Ha! This shot made us do a double take. Look closely and you'll find that no seals were harmed in the making of this photograph. 📷: Matt Stolmeier, Outer Island Excursions

After feeding for 6 weeks in Puget Sound, gray whale CRC-53 "Little Patch" surprised us when he showed up near Victoria, BC on Jan. 28! What's next for LP? Will he return to Puget Sound, head north to Vancouver as he did last year, or keep exploring? 📷: Val Shore, @eaglewingtours.bsky.social

A win for wild salmon! 🐟 campbellrivermirror.com/2026/01/29/m...

We've observed, on occasion, solo bubble-net feeding here in the Salish Sea, but we'd LOVE to see cooperative groups like they get in Alaska and now, apparently, northern BC. Hopefully this trend will continue to spread to southern BC and Washington! oceanographicmagazine.com/news/immigra...

While many Salish Sea humpbacks have already left for their winter breeding grounds in Hawai'i, Mexico, and Central America, the ones that are still here are sure making a splash! 🌊🐋 📷: Mark Malleson, Prince of Whales Whale Watching

We love this cover photo from Orca Network's most recent Whale Sighting Report. It shows gray whale CRC-531 "Gretchen" feeding in the foreground with a Southern Resident killer whale in the background (taken from shore). myemail.constantcontact.com/January-19--...

If you've heard there's no whale watching in the Salish Sea during winter, T19C "Spouter" wants you to know you've been misinformed. 😉 This photo was taken in Haro Strait last weekend following a sea lion hunt. 📷: Jeff Friedman, @sjiwhalewatch.bsky.social

What's that bright thing up in the sky? Could that be...THE SUN!? 😎 It's shaping up to be beautiful day around the Salish Sea, so try to get outside to enjoy it! 📷: Uwe Zimmermann, @seabreezewhales.bsky.social

It's hump day! 🐋 This is the 2025 calf of BCX1704 "Vivaldi". The one-year-old was seen off Victoria last month still traveling with mom. Calves stay with mom for ~12 months, and can separate on the feeding grounds, or travel back with her to the breeding grounds. 📷: Ian Roberts of SpringTide Tours

Welcome back, Sounders! Four Sounder gray whales have already been confirmed in the Salish Sea this season: CRC-53 "Little Patch", CRC-531 "Gretchen", CRC-2440 "Tahoma", and CRC-2246 "Azulão". Gray whales can be tough to spot. If you're a boater, keep an eye out! 🩶 📷: Alli Montgomery, FRS Clipper

A magical encounter with Northern Resident killer whales off BC's Sunshine Coast: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Happy New Year! We're charging into 2026 full steam ahead, just like Bigg's orca T075C "Bam-Bam". In the coming weeks we'll be compiling our 2025 annual report, sharing our data with researchers, speaking at a few regional events, and more. 📷: Clint William, @eaglewingtours.bsky.social

Calling all whale nerds... 📣🐳🤓 Registration for Orca Network's hybrid 2026 Ways of Whales workshop on Saturday, January 24 is now OPEN! Sign up before January 4 for an early-bird discount. See the full speaker lineup and register here: givebutter.com/c/e8NM4k

We love puffins! Sadly, these charismatic birds face many challenges throughout their range including habitat loss, predation, and climate change. If you care about puffins, please give this a read. www.audubon.org/magazine/tuf...

Happy Hump Day! 🐋 Today's break in the weather has us jumping for joy, just like BCX2046 "Pinnacle". Pinnacle travels to Mexico in winter, but was still in the Salish Sea as of two weeks ago. Many local whales have yet to start their southward migration. 📷: Katie Read, SpringTide Tours

A very interesting new study has been published about Northern Resident killer whales and Pacific white-sided dolphins potentially helping each other hunt salmon in BC. (And yes, we know killer whales *are* dolphins - it's not our headline! 😝) cheknews.ca/killer-whale...

We've received a tremendous amount of rain lately, even by Salish Sea standards. Our thoughts go out to those affected by flooding in BC & WA. There have, however, been brief moments of respite, allowing for beautiful photos like this one from Clint William of @eaglewingtours.bsky.social.

The days are short this time of year, but there are still plenty of whales to be seen! Here's Bigg's killer whale T46E "Thor" in the shadow of a snowy Tahoma (Mt. Rainier). 🗻 📷: Rachel Rodell, @pugetsoundexpress.com

Not from the Pacific, but worth sharing. Last month, researchers spotted an endangered North Atlantic right whale off the coast of Boston, MA that had only been documented once previously...off the coast of Ireland in July 2024! 😲 www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/...

It's December! We're officially at the tail end of the year. Here's Bigg's killer whale T049C "Neilson" showing off *his* tail end for a group of lucky whale watchers. 📷: Jessie Leo, Orca Spirit Adventures

Happy Hump Day! 🐋 While many humans prepare for a feast tomorrow, local humpbacks have already been feasting for months. A female humpback whale like BCZ0345 "Victory" here eats ~765,000 kcals *per day* - that's 2,550 slices of pumpkin pie! 🥧 📷: Melisa Pinnow, San Juan Excursions

The legend himself, T065A5 "Indy". 📷: Uwe Zimmermann, @seabreezewhales.bsky.social

Another entangled whale has been saved thanks to local experts. BCX1493 "Eugenia" was first reported as entangled near Nanaimo, BC last weekend. After intervention in Washington, we now believe she is swimming free. 🐋 cascadiaresearch.org/20251117mn_e...

