Daily Whale Report: 05/04/26--05/10/26

A Stellar sea lion attempting to flee from pursuing orcas on Mother's Day. Photo Credit: Naturalist Megan MacGregor

Whales in Anacortes WA: Who We Saw

The second week of March delivered a full house--humpbacks, orcas, grays, and minkes all made an appearance! We wrapped the week on Mother's Day, where T46B1 Tread showed her six month old calf, T46B1D Tasha, how momma kills the sea lions.

Species Seen This Week

Killer Whale - Total: 35

Humpback Whale - Total: 3

Gray Whale - Total: 3

Minke Whale - Total: 1

Individual Whales Seen This Week

Killer Whale:

We encountered orcas 7 times and identified 21 individuals across 7 matrilines.

These included:

• T46B1s

• T46C2

• T49As

• T86A1

• T86A3s

• T100E 

• T123s

Humpback Whale:

We encountered humpback whales 3 times and identified 3 individuals.

These included:

• Malachite

• Poptart

• Split Fin

Gray Whale:

We encountered gray whales 3 times. Two gray whales were unknown.

One was identified as:

• Tahoma 

An unidentified gray whale feeding near Lopez Pass. Photo credit: Naturalist Megan MacGregor

Minke Whale:

We encountered minke whales 1 time. We did not get an identification on this whale.

Highlights from Anacortes Whale Watching Tours

The circle of life is definitely a thing, and guests on our whale watching tours out of Anacortes experienced it this week. On Mother's Day, two matrilines of orcas, the T46B1s and T123s, took down an adult Stellar sea lion--no easy feat.

T123s and T46B1s coordinating during a Stellar sea lion hunt. Photo credit: Naturalist Megan MacGregor

Guests also saw harbor seals and Stellar sea lions lounging on land.

If you want to see more photos and videos from our tours, check out our social media accounts! Find us on Instagram @outerislandx, TikTok @outerislandexcursions, and Facebook as "Outer Island Excursions".

Book your whale watch tour with Outer Island Excursions today!