GOOD NEWS ALERT: After nearly a week entangled in fishing gear, beloved humpback "Pop Tart" is free! Gratitude to DFO's Marine Mammal Rescue Unit and the many PWWA members who went above and beyond for Pop Tart over the last several days. 👇 www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/media/2026/7...

Happy Hump Day! 🐋 Humpback whales and sea lions both love a good fish dinner. Last week, lucky guests with Seabreeze Adventures got to watch four humpbacks and ~10 Steller sea lions hunting together in the Strait of Georgia. 📷: Uwe Zimmermann, @seabreezewhales.bsky.social

Pull up a chair - literally! Captain Brock and naturalist Brooke of Outer Island Excursions retrieved this plastic chair from the Salish Sea during a recent whale watching tour.

We're back from a little holiday break and kicking things off with a SPLASH! Here's Bigg's killer whale T86A1 "Nahanni", born in 2001, demonstrating perfect belly flop form. 📷: Melisa Pinnow, San Juan Excursions

Orcas are big. Humpbacks are bigger. It's hard to appreciate how much bigger until you see a photo like this! Just half of this humpback's fluke towers over this orca's dorsal fin. Congratulations to Tobin Sparling of Prince of Whales for capturing this remarkable image. 👏

Happy news to share! "Skipper", the young humpback believed to have been hit by a passenger ferry near Vancouver last October, was spotted in Puget Sound earlier this week! Prior to this, her last sighting was early December. 🐋 Read more here.👇 www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/media/2026/6...

Happy Hump Day!🐋 Humpbacks are steadily streaming into the Salish Sea now, with more arriving from the breeding grounds every day. Might just be us, but they seem particularly surface active this season! Here's a great backward breach caught by Selena Rhodes Scofield of @eaglewingtours.bsky.social.

We're starting the week off with this breaching beauty, 16-year-old Bigg's (mammal-hunting) killer whale T124A4 "Sabio". Sabio means "wise one" in Spanish and Portuguese. 📷: Jake Hawley, Orca Spirit Adventures

Bigg's killer whales & humpbacks are the two whales seen most often on our tours. If you're lucky, you'll see both on your trip. If you're INSANELY lucky, you'll get them in the same frame!!! Here are highlights from a recent tour near Parksville, BC. Unreal! 🤩 📷: Simon Pidcock, Ocean EcoVentures

Happy news! As a reminder, both whale watch vessels *and* recreational vessels are required to stay at least 1,000 yards/metres (WA/BC) from endangered Southern Residents in the Salish Sea. The photos in this article were taken by researchers operating under permit. cheknews.ca/were-thrille...

Are you kidding us with this pic!?!? No Photoshop. No AI. Just absolutely perfect timing. Naturalist Tiffany Waldner of Blue Kingdom Whale & Wildlife Tours snapped this shot near Anacortes, WA at the end of yesterday's tour. Well done, Tiffany! 👏

Alas, there is one less harbor seal in the Salish Sea following this incredible predation event the crew at San Juan Cruises in Bellingham, WA witnessed before they even untied from the dock! 📷: Elliot Shaughnessy-Lively

Happy Hump Day! 🐋 The first humpback mom/calf pairs are starting to arrive from the breeding grounds. Here's an adorable pic of BCX2183 "Smoke" with her new calf. Other moms with calves this year include BCY0862 "Apollo", BCY1229 "Deca", and BCX1057 "Divot". 📷: Alli Montgomery, @FRSClipper

🚨NEW SCIENCE ALERT 🚨 A new open-access article in Marine Mammal Science examines seasonal presence of Bigg's (mammal-hunting) killer whales in the inside waters of Vancouver Island. The PWWA is proud to have contributed sightings data toward this study. doi.org/10.1111/mms....

It's World Ocean Day! 🌊 Without healthy oceans, there'd be no whales to watch. It's our duty to be good ocean stewards. Here are some pics of our members removing trash from local waters. 📷: @sanjuansafaris.bsky.social 📷: SpringTide Tours 📷: @sjiwhalewatch.bsky.social 📷: Outer Island Excursions

In honor of Orca Action Month, Orca Behavior Institute teamed with artists for the "75 Fins for 75 Whales" project. The project features life-sized dorsal fins - one for each living Southern Resident - at various locations throughout the Salish Sea and beyond. vicnews.com/2026/06/05/e...

