October 18, 2026
Anacortes Whale Watch
Highlights
Bigg's killer whale (T49C)
Yellow-billed loon!
Steller Sea Lions
Harbor Seals
So many birds
October 18, 2026 | 1 PM Whale Watch
It's amazing how drastically the weather can shift from day to day here in the Salish Sea. Today, the Strait of Juan de Fuca was positively placid! Before leaving the dock, the crew speculated where our best odds for whales would be. Seeing as Janet has been loving his little rhythms of late, we put money on finding T49C in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. With no other whale reports upon leaving the marina, we ventured south to test our prediction...
We couldn't venture south in Rosario Strait without stopping at one of our favorite National Wildlife Refuges. Bird Rocks was hosting two large Steller sea lions and a dozen harbor seals, all three species of cormorants and gulls interspersed among them. The mature bull kelp created a mat of stipes bordering the islands, and the remaining blades flowed south with the ebbing tide. As we continued south, we sought out the upwelling zones, knowing they are often bustling with activity. As we crossed McArthur Bank, a vigilant guest spied a tall black dorsal fin off our port side. Could it be...
Hey there Janet! Fancy running into you here. We enjoyed a peaceful encounter with this impressive male Bigg's killer whale. He guided us south towards the layered peaks of the Olympic Mountain Range, his inky dorsal slowly slicing through the glassy waters between McArthur and Eastern Banks.
Waving goodbye to Janet, we turned to search Eastern and Partridge Banks. Captain Tyson spied the rare yellow-billed loon north of Eastern Bank, its yellow bill making it hard to mistake for any of the other species that more commonly visit the Salish Sea. On our search, and during our slow down at Smith Bank, we would also encounter grebes, pigeon guillemots, common murres, common loons, rhinocerous auklets and both white-winged and surf scooters!
We enjoyed a scenic cruise back to the northeast, letting the prominent peak of Kulshan guide us home.
- Sam
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