Subject: Mid-July Whale Report: Large Groupings of Humpbacks, plus Bigg's Orcas

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Mid-July Whale Report - Humpbacks & Bigg's Orcas

Photo of T65A orcas near Hood Canal Bridge

The last few weeks have been truly impressive. We're seeing Bigg's orcas throughout the Salish Sea, as well as large groupings of humpback whales in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Read on for details on recent sightings. (Photo of T65A Bigg's orcas near Hood Canal)

Our Daily Tours

Seattle (Edmonds) Half-Day tours departures at 9:30am & 2:30pm
Port Townsend Full-Day tours depart at 9am
Port Townsend Half-Day tours depart at 10:30am & 3pm
Port Angeles Half-Day tours depart at 10am & 2:30pm (with changes for tides)

Recent Sightings

On July 9, our Port Townsend and Edmonds half-day tours witnessed humpback "Orion" conduct a breach-fest. 42 breaches! This was preceded by robust pectoral fin-slapping alongside an unidentified colleague. Both tours also spent time with local faves, the T65A family of Bigg's orcas, joined by T37A1.

Photo of T46B orcas tail slapping (photo by PSE Naturalist Rachel Rodell)

On July 4 our Port Townsend and Edmonds tours encountered Bigg's orca "Flapjack" and the rest of the T36s, who were then joined by the T99s. These killer whales were hunting a harbor porpoise near Mount Rainer. We suspect they were successful as one of the members of the T99 family, Puck, breached at least 3 times! (Photos by Zoe O.)

Photo of T36 Bigg's orcas in front of Mt. Rainier (photo by Zoe O.)

Photo of T99 Bigg's orca “Puck“ breaching (photo by Zoe O.)

Our Port Angeles tours are encountering large groupings of humpback whales in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Recent tours have encountered multiple groupings of 12-20 whales! On Tuesday's afternoon trip we saw more whales than we have any day so far this season, witnessing just about every behavior in the book; breaches, cartwheels, lunge feeding, pec slapping and more. Perhaps most excitingly (at least for the crew), we finally welcomed back one of our all-time favorite whales, BCX1358 Frankenstein! This well-known male humpback has been returning to the Salish Sea to feed every summer since 2013. (Photos by PSE naturalist Rachel R.)

Photo of humpback “Frankenstein“ (photo by PSE Naturalist Rachel R.)

These are just some recent highlights! Summer is the most popular time for whale watching, not only because of the abundance of whales in the area, but also because the weather in the Pacific Northwest is simply sublime. Sunshine as far as the eye can see. We hope you can join us for our whale tours - and if you have a special interest in birds, don't forget that this year we're expanding our popular Puffin Tours! Just north of Port Townsend lie two wildlife refuges that are home to the only nesting colonies of tufted puffins in the Puget Sound area. These are gorgeous birds and a treat to see. Tours depart out of Port Townsend and Edmonds.

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Subject: Mid-July Whale Report: Large Groupings of Humpbacks, plus Bigg's Orcas

Mid-July Whale Report - Humpbacks & Bigg's Orcas

Recent Sightings