Tag Archives: Orca Whales

Whales Seen On Every Whale Watching Tour So Far This Season!


So far the 2019 season is off to a great start, with whales seen on all of our Deluxe Whale Watching tours. The first weekend we saw Transient/Bigg’s Orca whales both days, and then this past weekend we went up near the Canadian Gulf Islands and saw Humpback whales. We’ve got a few school field trips this week, but look forward to our public whale watching tours this weekend. (Pictured is T49-A1, one of the Transient/Bigg’s Orca whales we saw opening weekend)

More Photos From Our Summer Cruise Season

It’s been a great season – it’s gone by way too fast, but we still have tours going through the end of September. Below we’ve included some of the best photos of the last month or so – we also post photos regularly on our Instagram and Facebook pages.

Photos From Our 2018 Season (So Far…)

This season has been one of the best – lots of great whale and wildlife sightings and the weather has been pretty amazing as well. We’ve been fortunate to have some great photographers on board, including loyal customers and members of local photography groups. We also just completed a film shoot, from which we’ll have some great online videos and TV commercials soon.

Below we’ve included some of the best photos from the season so far – we also post photos regularly on our Instagram and Facebook pages.

2018 Season Off To A Great Start, With Lots Of Orca And Humpback Whale Sightings

Our whale watching tours have been very successful, with sightings of transient orcas, humpback whales, minke whales, and a few gray whales so far. The resident orcas are back as well, and with the weather becoming more and more summerlike each day, now’s a great time to join us on one of our tours! (The chart above shows the locations of our sightings so far this season)

Whales & Wildlife Report – Season Summary: One Of Our Best Whale Watching Seasons Ever

This season turned out to be one of our best ever, with sightings on nearly 95% of our whale watching cruises. We had three different whale watching tours, all of which were popular, with folks enjoying frequent sightings of Orca, Humpback and/or Minke whales. If you came out with us this summer, thank you! We are already getting ready for another great summer in 2018!

Included here are photos taken by Jim Bachman on the last day of the season – what a way to close things out, with a group of Orcas, as well as harbor porpoises, a Stellar sea lion, and a variety of sea birds, including marbled Murrelets.

Whales & Wildlife Report – Great Sightings Every Day For The Last Two Weeks

We are definitely in the midst of prime whale watching season, with great sightings over the past two weeks. We’ve primarily spotted Transient / Bigg’s Orca whales, as well as Humpback and Minke whales. Combined with beautiful, sunny weather it’s been quite a summer, but it’s not over yet. We’re running for a few more weeks, through September 24th, so now is a great time to avoid the crowds and come aboard for a memorable whale watching experience.

The photos here are courtesy of Jim Bachman, who joined us on our Deluxe Whale Watching tour on Sunday, September 3rd – in addition to great viewing of Transient Orcas, we also saw seals and a wide variety of sea birds.

Whales & Wildlife Report: Transient Orcas Seen On 5 Of Our Tours Yesterday (8/20/17)

Yesterday was a great day – we saw whales on all 5 of our cruises, including our Deluxe and Express whale watching tours, the Sucia Island picnic cruise, the evening crab dinner cruise and a private charter. It was a group of transient Orcas (T65A’s) out in the northern San Juans. While our success rate is close to 95% on our whale watching tours for the season it was a rare treat to be able to see them on our other tours as well.

One of our naturalists, Victoria Souze, recently wrote an article about the transient/Bigg’s Orca whales for the Bellingham Herald – check it out at: https://goo.gl/w7tFXD

Whales & Wildlife Report: A Season Of Great Transient Orca Whale Sightings

It’s been an amazing, and interesting whale watching season so far. Our success rate for seeing whales on our whale watching tours has never been better – since we started in early May we have seen whales on nearly 98% of our tours. While we have occasionally seen the resident pods of orca whales, most of our sightings have been of transient orcas and humpback whales. Unlike resident orcas, which primarily feed on salmon, transient orca whales feed on larger prey such as harbor seals. The large population of harbor seals in the San Juan Islands has resulted in more transient orcas being “less transient” this summer.

Sightings have been equally good on all three of our whale watching tours – our Deluxe, Express and Evening tours. If you would like to see whales in their natural habitat, with the stunning scenery of the San Juan Islands, now is the perfect time to sign up for a tour!

(Photo by crew member Matt)

Whales & Wildlife Report: Transient Orca Whales On Bellingham Bay (T65A’s) – 6/23/17

Today we were fortunate to have an amazing morning with a group of transient orca whales (T65A’s) only 20 minutes after leaving the dock. We were the first vessel with them, meeting up with them in the waters between Lummi and Eliza Islands. There were 5 adults and a baby – all were quite playful for a while (especially the baby), with tail slaps, flips and a spy hop. After a bit they pointed north and at about 4 kts, went up Hales passage. Combined with beautiful blue sky and plentiful sunshine, it was an incredible start to the day!

Whales & Wildlife Report: Great Orca & Humpback Whale Sightings Continue

The season is going great so far, with lots of great orca and humpback whale sightings. We’ve now done 4 Deluxe whale watching tours, plus several school field trips, and have seen orcas and/or humpbacks on every trip so far, with tours taking us west and north of the San Juan Islands so far. With great sightings so far, and a forecast for sun coming into the weekend, now’s a great time to join us. The Deluxe whale watching tour includes a tour of the San Juan Islands, a shore visit in Friday Harbor and our Northwest salmon & chicken buffet.