Anacortes Whale Watch

Highlights

Biggs killer whales (T49C, T37Bs, T65Bs)
Minke whales
Steller sea lions
Harbor seals

October 4, 2026 | 1 PM UW Physical Therapy Fundraiser

Bigg’s killer whales and multiple minke whales!! We headed out into some beautiful conditions today as October seemed to be welcoming us with warm weather and calm seas. Heading south we stopped at Coleville Island where we found a nice group of harlequin ducks and a few very well hidden harbor seals. We continued west after that and as we crossed Hein Bank we stumbled upon a couple minke whales. We got a few looks before we continued on toward a report of a lone killer whale.

The report was good and we ended up on scene with T49C known as Janet. He is a large male Bigg's killer whale and as usual he was alone. We hung out for a while before waving goodbye and heading back to Hein Bank. We ended up finding another minke whale while we were there and found a lone Steller sea lion camped out on the Hein Bank marker buoy. We continued making our way home but we were intercepted by two different pods of Bigg's killer whales. They ended up being the T37Bs and the T65Bs with great looks at some of the big males in the group as they were all traveling southwest into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

This tour was extra-special as it was a fundraiser for the University of Washington Physical Therapy Program. Thank you to everyone who joined us - the ocean provided some beautiful encounters and you helped support the next generation of healthcare professionals!

-Tyson