Weekly Whale Report: 04/27/26 - 05/03/26

T19B "Galiano" outside of Skyline Marina in Anacortes. Photo Credit: Naturalist Megan MacGregor

Whales in Anacortes WA: Who We Saw

Talk about a week! Spring is in full swing and the whales of the Pacific Northwest have heard that the Salish Sea is the place to be.

T23 "Janice" swimming outside of Roche Harbor. Photo Credit: Naturalist Sophia Madden

Species Seen This Week

Killer Whale - Total: 34

Humpback Whale - Total: 6

Gray Whale - Total: 1

Humpback Whale Zig Zag, Fluking near San Juan Island. Photo Credit: Naturalist Sophia Madden

Individual Whales Seen This Week

Killer Whale:

We encountered orcas 5 times and identified 34 individuals across 10 matrilines.

These included:

• T19s

• T23 + T23Ds

• T49As

• T51

• T71Bs

• T86A3s

• T100

• T123s

• T124As

• T124As

• T124Ds

Humpback Whale:

We encountered humpback whales 4 times and identified 6 individuals.

These included:

• Gretzky

• Kelpie

• Olympus

• Scuttle

• Ulli

• ZigZag

Gray Whale:

We encountered gray whales 1 times.

We did not get an identification on this whale. 

Breaching killer whale from the T-party near Deception Pass Bridge. Photo Credit: Naturalist Megan MacGregor

Highlights from Anacortes Whale Watching Tours

The last week of April brought us all the orcas! Guests were lucky enough to witness a T-party swim under Deception Bridge. A T-party is when multiple unrelated matrilines meeting up together to socialize, breed, and play.

Other notable species we saw included:

• Stellar sea lions

• Mouflon sheep

• Dexter the sea otter

We're excited to see what the rest of May will bring!

Mouflon Sheep grazing on Spieden Island. Photo Credit: Naturalist Sophia Madden

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".