January 12
I spotted 3 orcas at 5:20 pm today just west (up the beach) from Puget Marina, 4181 Walnut Rd. Olympia, 98516. They were traveling southeast towards the Nisqually Reach/ River basin. Lat - N 47 degrees 6' 44.7501" Long - W 122 degrees 47' 41.6913" They were traveling fast, 2 out in the channel and one cut in towards Salish sea inlet - then all three converged not 100' away from me and played for a couple minutes (awesome) then headed on towards the mouth of the Nisqually River. About 20 minutes after they left me I heard seals barking from the Nisqually Reach area - never heard that before! One was definitely bigger than the other two. And the fins were small and fairly sharply pointed. Definite large white eye patches. I'm assuming they're transients? Saw 2 (I think, could have been three but definitely 2) orcas in the same strait headed the opposite direction Dec. 25th around 3:30 pm. But too far out in the channel to see any particular markings. Would love to know more about who's who and where! Cate Montana January 12
| 10:30 AM - Sighting in Hammersly Inlet. We saw a group of four to six travel out of the inlet this morning - missed them coming in. At times there appeared to be as many as six whales, including calves. Photo by Jana Walters |
January 12
11:11 am - Oakland bay in Shelton WA.
Linda Ellwanger
January 12
John Gor called with a report of orcas in Hammersly Inlet (west end of south Puget Sound), headed west at about 5 knots toward Shelton, at about 8:45 am.
January 12
| Around 8:20 am we saw 2 whales in the Sooke area just off East Sooke point. I missed them coming in really close but managed to get these 2 not very good shots. Friend said it looked like one large and one small whale, maybe Mom and young. Photo by Cedona Holly |
January 12
| Just off East Sooke point. Photo by Cedona Holly
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January 11
Orcas hugging the southern tip of Anderson Island shortly after 2 p.m., seen from Sequalitchew Beach in DuPont.
Cara Brown Mitchell
January 11
Spotted 5 orcas off Anderson Island today at 1:45pm.. Breaching and playing. We got video of one taking out a duck. Pretty incredible!
Cori Laukala
January 11
9:00 AM - We saw a young orca (by itself??) playing in northern Case Inlet. Last week, we saw 2 adults between Allyn and Grapeview.
Eileen Kronquist
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January 10
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11:00 AM - Today we saw seven orcas at the north end of Pickering Passage, Case Inlet. Feeding, Playing. tail slap, rolling over.
Photo by Scott Presnell |
January 10
| Play time at the north end of Pickering Passage. Photo by Scott Presnell |
January 10
10:30 AM - 5-6 Orcas in Pickering Passage near Jarrells Cove State Park. Watching the past hour. Feeding, playing and traveling, 3 were young/small.
Stephanie Bloomfield
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January 9
4:30 pm - Three orcas, an adult and two juveniles, were heading north in Case Inlet, seen from Harstine Island as they traveled near Heron Island.
David Berliner
January 9
4:00 PM - 2 juveniles 100 yards off east shore of Case Inlet. 1 mile south of Herron Island, heading North.
Doug Olson
January 9
10:15 am - We had group of 4 Orcas in front of Solo Point (east of Anderson Ialand). This was our first time seeing them in the wild.
Chris Froman
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January 8
5:20 pm. - Orcas of the Southern tip of Fox Islands. They've been there a while.
Cindie Lang
January 8
2:15pm - There were 3 or 4 orcas in Chambers Bay today. They were last seen at 2:40 PM mid-channel between Fox Island and University Place heading north pretty quickly.
Carrie Gelegonya
January 8
2:05 - three orcas by Chambers Golf Course heading north towards Titlow Beach.
Kathy Kerber
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January 7
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1:00 PM - We sighted a pod of 5 to 7 Orcas in Case Inlet, east of Stretch Island. They had traveled to the north earlier in the day. When they returned to the south, they paused in this area to feed and play. They were very active in this area (including breaching a few times) for about a half hour, then continued toward Pickering Passage to the west of Harstine Island.
Photo by Jim Biermann |
January 7
This morning I saw a large circle of disturbed water and bubbles. I knew something was up. I continued to watch and remembering the day before seeing a large whalelike mammal come out of the water and splash sideways twice. About 10 minutes went by...the water was calm again....and a seal appeared in the same area. It was swimming forward looking around and suddenly a large splash and back of what I think was a whale...it obviously got the seal...and all was calm again. This was in the Sinclair Inlet. We live on Perry Ave. Port Orchard, Wa.
Although I did not see white on the whale...it must have been an Orca....To me it seemed to have more of a squared off nose almost like a humpback look. But reading about whales eating seals...Must have been an Orca.
Melissa Oberlander.
January 7
1:51 - About five orcas are by Herron Island right now, traveling south.
Nick Wenzel
January 7
About six Orcas spotted in Case Inlet in North Bay around 11:00 AM this morning! Looked like two or three females, a few juveniles, no males. Stayed in the area for about half an hour! Very close to the shore. So cool!
Kristi Rieker
January 7
9:00 AM - 3 Orcas in Case Inlet. At approx. 9AM we spotted at least three (3) Orcas moving slowly north about one mile south of Vaughn Bay. They surfaced briefly twice and haven't been visible to us since.
Michael Moore
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January 6
Around noon - I saw a single dorsal fin of an Orca from the Purdy Spit bridge today . Someone told me they saw porpoise in the area, but what I saw was a huge dorsal fin in the air for several seconds. Lot's of fog, and I was in a moving car so that was all I saw!
