Pacific Whale Watch Association

We're back from SMM2026 in Puerto Rico! We had a fantastic week of learning and sharing, but we're glad to be back in the Salish Sea with the whales we know and love, like the T35A family of Bigg's orcas who were recently seen near Anacortes, WA. 📷: Sam Murphy, Island Adventures Whale Watching

This isn't your average seal or sea lion. This is a northern fur seal, a somewhat rare visitor to the Salish Sea. Naturalist Sam Wallace of Outer Island Excursions photographed this inquisitive youngster last week near Washington's Dungeness Spit. Look at those long ear flaps!

Happy Hump Day! 🐋 This powerful peduncle belongs to humpback whale BCX1854 "Trooper". Trooper has been visiting the Salish Sea region since at least 2018, and is known to travel to Maui in winter. 📷: Prince of Whales Whale Watching

Up, up, and away! Bigg's killer whale T037A2 "Inky" recently took to the skies following a successful porpoise hunt in the Strait of Georgia. 📷: Andrina Lindenaar, Ocean EcoVentures Whale Watching

TGIF! It's been a long week, and we could all use something beautiful on our feeds. This excellent shot of BCX0158 "Kappa" breaching near Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver, BC was taken by Julia Adelsheim of Wild Whales Vancouver. 🐋

Where did the weekend go?!? 😫😭 📷: Mollie Cameron, Sooke Coastal Explorations

Ironically, we received this news during a meeting touting what Government of Canada is doing to help protect Southern Resident killer whales. 🙄 apnews.com/article/albe...

The coastal Bigg's orca population has grown yet again! A new calf was seen swimming beside T36A1 "Tierna" a few days ago. Based on visible fetal folds and a still somewhat smooshed (technical term 😉) dorsal fin, the calf is likely only a week or so old. 📷: Bart Rulon, @pugetsoundexpress.com

Where do whales go to get their teeth straightened? The ORCA-dontist. 😅 Okay, okay. That was bad. What's not bad? T49A6 Charlie II's adorable underbite. We love his teeth just the way they are! 📷: April Ryan, @sjiwhalewatch.bsky.social

Earlier this week, the T36s and T137A "Jack" were seen sharing a large prey item for several hours. We've not been able to confirm exactly what they were feeding on, but there's speculation it could have been a minke whale. 😬 📷 : Amanda Colbert, Blue Kingdom Tours

To kill or not to kill? That is the question. This article dives into the debate about whether lethal pinniped removal is the key to saving salmon. Seals & sea lions play a crucial role as both predators *and* prey, and we have major concerns about H.R. 9621. www.eopugetsound.org/article/cong...

Happy Hump Day! 🐋 Tail slaps are one way humpback whales communicate with each other. Naturalist Katie Read of SpringTide Whale Watching & Eco Tours recently captured this "conversation" between BCY1033 "Merlin" (left) and BCY1222 "Hammer" (right).

Just a mom and her baby — her very large, 48-year-old baby. 🥹 Here we see T65 "Whidbey II" and her son, the famous T63 "Chainsaw", cruising the waters near Vancouver, BC. 📷: Stephanie Spencer, @seabreezewhales.bsky.social

Happy Hump Day! 🐋 This lovely lady is BCZ0409 "Stingray". First documented in 2011, Stingray is a confirmed female, and is known to visit Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in winter. She was seen yesterday off Parksville, BC. Welcome back, Stingray! 📷: Andrina Lindenaar, Ocean EcoVentures

Jack isn't the only acrobatic orca in town! 25-year old male T60C "Yelnats" got some hangtime near Smith Island last week during what appeared to be a post-hunt celebration. 📷: Sam Murphy, Island Adventures Whale Watching

Today we're hanging out at the 49th Annual Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival. If you're in the neighborhood, be sure to swing by the Marine Science Stage at 4:00 PM to catch our talk on Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea! 🐋⛵️ For more details on the festival, visit: woodenboat.org

Ha! From a distance, this looks like a lunge-feeding humpback with its mouth open, but it's actually two different humpback whales lunging in unison. Happy Hump Day! 🐋 📷: Liam Nelson, @eaglewingtours.bsky.social

