Orca Behavior Institute

13:45 two humpbacks eastbound towards San Juan aiming for just south of False Bay #wssjis

Roving bulls are Bigg's that, either through being orphaned or dispersing, travel on their own and with a wide variety of different groups. This is not something seen in the Southern Resident orca community! Learn more about T49C via this link! Who is your favorite roving bull? #orca #whalesky

Do you need a calendar for the rapidly approaching new year? Looking for a holiday gift for the whale lover in your life? Swipe through to see some of the stories behind our Orcas of the Pacific Northwest 2027 Calendar. #orcas #killerwhales #pnw www.orcabehaviorinstitute.org/product/pnw-...

Here are a few more photos of J-Pod's pass by Lime Kiln Point State Park on October 20th! We were lucky that the closest and biggest group included not only new calf J65 but also most of the J17s and J19s. The Southern Residents often seen as enamored with a new calf as we humans are. #whalesky

As the year winds down, we are starting to look forward to our spring 2027 Whale University classes! Registration for classes opens soon! You can find detailed class descriptions and other details by visiting www.orcabehaviorinstitute.org/whale-univer...

Meet J65! 😍 What an unexpected joy it was to see this little head pop up next to mom J35 Tahlequah yesterday off the rocks at Lime Kiln. The Center for Whale Research was on scene to confirm the calf and its mother. They also determined the baby to be a male! #orcas #whalesky #salishsea #wssjis

One of the best feelings in the world is sitting on the rocks at Lime Kiln, looking south, and seeing this. Today, it was doubly so! 👀🥰 #orcas #killerwhales #srkw #whalesky #jpod

Here's another take on the recent visit of the T49As to Friday Harbor, this time via video! A couple lucky humans on the shoreline give some perspective on just how big sprouter male T49A3 Nat is getting 😍 #orcas #killerwhales #whalesky #wssjis

During a recent Bigg's killer whale encounter, we filmed some cell phone clips alongside Jason who was filming with his camera set up. With his lens and post-processing, check out how his footage makes it feel like you're right with the whales, even from hundreds of yards away! #whalesky #orcas

Last night the T49As came to town - RIGHT into town! This is them passing the Washington State Ferries M/V Yakima that was docked in Friday Harbor. #whalesky #orcas #salishsea

Big(g) thanks for the generous support of our fundraising auction! Every donation, bid, and share helped us surpass our $11k goal for our 11th anniversary. If you our your business might be interested in donating to our 2027 auction, please send an e-mail to vanessa@orcabehaviorinstitute.org!

During the first weekend of October we encountered a "herd" of humpbacks numbering in the hundreds. It's impossible to capture such a sight in photos, videos, or words for that matter! But Jason made a valiant attempt in this beautiful video compilation from our treks west. #whalesky #salishsea

Two new products in the OBI webstore: ✨ "This is the skin of a killer, Bella" takes on new meaning with our new 5" glittering sticker featuring T99. 🗓️ Our 2027 orca calendar version features 4 photos of each of SRKW, NRKW, and Bigg's killer whales. www.orcabehaviorinstitute.org/shop

T19B Galiano creating a disturbance in San Juan Channel yesterday (Oct 10) #orcas #killerwhales #salishsea #whalesky

Here are some more September Salish Sea stats: — The T19s were our most commonly seen matriline for September (20 of the month’s 30 days) — The largest group of Bigg’s was 32 whales (9/15 in the Strait of Juan de Fuca) — While present, SRKW & NRKW numbers were lower than September 2025.

Have you ever wondered what research permits and permissions are required for our fieldwork? Read the full post at the link below to learn more! www.orcabehaviorinstitute.org/post/what-re...

September was a busy month in the Salish Sea, with high sightings of Southern Resident, Northern Resident, and Bigg's killer whales! You can read our full caption for the map as well as find answers to common questions here: www.orcabehaviorinstitute.org/sightings-ma... #orcas #whalesky

Registration is now open for our all-ages art nights where you can learn to draw orcas! This new Whale U class will take place over 4 fully virtual 1-hour sessions in November and December and is designed for the whole family to participate together. Learn more and register via the link below.

Some days, you run out of superlatives. Such was the case yesterday when we went west - way west - on our second of two all day trips with @sjiwhalewatch.bsky.social for our Fluking Around with Humpbacks class. We estimate we saw >300 humpback whales! Click the link to read more. #whalesky

Got to meet the newest member of the T36A1s today! This little one, who has received the designation T36A1B from Bay Cetology, was first documented on September 26th and appears to be a few weeks old. #orcas #killerwhales #whalesky #salishsea

TGIF! Here's hoping your weekend brings you moments like this one 🤩 This photo was taken last Sunday as T19C Spouter and T65A3 Amir rounded the north end of Henry Island. With some awesome early autumn weather in the forecast, we can't wait to see what this weekend has in store! #whalesky #orcas

HR 9621 would allow for additional exemptions under the MMPA broadening how pinnipeds could be killed in the name of protecting listed salmon stocks. Christopher Dunagan's latest article goes into the issue in depth. A long read, but well worth it to learn about this controversial topic.

