Weekly Whale Report: 04/20/26--04/26/26

T19B Galiano and T19C Sprouter swimming past the Orcas Island ferry landing. Photo Credit: Naturalist Sheila Bolka

Whales in Anacortes WA: Who We Saw

Across nine tours in the third week of April, guests encountered fan favorites, popular regulars, and rare whales in the San Juan Islands.

Humpback Gretsky fluking in front of Mount Baker. Photo Credit: Naturalist Megan MacGregor

Species Seen This Week

Killer Whale - Total: 16

Humpback Whale - Total: 4

Gray Whale - Total: 2

Individual Whales Seen This Week

Killer Whale:

We encountered orcas 9 times and identified 12 individuals across 6 matrilines.

These included:

• T19s

• T49A2

• T51

• T65A3

• T90s

• T167A & T167B 

Humpback Whale:

We encountered humpback whales 4 times.

These included:

• Zig Zag

• Gretsky

  
  

Gray Whale:

We encountered gray whales 2 times.

These included:

• Stardust

• Stalwart

Highlights from Anacortes Whale Watching Tours

In addition to whales, our guests also enjoyed sightings of several other iconic Pacific Northwest species, including stellar sea lions, harbor seals, and Dexter, the sea otter.

Dexter, one of the few sea otters in the Salish Sea, wearing a hat of kelp. Photo Credit: Naturalist Sheila Bolka

While guests were fortunate to meet some of our fan favorites, like big boy T19B Galiano, this week, many guests -- and naturalists alike -- met T167A and T167B for the first time. These siblings, nicknamed Doniol and Valcroze, are known to spend the majority of their time in southeast Alaska and, like the 420 family seen earlier this month, are rare visitors to the Salish Sea.

T167A & T167B are normally seen in southeast Alaska, making them rare visitors to the Salish Sea. Photo Credit: Naturalist Sophia Madden

As Spring continues to ramp up, we expect to encounter the regular suspects, but it's seeming more and more likely that we may also meet some new individuals who've discovered the beauty of the Salish Sea.