Ever feel like you've bitten off more than you can chew? 📷: Lauren Ryan Booth, FRS Clipper Whale Watching

Last week, our post with orca T137A "Jack" got ~1 million views! This week, humpback BCX2020 "Hitchhiker" wants to remind us that they weigh ~3 times as much as Jack, so if you were impressed with his breach, you should *really* be impressed by this. 😉 📷: Julia Adelsheim, Wild Whales Vancouver

⚠️ RARE BIRD ALERT ⚠️ A rare Nazca booby (Sula granti) has been spotted near Washington's Smith Island for three days in a row. This juvenile is a long way from home, as Nazca boobies are normally found from Mexico to Peru. 📷: Tony Tilt, @pugetsoundexpress.com

If you're tired of seeing pictures of Bigg's killer whale T137A "Jack" breaching, well, sorry not sorry! With moves like these, he deserves the attention. 📷: Alex McIntire, @sjiwhalewatch.bsky.social

We agree with the orcas. The Salish Sea is the place to be this summer! 😎 www.kuow.org/animals/2026...

Meet "Flapjack"! Flapjack (T36) was born around 1970, making her ~56 years old. She and her family have made headlines recently with visits to Seattle's Ballard Locks and Fox Island near Gig Harbor. 📷: Amanda Colbert, Blue Kingdom Whale & Wildlife Tours

Another day, another entanglement. Fortunately, this whale was saved by experts from Cascadia Research Collective. This is costly work, and there have been more entanglements than usual this season. If you have any funds to spare, please consider donating: cascadiaresearch.org/20260814mn_e...

Were you doing some land-based whale watching from Davidson Head on north San Juan Island yesterday morning (Aug. 13)? If so, naturalist Alison Engle of Western Prince Whale Watching captured this special moment as Bigg's killer whale T19C "Spouter" swam by close to shore. 😍

The T19, T49A, and T46B matrilines hosted a "T-party" yesterday afternoon south of the San Juan Islands. Between these three matrilines, there are *five* calves under the age of five, making for lots of playful interaction. 📷: Aly Liu, @sanjuansafaris.bsky.social

At the Victoria Inner Harbour Airport, the odds of your flight being delayed by orcas are low, but never zero.😉 📷: Natalie Corless, Orca Spirit Adventures

What's a kelp bed without a kelp blanket? Captain David of All Aboard Sailing snapped this photo of a sea otter settling in for a snooze in the San Juan Islands. 🦦

Happy Hump Day! 🐋 Meet BCY0842 "Wiley". Wiley was first seen off Tofino, BC in Aug. 2009, and has been visiting the Salish Sea since at least 2018. In Feb. 2020, a team with Cascadia Research Collective photographed Wiley off the island of Kauaʻi. 📷: Mollie Cameron, @whalewatchingbc.bsky.social

Most days, we find whales. Some days, the whales find us! Check out this footage taken a few days ago as a group of Bigg's killer whales swam directly under San Juan Cruises' DOCKED vessel in Bellingham, WA. 😲 🎥: Avery Harper, San Juan Cruises

Big thanks to naturalist Stella & captain Ethan of White Rock Sea Tours for retrieving this Mylar balloon. Mylar balloons don't biodegrade, and even balloons marketed as "biodegradable latex" can stay intact for months or years, posing a risk to wildlife. Please choose other ways to celebrate. 🚫🎈

Telegraph Cove, BC is the PWWA's northernmost departure location. In summer, it's one of the best places to view Northern Resident orcas, like the A34s & A50s seen here. Unlike Southern Residents, Northern Residents aren't endangered, with ~375 individuals in the population. 📷: Prince of Whales

Stan the Man! It's incredible to see any orca breach, but when it's a large male like T123A "Stanley", it's even more impressive. 📷: Clare Martin, Island Adventures Whale Watching

Only a few days left to snag your annual fundraising tee from @orcabehaviorinstitute.org! This year's shirt features gorgeous artwork by muralist Yaz of Urban ArtWorks. Order by Sunday to support OBI's ongoing research, education, and advocacy. Limited run, so if you snooze, you lose!