We're flipping that it's Friday! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. (Also, WHERE is that orca emoji we were promised!?!🤔🖤🤍🐬) 📷: Island Adventures Whale Watching

Social media has been BLEAK lately. In a hump day effort to cleanse your feed, we present this gorgeous shot of a chin-slapping humpback whale from captain/naturalist Sara Shimazu of @sjiwhalewatch.bsky.social on San Juan Island. 🐋

We would love, love, LOVE to see a basking shark! 🦈 salish-current.org/2025/11/17/b...

With two prominent notches in his dorsal fin, 27-year-old Bigg's killer whale T49C "Neilson" is easy to recognize. 📷: Sam Wallace, Outer Island Excursions

Bowhead whales can live to be more than 200 years old. A new study reveals their ability to repair damaged DNA, preventing cancer and other age-related illnesses. www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/b...

On Saturday, Brooke Casanova of Puget Sound Express spotted BCX1805 "Volta" in the Salish Sea. As luck would have it, Brooke also saw Volta in February off Nayarit, Mexico on a tour with La Orca de Sayulita! Seeing a whale in both the breeding grounds *and* feeding grounds is a special treat. 🐋

After *very* stormy conditions yesterday, it's nice to have some sunshine today. This river otter seems to agree! 📷: Alli Montgomery, FRS Clipper

Great news from @orcabehaviorinstitute.org - The daily Bigg's streak for 2025 is still alive for now (knock on wood)!

Porpoises contain more calories per kg than seals or sea lions, so while they likely require more effort to catch, it's a good return on investment for Bigg's orcas. Here, matriarch T060 "Panthera" swallows an unfortunate harbour porpoise. 📷: Tomis Filipovic, @eaglewingtours.bsky.social

Some encouraging news from our neighbors to the north. www.uaf.edu/news/uaf-tra...

Looks like someone's got a case of the Mondays... 📷: Jade Baird, @seabreezewhales.bsky.social

DOUBLE TROUBLE! T65A5 "Indy" (left) & T49A2 "Jude" (right) are both known for getting into mischief. For the last few days, the pair have been traveling together in the Salish Sea. Fingers crossed they don't get into (too much) trouble! 🤞😅 📷: Sam Murphy, Island Adventures

Only a few days left! Be sure to vote every day now through October 19 to help the team at Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society get a new rescue vehicle! 🦦🦭 Vote here: www.landrover.ca/en/experienc...

This isn't happy news, but it's incredibly important to share. Southern Residents still exist, and they need our help more than ever if they are to survive. Please take a moment to read this article featuring quotes from Dr. Michael Weiss of Center for Whale Research. cheknews.ca/southern-res...

PWWA members near Vancouver recently enjoyed an extended visit from the A42 & A25 matrilines of NORTHERN Residents. Unlike endangered Southern Residents, the NR population, which also feeds primarily on salmon, is much larger, with ~330-340 individuals. 📷: Julia Adelsheim, Wild Whales Vancouver

@orcabehaviorinstitute.org has released their September sightings map, and it's a colorful one at that! There were plenty of sightings of Bigg's killer whales, Southern Resident killer whales, AND Northern Resident killer whales. Take a moment to read their full write-up. 👇

Humpbacks are known to intervene during orca hunts. On Saturday, the T46B1s were craving seal for lunch while BCX1377 "Nike" was nearby. Nike positioned himself between the seal and the orcas, but in the end, his efforts were unsuccessful. 📷: Mollie Cameron, @whalewatchingbc.bsky.social

Bigg's killer whale T101A "Rush" showed off his MASSIVE pectoral flippers during a spyhop last week. 😲 Naturalist Melisa Pinnow of San Juan Excursions got the shot.

We're drooling over this gorgeous photo of a young Bigg's killer whale breaching under a pastel sky near Lummi Island. 🤩 We are so incredibly lucky to call this place home. 📷: Lincoln Humphry, San Juan Cruises

Today we mourn the loss of Jane Goodall, one of the most passionate animal advocates the world has ever known. Through her work, she showed that wild animals can be intelligent and sentient beings, worthy of our appreciation and protection. She will be greatly missed. people.com/jane-goodall...

On Tuesday, several PWWA members enjoyed a massive "T-Party", the whale watch community's name for a gathering of multiple families of Bigg's (mammal-eating) orcas. By the end of the day, an impressive 33 individuals were documented in the mix! 📷: Alison Engle, Western Prince Whale Watching

We've been so busy lately that we forgot it's Fat Bear Week! 🐻 Does this involve the Salish Sea? No. Does it involve whales? No. But Fat Bear Week celebrates wild animals having plenty to eat, and we can get behind that! Vote for today's matchups here: explore.org/fat-bear-week

Happy Hump Day! 🐋 Meet "Ulli", the 2024 calf of BCY0946 "Slits". In October 2022, the crew of Western Prince spotted Slits entangled in prawn gear. Luckily, DFO responded quickly, and Slits went on to conceive Ulli on the breeding grounds that winter. 📷: Kyla Bivens, @pugetsoundexpress.com

It's Sea Otter Awareness Week! 🦦 Did you know there are sea otters in the Salish Sea? They're more often found on the outer coast, but sightings of this keystone species are on the rise in inland Washington and BC waters. 📷: Jeff Friedman, @sjiwhalewatch.bsky.social

In addition to the fin whale, we've had some other special visitors in the southern Salish Sea lately. At least two Pacific white-sided dolphins have been hanging out near south Vancouver Island. They're usually seen in the northern Strait of Georgia. 📷: Lili Wilson, @eaglewingtours.bsky.social

If you’re near south Vancouver Island, don’t miss tomorrow’s Wildlife Coexistence Symposium in Sooke, BC! We’re looking forward to participating in this full-day, in-person event. 🐳 www.eventbrite.ca/e/wildlife-c...