Weekly Whale Watch Report: 04/13/26 - 04/19/26

Three-year-old T46B2B, Takaya, porpoising in the Salish Sea. Photo Credit: Naturalist Sophia Madden

Whales in Anacortes WA: Who We Saw

Talk about an orca-tastic week! Not only did we spot orcas on every tour, the third week of April brought a wide diversity of matrilines with the highest number of individual orcas seen yet this season!

T100s tail-slapping during a seal hunt. Photo Credit: Naturalist Megan MacGregor

Species Seen This Week

Killer Whale - Total: 40

Gray Whale - Total: 1

Individual Whales Seen This Week

Killer Whale:

We encountered orcas 8 times and identified 40 individuals across 10 matrilines.

These included:

• T34s

• T37s

• T63 + T65

• T46Bs

• T100s

• T117A

• T117Bs

• T123s

• T172

• T419s

Gray Whale:

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

Highlights from Anacortes Whale Watching Tours

In addition to whales, our guests also enjoyed sightings of several other iconic Pacific Northwest species. Stellar sea lions and harbor seals were regulars on all our tours.

The T100s lifting a harbor seal to the surface during a hunt. Photo Credit: Naturalist Megan MacGregor

During a whale watching tour out of our Orcas island locations, guests witnessed the T100s, a pod of 4 Biggs orcas, successfully hunt a harbor seal. RIP seal!

The T419s, a pod of Alaskan transients, swimming and spy-hopping as they visit the Salish Sea. Photo Credit: Guest Noah Segal, instagram: @segallikethebird

Special shout out time! Guests aboard our Anacortes whale watching tours encountered the T419s, a unique pod of 3 orcas. The T419s appeared in the Puget Sound area earlier this year, the first time they've ever been seen in the Salish Sea.

After comparing dorsal fin photos, researchers discovered the T419s belonged to the Alaskan Transient stock of killer whales. It is unclear why these whales have ventured outside their normal range or how long they plan to stay around. Time will surely tell!

The whale watching season is amping up and we're excited to see what the rest of April brings!

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".