Pacific Whale Watch Association
@pacificwhalewatchassociation.com
A community of ecotourism professionals with a shared commitment to education, conservation, and responsible wildlife viewing in Washington state and British Columbia. 🐋
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
📷: Ian Roberts of SpringTide Tours
January 14, 2026 at 8:56 PM
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
📷: 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
📷: Alli Montgomery, FRS Clipper
January 9, 2026 at 6:05 PM
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
📷: Alli Montgomery, FRS Clipper
A magical encounter with Northern Resident killer whales off BC's Sunshine Coast:
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Orcas spotted rubbing bellies on rocks near shore in Gibsons, B.C. | CBC News
A pod of orcas surprised people on B.C.'s Sunshine Coast earlier this month by swimming close to shore and rubbing their bellies on the rocks — a behaviour an expert says few killer whales around the ...
www.cbc.ca
January 7, 2026 at 6:29 PM
A magical encounter with Northern Resident killer whales off BC's Sunshine Coast:
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
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
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
January 5, 2026 at 7:54 PM
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
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
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
Ways of Whales 2026
Hybrid Workshop
givebutter.com
December 19, 2025 at 11:22 PM
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
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...
www.audubon.org/magazine/tuf...
Tufted Puffins Are Vanishing Across the Pacific Northwest—Can an Ambitious New Effort Save Them?
Armed with enthusiasm, researchers and volunteers have joined forces to safeguard the flamboyant seabirds as climate change warms their ocean homes.
www.audubon.org
December 19, 2025 at 8:43 PM
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...
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
📷: Katie Read, SpringTide Tours
December 17, 2025 at 9:14 PM
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
📷: 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...
cheknews.ca/killer-whale...
Killer whales and dolphins may be helping each other hunt off B.C. coast: new report
Scientists have found evidence that two unlikely collaborators — killer whales and dolphins — may be helping each other find and feast on salmon off the coast of British Columbia.
cheknews.ca
December 12, 2025 at 7:13 PM
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...
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.
December 11, 2025 at 7:12 PM
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
📷: Rachel Rodell, @pugetsoundexpress.com
December 4, 2025 at 5:11 PM
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
📷: 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/...
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/...
Endangered whale's 3,000-mile journey from Ireland to Boston shocks scientists
A North Atlantic right whale spotted off Ireland last year has made an "extraordinary" 3,000-mile journey to Boston, scientists say.
www.cbsnews.com
December 3, 2025 at 8:36 PM
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/...
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
📷: Jessie Leo, Orca Spirit Adventures
December 1, 2025 at 8:11 PM
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
📷: 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
📷: Melisa Pinnow, San Juan Excursions
November 26, 2025 at 7:23 PM
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
📷: Melisa Pinnow, San Juan Excursions
November 24, 2025 at 7:08 PM
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...
cascadiaresearch.org/20251117mn_e...
140 feet of Fishing Gear Removed from Humpback Whale in the Strait of Juan de Fuca - https://cascadiaresearch.org
Fishing gear removed from an entangled humpback whale thanks to a rapid response by trained entanglement responders & a newly established cross-border protocol.
cascadiaresearch.org
November 23, 2025 at 7:30 PM
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...
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
(Also, WHERE is that orca emoji we were promised!?!🤔🖤🤍🐬)
📷: Island Adventures Whale Watching
November 21, 2025 at 8:29 PM
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
(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. 🐋
November 19, 2025 at 8:50 PM
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. 🐋
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
📷: Sam Wallace, Outer Island Excursions
November 12, 2025 at 6:43 PM
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
📷: 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...
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/b...
Bowhead Whales Live Long Lives. Do They Hold the Key to Human Longevity?
A cold-activated gene that helps the mammals repair their DNA may also help humans live longer
www.smithsonianmag.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:32 PM
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...
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. 🐋
November 10, 2025 at 9:05 PM
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
📷: Alli Montgomery, FRS Clipper
November 7, 2025 at 6:43 PM
After *very* stormy conditions yesterday, it's nice to have some sunshine today. This river otter seems to agree!
📷: Alli Montgomery, FRS Clipper
📷: Alli Montgomery, FRS Clipper
Great news from @orcabehaviorinstitute.org - The daily Bigg's streak for 2025 is still alive for now (knock on wood)!
Here's our October Salish Sea orca sightings map! Did it feel like there were fewer orcas around this October? If you thought so, you were right! Sightings were down for both Bigg’s and Southern Resident killer whales vs Oct 2024.
Learn more here:
www.orcabehaviorinstitute.org/sightings-ma...
Learn more here:
www.orcabehaviorinstitute.org/sightings-ma...
November 6, 2025 at 11:11 PM
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
📷: Tomis Filipovic, @eaglewingtours.bsky.social
November 3, 2025 at 11:44 PM
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
📷: Tomis Filipovic, @eaglewingtours.bsky.social
