It's been a week of amazing humpback sightings in the Salish Sea! On 9/23 we viewed more than half a dozen humpbacks at at Race Rocks Ecological Preserve near Victoria, B.C. feeding. On the way back home, we came upon an unidentified humpback giving us a picture-perfect lunge feed!

Sound On! It’s rare that we get to witness two different whale species interacting. On our 9/19 Port Angeles trip, a mixed group of Biggs orcas including the T65Bs, T46Bs, T46B1s & others were dispersed with a single humpback (BCZ0531) in the middle. Listen to those Bigg's vocalizations!

A memorable day in late August from our Edmonds location. The day started with a "bang" out at Constance Bank where we watched the T60 pod catch a porpoise. After watching the T46B pod we found a juvenile humpback off Dallas Bank, who exploded out of the water with two big "full twirl" breaches!

Adventures out West! Our Port Townsend Half-day tour searched the glassy seas of the Strait of Juan de Fuca on 8/24. We watched humpback whales feeding & the T60 family of Bigg's orcas socializing & spyhopping as they explored the kelp forests. Spotted a Jaeger flying above us as we cruised along!

Our August 6th Port Angeles afternoon trip was whale-filled from start to finish. We began with a sighting of T65A5 Indy minutes from the dock, followed by 10+ humpbacks mid-Strait. Heading east we found 20+ Bigg's orcas, including the T65As, T99s, T36s, T36Bs, T37s, T36A1s & T75Cs!

More Breach Summer! Last week on our Port Angeles tour, after spending time with 15+ humpbacks & 4 orcas, we saw several big splashes from over a mile out and slowly made our way over to investigate. This amazing whale breached, chin slapped and cartwheeled for over 5 minutes straight!

We have been seeing a lot of Bigg's killer whale pods hunting harbor porpoise lately. During this encounter T137A (Jack), and his little sister T137D (Wright) hunted and captured a harbor porpoise in south Puget Sound on July 27. Nothing *too* gnarly here, but apex predator nature content warning...

On July 27, our Port Townsend Half Day tour witnessed humpback whale "Zephyr" taking a seaweed spa session! This behavior known as "kelping" involves rolling around in large floating bull kelp patches. The kelp acts as a natural exfoliant and helps remove barnacles and potential parasites.

Breach Summer Continues! Our Port Angeles afternoon trip on July 30th was a stunner. In a kelp bed in Sooke Basin, the T109A family started breaching and didn't stop for over 20 minutes! We estimated nearly 50 breaches before we had to turn and head home (and they were still going)!

On July 14 our Port Townsend Half-Day tour had an outstanding day viewing the T137 & T37A families of Bigg's orcas off of Possession Bar. Just south, we found humpback whale "Ulli". Our tour finished at Rat Island to view harbor seals, Black Oystercatchers, juvenile Gulls, Terns, & a Bald Eagle!

On 7/10, @Janine Harles.bsky.social joined us & she shared her photos/highlights: "Right away we found a humpback on Possession bar & as we are watching that one, we saw two more! We then headed to Port Susan & found the T37As as well as the T99s. Besides whales & birds, we saw a HUGE line of seals!

Our full-day tour from Port Townsend recently found the T37 family of Bigg’s orcas (grandma, mom, & baby) soon off the dock. As we watched, T37B3 took off in the opposite direction, porpoising like a torpedo away from & then back towards them. Zoomies! - Naturalist Brooke C.

On 6/17 we encountered a whopping 22 Bigg's Orcas in two different encounters. The T99s, T34s, T37s, T38C & E were socializing near Point No Point. We then found the T36 and T36Bs with T49C near Saratoga Passage. While watching them a bald eagle tried to swoop up a meal! 📸 @janineharles.bsky.social

Humpback season is officially in full swing in the Salish Sea! We've had absolutely *incredible* encounters over the last few days with 15 or more humpbacks north of Port Angeles. We are also witnessing the full range of surface-active behaviors, from lunge feeding to breaching and pec-slapping.

Hello Bluesky! We're excited to share our journeys on the water with you. Puget Sound Express has been connecting guests with whales for 40 years. We're a family-run business, with three generations of knowledge and caring at the ready. Member of @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com .