"Baby face, you've got the cutest little baby face." 🎶 This baby face belongs to Ghost's 2026 calf. We were surprised Ghost had a calf this year as she had one in 2025. Humpbacks often wait 2-3 years between calves, but can give birth every year. 📷: Katie Read, SpringTide Whale Watching & Eco Tours

It's World Orca Day! We're so fortunate to live and work among these apex predators. Each day we strive to not only protect them ourselves, but to inspire our guests to appreciate and protect them as well. 📷: Jacob Alexander, Wild Whales Vancouver

GOOD NEWS ALERT: After nearly a week entangled in fishing gear, beloved humpback "Pop Tart" is free! Gratitude to DFO's Marine Mammal Rescue Unit and the many PWWA members who went above and beyond for Pop Tart over the last several days. 👇 www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/media/2026/7...

Happy Hump Day! 🐋 Humpback whales and sea lions both love a good fish dinner. Last week, lucky guests with Seabreeze Adventures got to watch four humpbacks and ~10 Steller sea lions hunting together in the Strait of Georgia. 📷: Uwe Zimmermann, @seabreezewhales.bsky.social

Pull up a chair - literally! Captain Brock and naturalist Brooke of Outer Island Excursions retrieved this plastic chair from the Salish Sea during a recent whale watching tour.

We're back from a little holiday break and kicking things off with a SPLASH! Here's Bigg's killer whale T86A1 "Nahanni", born in 2001, demonstrating perfect belly flop form. 📷: Melisa Pinnow, San Juan Excursions

Orcas are big. Humpbacks are bigger. It's hard to appreciate how much bigger until you see a photo like this! Just half of this humpback's fluke towers over this orca's dorsal fin. Congratulations to Tobin Sparling of Prince of Whales for capturing this remarkable image. 👏

Happy news to share! "Skipper", the young humpback believed to have been hit by a passenger ferry near Vancouver last October, was spotted in Puget Sound earlier this week! Prior to this, her last sighting was early December. 🐋 Read more here.👇 www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/media/2026/6...

Happy Hump Day!🐋 Humpbacks are steadily streaming into the Salish Sea now, with more arriving from the breeding grounds every day. Might just be us, but they seem particularly surface active this season! Here's a great backward breach caught by Selena Rhodes Scofield of @eaglewingtours.bsky.social.

We're starting the week off with this breaching beauty, 16-year-old Bigg's (mammal-hunting) killer whale T124A4 "Sabio". Sabio means "wise one" in Spanish and Portuguese. 📷: Jake Hawley, Orca Spirit Adventures

Bigg's killer whales & humpbacks are the two whales seen most often on our tours. If you're lucky, you'll see both on your trip. If you're INSANELY lucky, you'll get them in the same frame!!! Here are highlights from a recent tour near Parksville, BC. Unreal! 🤩 📷: Simon Pidcock, Ocean EcoVentures

Happy news! As a reminder, both whale watch vessels *and* recreational vessels are required to stay at least 1,000 yards/metres (WA/BC) from endangered Southern Residents in the Salish Sea. The photos in this article were taken by researchers operating under permit. cheknews.ca/were-thrille...

Are you kidding us with this pic!?!? No Photoshop. No AI. Just absolutely perfect timing. Naturalist Tiffany Waldner of Blue Kingdom Whale & Wildlife Tours snapped this shot near Anacortes, WA at the end of yesterday's tour. Well done, Tiffany! 👏

Alas, there is one less harbor seal in the Salish Sea following this incredible predation event the crew at San Juan Cruises in Bellingham, WA witnessed before they even untied from the dock! 📷: Elliot Shaughnessy-Lively

Happy Hump Day! 🐋 The first humpback mom/calf pairs are starting to arrive from the breeding grounds. Here's an adorable pic of BCX2183 "Smoke" with her new calf. Other moms with calves this year include BCY0862 "Apollo", BCY1229 "Deca", and BCX1057 "Divot". 📷: Alli Montgomery, @FRSClipper

🚨NEW SCIENCE ALERT 🚨 A new open-access article in Marine Mammal Science examines seasonal presence of Bigg's (mammal-hunting) killer whales in the inside waters of Vancouver Island. The PWWA is proud to have contributed sightings data toward this study. doi.org/10.1111/mms....