This week, a massive group of Bigg's orcas entered the Salish Sea via the Strait of Juan de Fuca. All told, more than FORTY individuals were identified. 🤯 That means there are an awful lot of whales around right now, so keep your eyes peeled! 👀 📷: Mollie Cameron, @whalewatchingbc.bsky.social

Happy Hump Day! 🐋 Forget synchronized swimming, synchronized *feeding* is all the rage within the humpback whale community. Check out these amazing photos of BCX1193 "Zig Zag" & BCY0523 "Graze" doing their thing in BC's Howe Sound. 📷: Sara Jenkins, Wild Whales Vancouver

We love this series of young Bigg's killer whale T46B1D "Tashi" breaching up a storm. Looks like so much fun! 📷: Alison Engle, Western Prince Whale Watching Adventures

Minke May 2026 has come to a close. We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know these mystical mysticetes a bit better. We’ll end by sharing a great shot of not one, but *two* beautiful minke whales swimming side-by-side in the Salish Sea. 📷: Matt Stolmeier, Outer Island Excursions

Just a few days left of Minke May! Minkes are quite fast. We’ll be honest, minke encounters often involve nothing more than a few quick glances at a fleeting fin. If you’re lucky enough to catch them lunge-feeding, however, it can be a real sight! 📷: Sara Shimazu, @sjiwhalewatch.bsky.social

It's seal pup season in the Salish Sea, so here's a refresher on what to do if you find a lone pup. SPOILER ALERT: Don't touch! 🫳🚫🦭 Mom is likely nearby looking for food. Concerned? In BC call: 1-604-258-SEAL (7325) In WA call: 1-866-767-6114 www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN9V...

It's the last week of Minke May! Reaching ~30 ft. (~9.1 m) in length and weighing up to 10 tons, minke whales are the smallest baleen whales in the northern hemisphere, and second smallest baleen whales on earth. Only the pygmy right whale is smaller. 📷: Amanda Colbert, Blue Kingdom Tours

We tapped into the archives for Minke May and found not just another breaching minke shot, but an entire breaching sequence! These pics were taken in 2014 by Thyren Garde-Jacobs who was captaining for Ocean EcoVentures at the time. Look at the white "minke mittens" on the pectoral flippers!🤩

People of Earth, please don't do this. www.king5.com/article/news...

We interrupt Minke May to share an update on the minke whale's predators, Bigg's killer whales. Sam Murphy of Island Adventures Whale Watching photographed a new calf with members of the T124A family. The calf was closest to T124A1 "Bonapartes", but more encounters are needed to confirm maternity.

Time for another Minke May Monday! Of all the whale species seen regularly in the Salish Sea, minke whales breach least often. Naturalist Melisa Pinnow of San Juan Excursions got this holy grail of a minke shot while watching from San Juan Island a few years ago.

We're continuing Minke May with a minke mystery: Where do Salish Sea minkes go when not here? We're not exactly sure, but cookiecutter shark bites provide a clue. These small sharks live in warmer waters, suggesting local minkes visit lower latitudes in winter. 📷: All Aboard Sailing

It's a Minke May Monday! Minkes can be tricky to spot. Unlike other Salish Sea whales, they rarely produce a visible spout. When searching for minkes, the best clue birds. Seabirds gather near schools of small fish that minkes feed on. 📷: Bethany Shimasaki, Western Prince Whale Watching

We're closing out the first full week of Minke May with a delightful clip from Katie Read of SpringTide Whale Watching. It may not seem like much to some, but true minke fans can appreciate how tough it is to document a complete minke whale surfacing from start to finish. Great job, Katie! 👏

NEWS ALERT: Big Mama is BACK! 🐋 We're celebrating hump day with the happy news that one of the most beloved humpbacks in the world, BCY0324 "Big Mama", has safely returned to the Salish Sea following her winter migration. Read more here. 👇 www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/media/2026/5...

