Killer whales, a minke whale, and a gray whale!

Anacortes Location

6/11/22

Our trip began under partly cloudy skies which soon gave way to beautiful blue sky! We headed south down Rosario Strait and made a quick stop at the No. 2 can of Lawson Reef where five Steller sea lions were hauled out warming up. We continued out toward the Olympic Peninsula and Captain Drew and a few of our passengers caught a quick glimpse of a minke whale. This particular whale was fairly elusive and we weren't able to get another look. We continued on our search over Partridge Bank over toward Whidbey Island. We caught up with some killer whales who were headed northbound. We spent the majority of our time with T137A, while the rest of his family T137, T137B, and T137D were further inshore. We spent a lot of quality with T137A as they all trekked north. Eventually, we had to depart scene and continue on our search. We were treated to a beautiful slow down through the Deception Pass Bridge. We spotted some harbor seals, black oystercatchers, and a bald eagles' nest. As we cruised toward Canoe Pass, we spotted a peregrine falcon perched up in the tree! We could hear it calling and had some great views! We turned and headed back through Deception Pass, then we crossed Rosario Strait. As we approached Lopez Pass, we spotted a gray whale! We had some fantastic looks as this whale appeared to be actively feeding along the Decatur Island shoreline. We spent some time with our gray before heading back across Rosario Strait to Skyline Marina. What a great day!