Two bulls on Saturday (T49A2 and T49C), and two different bulls on Sunday! We were lucky enough to catch up to the T19s with T65A3 Amir. The group was split into pairs and 19 year-old T65A3 traveling in close association with 25 year-old T19C Spouter for the duration of our encounter. #whalesky

LAST CALL on our fundraising auction! Bidding ends tonight at 10 PM. Get in on the bidding wars for some of our hottest items, snag one of the remaining deals, or donate directly to support our work. Help us reach our goal via the link below: www.32auctions.com/OBI2026

My favorite dynamic duo - T49A2 Jude and his uncle T49C Neilson - were on an absolute rampage this afternoon off Orcas Island. At a minimum, we think they took 4 seals over the course of 50 minutes! 😳 #orcas #salishsea #whalesky

With a wide array of gift cards, gift certificates, and gift baskets, our online auction is a great opportunity to support our work while making a purchase you might make anyway for a restaurant, hotel stay, massage, wine-tasting....the list goes on and on! www.32auctions.com/OBI2026

Support our ongoing work while also snagging yourself the opportunity to get on the water to enjoy the wildlife and beauty of the Salish Sea! Gift certificates are available from four different departure locations and are valid through 2027. Browse and bid here: www.32auctions.com/OBI2026

A little bit of good news on this rainy Thursday evening!

Our auction is off to a roaring start, reaching 60% of our goal in the first 24 hours! 🎊 Today we want to highlight some quintessential Seattle experiences available via tickets and gift certificates in our auction. Browse all of these listings and more here: www.32auctions.com/OBI2026

Our auction is now LIVE and open for bidding! 🎊 Included are rare opportunities to snag merch from our previous limited edition fundraisers: ✽ J-Pod Boy Band tees ✽ Salish Sea Tour crew necks ✽ Indy-pendent hat Browse it all and get your early bids in here: www.32auctions.com/OBI2026

The T19s are changing their status from San Juan Spring whales to San Juan September whales! 🍂 We've had several encounters with them this month, including this evening right outside Friday Harbor where T19B Galiano did a spyhop next to his brother T19C Spouter. #orcas #whalesky #salishsea

Bidding opens in less than 24 hours! Our online auction features dozen of items, including these unique experiences: ★ 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘁𝘀 ★ 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗱𝗲-𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝘂𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 ★ 𝗢𝗻𝗲-𝗼𝗻-𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗸𝗮 Browse all listings here: www.32auctions.com/OBI2026

Our online auction features original Southern Resident killer whale artwork inspired by our Orca Action Month project last June! Browse the link to see all listings, including these custom pieces of L25, J19, J36, J40 and J63, and J46. Bidding opens Weds! www.32auctions.com/OBI2026 #whalesky

In the presence of three more legends this evening 🤩 T19 Nootka, estimated to be over 60 years old, flanked by her sons T19B Galiano and T19C Spouter off the west side of San Juan Island. #orcas #killerwhales #salishsea #whalesky #wssjis

OBI's online auction is open for browsing, with bidding open from Wed 9/23 to Sun 9/27. We've curated dozens of unique items including some that hearken back to the 90s: Beanie Babies, Lisa Frank, Free Willy, and more! Create an account to start marking your faves: www.32auctions.com/OBI2026

Always an honor to be in the presence of these two legends: T65 Whidbey and her son T63 Chaninsaw, this afternoon in Boundary pass. #orcas #whalesky #salishsea

In a lovely moment from J-Pod's visit to the west side of San Juan Island on September 14th, J56 Tofino and J57 Phoenix were swimming in tandem, at times physically in contact with one another. Perhaps allo-kelping? #orcas #southernresidentkillerwhales #salishsea #whalesky

On September 6, Samish Indian Nation held a naming ceremony for J63, the youngest member of J-Pod. She will be known as “Ts’ele7álhse”, meaning “heart of the Salish Sea”. Read the article at the link below for additional information about the ceremony. www.goskagit.com/anacortes/th...

We're back with our third and final staff ID challenge, and it's a doozy as we pit Sara against Monika in an SRKW flashcard showdown. Who do you think prevailed? Take a watch and find out! #orcas #whalesky #salishsea

The T60 brothers have been cruising close to shore off the west side of San Juan Island several times this week, including stopping for a seal hunt off County Park this morning. This beautiful spyhop is from T60E Lynx. They went on to circle Henry Island 4 times and counting this afternoon! #orcas

Here is another look at our August orca sightings stats throughout the Salish Sea: - T36/T36Bs were seen every single day in August. - SRKW returned (13 sightings) after being absent entirely in August 2025. - The largest group of Bigg's killer whales (24) was spotted near Race Rocks on 8/22.

August is in the books and what a month it was for orca sightings in the Salish Sea! Read how the month played out compared to our predictions here: www.orcabehaviorinstitute.org/sightings-ma...

Here's a short video clip highlighting J-Pod's pass in Haro Strait on the morning of September 8th, 2026 🥰 They were in two tight groups moving quickly south. They continued offshore towards the banks and slowly westbound, but we hope they'll be back soon! #orcas #srkw #salishsea #whalesky

Watching orcas in the Salish Sea is often a study in contrasts, as it was this morning with J-Pod heading south in Haro Strait while a cargo ship went north. The underwater soundscape is dominated by ferries and shipping traffic, but this time of year a voluntary slow-down effort helps reduce noise

On September 4th, J-Pod exited Admiralty Inlet and started their trek north to the Strait of Georgia. They passed the west side of San Juan Island at dusk, giving us just a glimpse of them before it got too dark to see. Here is a serene video highlight compilation of the encounter. #orcas #whalesky

A unique quartet of whales made their way down San Juan Channel this morning: T63 Chainsaw T65 Whidbey T65A3 Amir T137A Jack We find these type of social associations - whether or brief like today or longer term - endlessly fascinating. #whalesky #orcas #salishsea #wssjis