WARNING: The video associated with this article is upsetting. Fortunately, according to shore-based observers, the whale was seen feeding in the area this morning and appears to be behaving normally so far. Please give them a wide berth! www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

It's the return of Minke May! Minke ("minky") whales sadly don't get as much attention and other whales, but they deserve love all the same. Their scientific name, Balaenoptera acutorostrata, translates to "winged whale with sharp snout". 📷: Clint William, @eaglewingtours.bsky.social

Talk about being in the right place at the right time! Yesterday, one of our members photographed the moment these lucky folks on Ogden Point got a very close pass from Bigg's killer whale T049A3 "Nat" as he exited Victoria Harbour. 📷: Mark Malleson, Prince of Whales Whale Watching

There's a Spider-Man balloon in this pic, but the *real* superheroes are crew members Avery & Jordan of Puget Sound Express who plucked it out of the Salish Sea earlier today. Balloons are by far the most common type of garbage we remove from local waters. 🚫🎈 📷: Lily Aey, @pugetsoundexpress.com

Long live Chonkers! www.kron4.com/news/bay-are...

T-Party in Deception Pass! Yesterday, a large group of Bigg's (mammal-eating) killer whales frolicked for nearly six hours in the swift current underneath Washington's Deception Pass Bridge. What a treat for whale watchers on both land and sea! 📷: Ken Rea, Spirit of Orca

Here comes trouble! This week, T51 "Roswell" & T49A2 "Jude" showed up in the Salish Sea. In 2023, these two spent six weeks trapped in a tidal Alaskan lake before rescuers coaxed them out. Let's hope their time together in the Salish Sea is less eventful!🤞 📷: Sheila Bolka, Outer Island Excursions

Happy Earth Day! 🌎🌍🌏 To quote the late Dr. Jane Goodall, "What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make." PWWA members work hard to make a *positive* difference in the world, and we hope you'll do the same! 📷: Sara Jenkins, Wild Whales Vancouver

No "case of the Mondays" here! It's a gorgeous day in the Salish Sea and we're off to find some whales! 😎🐳 📷: Prince of Whales Whale Watching

"I'd like to buy a vowel..." www.scientificamerican.com/article/sper...

Happy Hump Day! 🐋 One of the first humpbacks returning to the Salish Sea this year was BCX1068 "Split Fluke". Split Fluke is part of the Mexican breeding population. She's given birth to at least 4 calves including her most recent in 2025. 📷: Molly Hackett, @eaglewingtours.bsky.social

📣 We're proud to announce the release of the PWWA 2025 Sightings & Sentinel Actions Report! This 36-page report summarizes the PWWA's wildlife sightings and 1,400+ sentinel actions from throughout the 2025 whale watching season. Click for more. 👇 www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/media/2026/4...

What do we love more than chunky orca babies? Chunky AIRBORNE orca babies! Check out these spectacular shots of 2-year-old T46B2B "Takaya" taken a few days ago in Port Susan, Washington by Bart Rulon of @pugetsoundexpress.com.

We try not to pick favorites, but there's no denying the celebrity of T063 "Chainsaw"! This big guy and his iconic dorsal fin were seen near French Creek, BC on March 30 as part of a large group of Bigg's (mammal-hunting) killer whales. 📷: Andrina Lindenaar, Ocean EcoVentures

This is what we love to see - chunky orca babies! Here's another look at T49A7, the youngest (and SEVENTH!) calf of Bigg's killer whale T49A "Nan". That orangish hue is normal in young orca calves, although scientists aren't 100% sure of the cause. 📷: Sam Murphy, Island Adventures Whale Watching

When we're hungry, we cruise the grocery aisles. When he's hungry, Bigg's killer whale T19C "Spouter" cruises the San Juan Isles. 😉 📷: Bethany Shimasaki, Western Prince Whale Watching Adventures

There was another encounter with "the" fin whale earlier this week. Here's a look at the world's second longest whale species in front of Washington's third tallest mountain, Mt. Baker (Kulshan). 📷: Sophia Madden, Outer Island Excursions

The story of the "mystery trio" made it all the way to National Geographic! www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

THIS IS NOT A DRILL…WE HAVE AN ORCA EMOJI!!! 🫍🫍🫍 iPhone users, the day you’ve been waiting for is finally here, but you’ll need to install the latest software update to see it. Hopefully Android users will get it soon! 🫍🫍🫍