Turning into Presidents channel, we slowed down for our first whales of the day, a lovely Bigg's killer whale family known as the T49As! The T49As are led by matriarch Nan, who is 40 years old. She's got a troop of kiddos that travel with her, including her 15 year old son T49A3 Nat, whose dorsal fin is continuing to sprout. T49A4 Neptune, T49A5 Nebula, and T49A6 Charlie were also present and cruising along after mom. We also got some adorable looks at the newest member of the family, a spunky and energetic T49A7 Nimbus, who was born just a few months ago! Oldest brothers, T49A1 Noah and T49A2 Jude, were not present, although they typically fly solo and it was not surprising at all that they were absent. During our visit we watched some energetic surface behavior, a bit of splashing, and Nat bringing his growing flukes out of the water. Little Nimbus later tried to imitate their older brother, flinging their tail out of the water in a tiny cartwheel. Good job Nimbus!

After our visit with this large family, we scooted over to the coast of San Juan island. Just a few hundred yards away, another Bigg's family was making its way down San Juan channel. After getting out first looks, we recognized these whales as the famous T19s! T19 Mooyah led the way with her two massive adult sons, T19B Galliano and T19C Spouter. It was so fun to be able to have an example of a juvenile male (Neptune) a sprouter (Nat) and two full grown males all in one day! After our visit with Mooyah and her sons we slowly cruised off and headed for Wasp Pass. We took a gorgeous inner island route home, turning south once outside Thatcher pass to have one last wildlife stop at Bird rocks where we spotted harbor seals and more snoozing Steller sea lions. What a fun afternoon on the water!

Amy