Midge Patten
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January 5
8:56 am - a single Orca just buzzed the kelp bed off Salmon Beach heading north towards Pt. Defiance. Moving at a very rapid pace.
Asher Beckett
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January 4
Erica at the Pt. Townsend Marine Science Center called to report 2 orcas in windy Admiralty Inlet off the PTMSC at 4 pm foraging, maybe headed south.
January 4
3:30 PM - I spotted three orca whales out in the water of Case Inlet in Allyn. There were many seals out at play today on the water and once we spotted the orcas, the seals had disappeared. I had never seen orcas out on the water here before; it was so awesome to see! The three whales surfaced for air, blew up some water and were gone. The seals were out playing and after we had spotted the orcas the seals disappeared.
Nona Nelson
January 4
Orcas Case Inlet. We saw a pod of 5-7 orcas at the north end of Case inlet (Allyn). We watched them go up to the end of the bay then turn around and go back. There was a much larger one with the rest being noticeably smaller. They were traveling with some activity that looked like they were feeding or trying to "corral " something, but seemed unsuccessful.
Susie Ingham
January 4
1:30 - Steve McCoy called with a fresh report of about five orcas deep in Case Inlet, between Vaughn and Stretch (Treasure) islands. At one point the orcas were within 15' of the beach, at other times breaching out in deeper water.
January 4
12:30 PM - Orcas entering Discovery Bay. Saw four orcas heading into Discovery Bay, one large male, two females and one juvenile. Not long after saw harbor porpoises leaving the bay.
Rich Kiepke It's not known if these were Transients/Bigg's whales or Resident orcas.
January 4
5 orcas... 4 adults and 1 juvenile... Sighted at 9:45am from the ferry between Lopez Island and Anacortes! They were heading west toward the Lopez ferry terminal.
Jenny Jirsa It's not known if these were Transients/Bigg's whales or Resident orcas.
January 4
8:45 AM - 2 Orcas in sight at Boston Harbor, 100 yds south of lighthouse, 100 ft offshore, traveling.
Stephanie Smith
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January 3
Had a short but amazing encounter with transient orcas just before sunset! It was the T060's and T002B in Harney Channel (between Shaw and Orcas islands) and they ended up making a kill right off the stern! Good amount of blood in the water and some remains (looked like lungs) sank beside the boat. I could even see bits of meat in the mouths of the orcas as they swam past! Pics and GoPro footage will be posted soon!
Melisa Pinnow
January 3
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Transient Killer Whales off Sooke Today! 10 in total...This picture is just after a kill with "intestines" still dragging on fin...
Photo by Sooke Coastal Explorations |
January 3
| Orca in Henderson Bay. Video by Christie Fierro
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Several hours edited into a few minutes. There are breaches at 2:05, 2:40, 3:17, and 4:11 There is tail slapping at :23, 1:14, and 2:18 There were Dall's porpoises in the bay also. I am not sure if they were playing together or maybe the orca were hunting the porpoise. After studying the fins closer, I suspect this is a transient orca pod (the meat eaters). But, I am not sure.
Christie Fierro
January 3
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T068C with seal entrails draped over dorsal fin on January 3rd off of Sooke.
Paul Pugwell of Sooke Explorations and I came across the T068C's in Sooke Basin west bound on January 3rd. The T077's along with T075B and T075C were a couple of miles to the south of them also traveling west.
Photo by Mark Malleson, taken under permit #MML-001
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January 3
| One really small one with the male and female orcas last saturday in Thacher Pass. Video by Dean Vandament
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January 3
3:30 pm - We saw 6 orcas today in between Shaw and Orcas island.
Shari Kramer
January 3 |
Near McNeil Island.
Photo by Travis Harris |
January 3
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2:30 pm - Just saw this pod south of Jones Island and through Pole Pass, from Spring Point, Orcas Island.
Photo by Robert Dash |
January 3
On ferry Sealth, left Friday Harbor at noon going to Anacortes, saw about 4 orca coming out of Upright Channel before it runs into Harney channel about 12:30.
Sherrie Stahl
January 3
12:30pm - Spotted two dorsal fins in distance from Anacortes bound ferry between Shaw and Lopez Islands.
Debbie Hopkins
January 3
12 Noon - We spotted a pod of orcas, north of Lopez Island, traveling north. Looked like at least 6 maybe more. Saw at least one very tall dorsal. We could not tell if they continued up east side of Orcas Isl. or between Shaw and Orcas Island.
Veronica von Allworden
January 3
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11:56 AM - We saw 3 orcas off Orcas Island, traveling.
Photo by Kristen Wright |
January 1
KING 5 - Our Facebook friend Elliot and his dad captured this amazing video of a group of orcas in the South Sound on New Year's day. Elliot tells us he was a bit worried the animals might flip the boat, but they seemed very friendly. | Orcas in the South Sound. Photo by Elliot
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December 23
In Harney Channel between Orcas and Shaw, I was on the ferry home and we saw orcas. I thought the ferries probably reported these sightings. It was dusk when they announced there were orcas up ahead. I saw a female and a little one, port side, as we pulled into Shaw. Others saw what they thought were 2 females and a baby. It was a little after 5 and I could barely see. Thought maybe there was a young transient I hadn't heard of.
Susan Oseth
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December 19
11:50AM - 12:20PM - 6-7 Orca just north of West Bay Marina in Budd Inlet. One very large, one very small, the rest of varying medium size. One very large dorsal fin.
When first sighted and for the next several minutes they seem to be frolicking/playing. I didn't notice any feeding activity even though they were close to log booms holding harbor seals.
Photos posted here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/clamalot/OrcaPlay
Mike Woodall
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