December 2013 Whale Sightings

Click here for Map of December 2013 whale sightings.

December 31
7:29 Bigg's (Transients) calls on Lime Kiln Hydrophones. - Orca Network

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New years eve 23.30 to 23.45 in Elliott bay just NW of pier 70, a pod of at least 4 Orcas swam along with the sail boat as we navigated through the party boats. We had opted to sail in the light wind while waiting for the fireworks. They appeared and seemed to follow around the boat as we transitioned through the party boats till we reached clear(er) water. Then we saw them no more. They appeared to be swimming calmly around us as we traveled at about 3 knots. We saw 4 fins at one time, but the pod was probably larger than that. We saw several tale flukes and heads. They seemed calm. Their accompaniment lasted about 15 min. We gave notice to the other mariners of their presence on Marine VHF Ch 16. - Brian Scally

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Rebecca Sherwood reported being visited by 8-10 orcas in Elliot Bay while aboard their boat for New Years Eve celebrations last night at 11:30pm. She reports they saw the pod leaving them heading to the north. Everyone keep your eyes on the water and let us know if you catch sight of the whales. Fog has lifted in some areas revealing a beautiful New Years day.

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New Year's Eve Orcas. The 11:35 p.m. sailing from Bainbridge to Seattle was filled with New Year's revelers and slowed for much of the sailing for orcas reported in the area. One passenger I spoke to saw at least 3 fins. A great way to end 2013. - Cathy Warner

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I too was on a boat in Elliott bay last night. Right at midnight an entire pod started swimming around us. It was the best way I could have imagined to ring in the new year! - Michelle Walker

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4:55 - in waning light (after a day of office work) I am watching dorsals of at least a dozen of them spread out west side of mid channel south and north of Baindridge/Seattle ferry lanes. - Alisa Lemire Brooks

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About 8 orcas came up all around the Bainbridge ferry at about 4:50. - Rachel Haight

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More Orcas off president point at 4:50-pm heading south, close in, at least three. - Joanne Graves

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4:40 - The Orcas are in Elliot Bay. My husband is saw them just now from the 4:40 pm Seattle/Bainbrige Ferry. - Kari Wright

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4:32 - Watching from Manitou Beach on Bainhbridge, looking towards ferry lane, several spread out, Seattle side. - Kimberly Sylvester-Malzahn

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4:26 at West Point: whales took over an hour to pass southbound, very spread out and far from the point. - Meg McDonald

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4:22 - I just heard one and saw it as it passed heading south heading towards Jefferson Head near Pres. point Road. - Julia Miller

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3:50. Making their way south. Kitsap side, lead orca just south of Rolling Bay. - Susan Marie Andersson

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NOAA researcher Brad Hanson saw only K pod today, but they were so spread out so there were many others he didn't see. They left them about 3:30 near Shilshole.

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3:25pm - still at Fay Bainbridge seeing single whales far across on east side of the channel every once in a while. - Sara Hysong-Shimazu

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3:23 - My friend just posted on FB that she is watching the orcas from the Edmonds Ferry!! - Sara Young

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3:20 pm - 3 orca mid channel off of Pt Edwards in Edmonds. Heading south at a leisurely pace. - Dave Golner

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2:53 - I am in north beach and they're straight west from me. Across the shopping lane by the shore of bainbridge. Still close to the small boat. Looks like at least 5. - Robin Reinhart Harnish

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2:52 - the docked Kingston ferry. 2 headed south now. - Megan Campbell-Miller

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2:45 - straight out from Faye Bainbridge can see 1-2 very distant blows close to NOAA. - Valorie Clausen

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2:46pm - one female off Richmond Beach Park almost mid channel. Southbound. - Jack Nolan

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2:22 - Seeing fins across the channel from Carkeek Park!! - Marina Halverson

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2:05 - At Edmonds ferry dock. Just saw full breach about mid channel straight out from dock. - Chris Allen

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2:00 - Beautiful full breach from the male. It looks like one male and a few smaller females over by the RIB (red inflatable boat) closer to the Kingston side, just south of the mid-channel buoy. There are a hand full of females further to the east. They are all still moving south but very slowly.
1:46 - The Kingston ferry just slowed down to a crawl. Looks like everyone on board is outside on the bow watching the orcas. The orca's are just south of the Ferry closer to the Edmonds side. - Hays Clark

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1:59 - The whales are now past President Point on the Seattle side of the channel marker. - Connie Graves

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Spock K20 and son Comet K38 were two of the orcas right by the 1:30 Kingston ferry. - Rachel Haight

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1:43 - They're still north of golden gardens. Right in the Kingston/Edmonds ferry lane currently. - Jennifer Greiner Clark

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1:40 - Visible from President Pt., mid channel and heading south. - Connie Graves

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1:40 - They are mid channel, still north of the channel marker. They might be going deep or just chasing prey underwater for longer periods. There is a a RIB zipping around near them. - Hays Clark

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Drove on to the 1:30pm Kingston ferry today to see if I could catch up with the whales heading south....the ferry slowed to almost a stop and we watched 4-6 orcas travel through the ferry lanes....what a wonderful day. Happy New Year! - Sue Surowiec Larkin

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L87 Onyx breaching from Pt. No Point at 1:10pm. You can see the tag is still on too. - Sara Hysazu Shimazu

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1:06 - we spotted the pod about ~8 miles North of Golden Gardens mid channel around the ferry lanes still heading South. There are two powerboat near the whales, hopefully on is a research boat. - Hays Clark

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12:45 - seeing whales from pt Edwards in Edmonds. Going south. Boat with them. - Whitney Neugebauer

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Large group of Orcas swam by Point No Point, Hansville around 12 noon. Happy New Year!!! - Michelle LeMieux Hall

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3 Orcas east of mid channel by Edmonds started heading west side by Kingston, giving the Kingston ferry and a charter boat a show! Taken from Marina Beach in Edmonds. - Janine Harles

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12:38 - all have passed point no point heading south. They are very spread out taking about an hour to all pass. Onyx came in close and put on a show, breaching right in front of us. The big male that was trailing was Blackberry and he came in pretty close too. Yay Orcas!!!! - Connie Bickerton

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11:35 - Starting to see blows and fins north still towards Hansville/Skunk Bay. From Pt No Point. - Sara Hysong-Shimazu

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11:15 - Nicole Luce called, watching the leading whales near Hansville, watching from Double Bluff.

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11:10 am, looks like a small group has stopped to forage just nw of Hansville and Skunk Bay, just south of the buoy. - Orca Network

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11AM - mid channel mutiny bay still heading south...they are staying submerged for a long time...? - Jim Barrett

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And again, at about 11:45, when we were SURE they had all passed, I saw a big male fairly close to the Whidbey side. But we both looked for the last 15 - 20 minutes and have not seen another side of him - he must have gone into "Stealth whale" as Mike & Suzanne used to say of Luna. But he's out there somewhere, should be between Mutiny Bay & Foulweather Bluff by now, or maybe a bit south.
11 am - just as we thought they had all passed by, another group just showed up off south Bush Pt, with another male and several females so far. Saw a neat line up with a breaching whale on one end of it earlier, wonderful whale watching today, most close enough to hear. Also saw two pods of porpoise traveling NW close to shore, just south of Bush Pt. - Orca Network

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10:50 - Close to N side of Mutiny Bay now heading south. - Jim Barrett

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10:41 - We saw the whales from Bush Point, there was a group very close to shore, spread out in small groups! Our family was able to get some video! I was going NUTS!!! I have been watching and listening for three days waiting for them!!!!!! Happy New Year! - Sherry Joyner

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An orca passes close to Bush Point while another breaches. - Gregory Roeben

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Several Orcas (group of 3 & 4-5 dispersed) heading south into Puget Sound sighted off Bush Point around 10:40 am. - Jody Burns

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Sandra Pollard called at 10:15 am to report seeing 3 from the Bush Pt. area, the whales were over toward Marrowstone Island. Howard also just saw one from our bluff at about 10:18, just south of Bush Pt. - all whales heading south. - Orca Network

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10:03 - Orcas straight out from lagoon point headed south. - Naïna Barnett

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9:30 - Small group of orcas including a male or two, really spread out in Admiralty Inlet! Heading south. - Renee Ramirez, Victoria Clipper

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Saw the stragglers heading south past Lagoon Point at about 0915. - Bob VonDrachek

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Multiple groups of orcas in Admiralty inlet 8:30 am. including a huge male. At least 15. - Capt Dave Drewry

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8:22 - WA State Ferries called to report about 20 orcas spread out in the Port Townsend/Keystone ferry lane, just milling, no direction of travel was obvious, but Lagoon Point and Bush Point folks please check out the water this morning.

December 30
T087 and the T090's near Discovery Island traveling north up Haro Strait. - Mark Malleson

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A buddy who is a floatplane pilot saw them between Porlier and Sandheads... We picked them up about 1.5 miles NW of Active Pass. Got to see J and K pod go south through Active Pass for the first time in 12 years. I have seen L Pod do it a couple of times but have NEVER had J's and K's do it. So awesome and super active when they exited into Swanson. - Simon Pidcock

December 29
Orca disguised as driftwood. December 29, 2013, I was sitting by the window at Fely's Restaurant at Sportshaven Beach, Brookings-Harbor, Oregon 97415. The ocean there was calm, with swells, maybe around 4 ft., some sets of larger 6 ft. swells. I was watching what seemed to be a driftwood log that always stayed in the part of the wave that rises up high just before it breaks. It was drifting SE in line with the beach. I wondered if that was really driftwood because some of it projecting out of the water seemed to move slightly. It featured something like a knobby thing sticking up a bit in front, a much higher curving backwards fin shape on top, and some funny looking things sticking up a bit in back. It seemed about 8-10 ft. long. It resembled a driftwood piece of tree battered, with broken limbs, black in color. It is not strange to see driftwood that looks like it has a dorsal fin, but when it floated upwards to the peak of a much larger wave, I saw an oblong white thing that shone in the sunlight, resembling the oblong face mask of a snorkeler. It could not be that. And the black shape had some white showing on the underside. I heard seals barking nearby as this is near the mouth of the Chetco River. Drifting along in the place where the waves rise up the highest, another larger wave showed there sure was an oblong white patch shining in front, and some white on its belly, and it adjusted to that wave as it started to break. I thought that is either some funny driftwood, or a predator disguised as driftwood. A woman was walking along the sidewalk, as though she did not see anything different or exciting. I looked at something else, maybe my coffee. I wondered if I should go out to get a closer look. When I looked back, the "driftwood" had completely disappeared, not washed on the beach or anywhere. Then, I saw two seals diving into a wave around the place I had last looked. Today I searched for what orcas look like, and the horizontal oblong white eye patch gave it away. It is most interesting that an orca seemed to be deliberately staying still to resemble driftwood and deliberately drifting along where the waves were highest before breaking in order to observe everything going on along the beach, people, people with dogs, cars, RV's, restaurant, as well as anything going on with seals. The predator disguised as driftwood suddenly disappeared probably in pursuit of the seals. - Donna Goss

December 28


December 27


December 26
11:15 - just heard them briefly over the freighter. - Connie Bickerton

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21:38 - J pod on Lime Kiln Hydrophone. - Alisa Lemire Brooks

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7:51 - hearing faint calls on lime kiln. - Jamie Grundhauser

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3:45 pm - Incoming container ship dwarfs J and K pod orcas and the NOAA research boat passing Fort Casey - on the Port Townsend side. - Jill Hein

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3:38 - I can see three for sure from Pt. Hudson (Port Townsend). - Kyra Berkovich

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3:38 - Looking like they're staying on the Port Townsend side, best viewing is likely from Ft Worden and pt Wilson. - Orca Network

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3:37 - I wasn't sure at first, but it's definitely them. It's pretty faint, but you can hear clear calls come through every few seconds. So cool listening to them! - Barbara Bonner

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3:31 - I hear em (on PT hydrophones)! - Whitney Neugebauer

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3:30 - Hearing faint calls! J's and K's for sure. - Melisa Pinnow

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3:20 pm - the orcas are now off Marrowstone Pt., headed toward Pt. Townsend and out of Admiralty Inlet. - Orca Network

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3 pm - just got back from Bush pt they are heading N and very spread out. LOL been here for 10 years this is only the third time I have seen them...today, yesterday and about 2 years ago!! - Jim Barrett

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2:25 - Leading edge of the pod must be at about Bush Point by now. There is a small pleasure point on the trailing edge.
2:05 - mid-channel, still near Mutiny Bay. Heading North towards Windmill Heights and Bush Point. Moving quickly.- Mike Meyer

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From 2 to 2:30 we watched distant orca outlines in the sun as they surfaced, slowly moving northward, with a few foraging diversions and taillobs, spread out for several miles 2-4 miles from the Whidbey side.
2:15 pm - after watching the orcas pass by for about 30 minutes, thought they were all by us, then looked up to see more coming! They are traveling very spread out, still heading NW out of Admiralty Inlet. The leaders must be at or close to Bush Pt. by now, with more further back, between N. Mutiny Bay and the entrance to Hood Canal. Beautiful day!
1:45 pm - it looks like they are heading NW into Admiralty Inlet, between Mutiny Bay (Whidbey Isl) and Skunk Bay (N. