Anacortes Whale Watch  Highlights: Bigg's killer whales (T99's, T124D's, T100's, and T87) Bald eagles Harbor seals  Steller sea lions April 11, 2024 --11 AM Whale Watch Island Adventures gets all the gold stars today, for finding not one, but two separate groups of Bigg’s killer whales! Our whale encounters started near Eastern Bank, where I sighted a towering dorsal fin quickly slice through a nearby current line. It turned out to be Harbeson, T87, the oldest known male in the west coast Bigg’s population! He wowed us with some tail slaps and a breach, making the crew wonder if ..read more

Anacortes Whale Watch  Highlights: Steller sea lions  Sea stars  Bald eagles Bald eagle nest! April 7, 2024 --11 AM Whale Watch We started the day with a report of whales offshore of Bellingham earlier in the morning. With optimism that we could locate the pod, we left the marina to start our search. We stopped along eastern Guemes Island, where sea stars were dotting the intertidal zone and an active bald eagle’s nest was being tended to by a mated pair. From there, we continued into the Bay, taking our time to search as we approached Fairhaven. The wind was blowing from the ..read more

 Anacortes Whale Watch  Highlights: Bigg's killer whales (T100's, T101A, and T101B) Gray whale Harbor seals  Bald eagles April 6, 2024 --11 AM Whale Watch Heading out in overcast conditions, we were in high spirits and feeling lucky! We stopped at Bird Rocks for our first slow-down of the day. We found a large group of cormorants drying off and harbor seals hauled out on the rocks warming themselves up before their next dip into the icy waters of the Salish Sea. Continuing south, we stopped to enjoy a mature bald eagle perched on the wildlife sanctuary sign of Colville Island ..read more

 Anacortes Whale Watch  Highlights: Bigg's killer whales (T124A's, T124A1's, T87) Steller sea lions  Turkey vultures Harbor seals  Bald eagles  April 5, 2024 --11 AM Whale Watch Today was so wonderful! We watched fresh snow falling in the Olympic mountain range, making for a breathtaking and dramatic backdrop for today’s wildlife encounters. We started with a slowdown at Colville Island, where two mature bald eagles and several harbor seals were gathered. The eagle’s plumage was fluffed up against the chilly spring winds, while the harbor seals seemed to be doing th ..read more

 Anacortes Whale Watch  Highlights: Bigg's killer whales (T65's) Harbor seals  Steller sea lions Bald eagles  Mouflon sheep & fallow deer April 3, 2024 --11 AM Whale Watch We got to visit with not just one, but two branches of the incredible T65 matrilineal tree today! Our first whale encounter took place just east of the D’arcy Islands, where Chainsaw’s unmistakable dorsal cut through the water as he maintained a steady 6knot pace. The more subtle fin of his presumed mother, Whidbey, appeared shortly after, both traveling north with purpose. Perhaps their behavior wa ..read more

 Easter Extended Range Tour  Highlights: 192 miles covered Bigg's killer whales Harbor seals Steller sea lions California Sea lions  Harbor seals  Bald eagles  Mouflon sheep Fallow deer Sika deer  so many birds!  March 31, 2024 --11 AM Whale Watch We beat a record today for most miles covered on a single Island Adventures trip! After eleven hours of exploring the beautiful Salish Sea, we’d covered 196 nautical miles! Wow! Let’s recap: We started at Bird Rocks with sleepy Stellers, a few hauled out harbor seals, some active and vocal bald eagles, black oyste ..read more

 Anacortes Whale Watch 11 AM Highlights: Five gray whales! Harbor seals Steller sea lions March 30, 2024 --11 AM Whale Watch We headed out into the Salish Sea today and started our journey south into Rosario Strait. Stopping at Williamson Rocks for our first slow down, we found a nice group of harbor seals and a bunch of pigeon guillemots. We continued south to Deception Pass and continued down into Saratoga Passage where we found five different gray whales. The first whale we started with was #56 Stardust, he gave us a great show and surfaced a lot near the boat. We moved off and got a ..read more

 Anacortes Whale Watch  11 AM Highlights: Gray whale Steller sea lion Harbor seals  Bald eagles March 29, 2024 --11 AM Whale Watch With Thursday's storms having blown through the area we once again were graced with beautiful waters and sunny conditions. We headed out to Bird Rocks where we found a Steller sea lion and two adult bald eagles along with a bunch of harbor seals. We headed south from there to Castle Rock and spotted another adult bald eagle as well as many more harbor seals. Making a wide loop toward Smith Island to search, we continued to cruise back to the east an ..read more

Anacortes Whale Watch 11 AM Highlights: Bigg's Killer Whales (T18s and a few T49As) Harbor seals Bald eagle March 27, 2024 --11 AM Whale Watch It was certainly blustery in the islands today, but the whales were phenomenal and a little wind never stops us! We started the day with a stop at Pointer Island, where harbor seals were sheltering from the southerly winds on the north side of the island. They were joined by a pretty pair of black oyster catchers and some gulls. We took Thatcher Pass through the islands, having heard word of whales near East Sound. Sure enough, deep within East Sound ..read more

 Anacortes Whale Watch  11 AM Highlights Bigg's killer whales  Steller sea lions  Bald eagles Spring sunshine!  March 24, 2024 -- 11 AM Whale Watch We put on a mighty search today and the effort paid off! We were so grateful for the incredibly calm conditions that persisted throughout our journey, and the sunny skies that broke through in the early afternoon. We’d heard rumors of whales to the south, so we started by searching southern Rosario Strait and the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca. With the glassy seas, every piece of driftwood with a cormorant sitting atop ..read more