Happy Hump Day! 🐋 Meet BCY0842 "Wiley". Wiley was first seen off Tofino, BC in Aug. 2009, and has been visiting the Salish Sea since at least 2018. In Feb. 2020, a team with Cascadia Research Collective photographed Wiley off the island of Kauaʻi. 📷: Mollie Cameron, @whalewatchingbc.bsky.social

Most days, we find whales. Some days, the whales find us! Check out this footage taken a few days ago as a group of Bigg's killer whales swam directly under San Juan Cruises' DOCKED vessel in Bellingham, WA. 😲 🎥: Avery Harper, San Juan Cruises

Big thanks to naturalist Stella & captain Ethan of White Rock Sea Tours for retrieving this Mylar balloon. Mylar balloons don't biodegrade, and even balloons marketed as "biodegradable latex" can stay intact for months or years, posing a risk to wildlife. Please choose other ways to celebrate. 🚫🎈

Telegraph Cove, BC is the PWWA's northernmost departure location. In summer, it's one of the best places to view Northern Resident orcas, like the A34s & A50s seen here. Unlike Southern Residents, Northern Residents aren't endangered, with ~375 individuals in the population. 📷: Prince of Whales

Stan the Man! It's incredible to see any orca breach, but when it's a large male like T123A "Stanley", it's even more impressive. 📷: Clare Martin, Island Adventures Whale Watching

Only a few days left to snag your annual fundraising tee from @orcabehaviorinstitute.org! This year's shirt features gorgeous artwork by muralist Yaz of Urban ArtWorks. Order by Sunday to support OBI's ongoing research, education, and advocacy. Limited run, so if you snooze, you lose!

Orca Behavior Institute@orcabehaviorinstitute.org · 3w ago

Reasons to get a T-shirt: ✅ Show off your love for the Southern Residents ✅ Encourage a youth artist who participated in Orca Action Month ✅ End up twinning with members of Team OBI ✅ Support our ongoing research, education, and advocacy efforts Snag yours here: www.customink.com/fundraising/...

"Baby face, you've got the cutest little baby face." 🎶 This baby face belongs to Ghost's 2026 calf. We were surprised Ghost had a calf this year as she had one in 2025. Humpbacks often wait 2-3 years between calves, but can give birth every year. 📷: Katie Read, SpringTide Whale Watching & Eco Tours

It's World Orca Day! We're so fortunate to live and work among these apex predators. Each day we strive to not only protect them ourselves, but to inspire our guests to appreciate and protect them as well. 📷: Jacob Alexander, Wild Whales Vancouver

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...

Humpback Whale “Pop Tart” Free After Week-Long Entanglement — Pacific Whale Watch Association

Renowned Humpback Whale “Pop Tart” Free After Week-Long Entanglement PWWA, DFO Join Forces Toward Successful Outcome for Entangled Whale VICTORIA, BC and SEATTLE, WA - July 10, 2026 - The Pacif...

pacificwhalewatchassociation.com

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...

Humpback Whale “Skipper” Defies Odds, Returns to Salish Sea — Pacific Whale Watch Association

Humpback Whale “Skipper” Defies Odds, Survives Ship Strike and Entanglement Whale Watchers Overjoyed at Return of Young Whale After Seven Months of Uncertainty VANCOUVER, BC & SEATTLE, WA - J...

pacificwhalewatchassociation.com

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...

‘We’re thrilled’: New endangered southern resident orca calf spotted

A new orca calf born to the critically endangered southern resident killer whale (SRKW) population was recently spotted in B.C.-area waters.

cheknews.ca

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....

The Inside Waters of Vancouver Island Are Critical Foraging Habitat for West Coast Transient Killer Whales

West Coast Transient (WCT) killer whales (Orcinus orca rectipinnus) hunt marine mammals along the west coast of North America from California to southeastern Alaska. However, little information is av...

doi.org

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...

Endangered orcas surface in Victoria Inner Harbour to inspire call to action - Victoria News

Orca Action Month runs June 1-30

vicnews.com

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...

How to Be Seal Smart

YouTube video by VA Marine Mammal Rescue Society

youtube.com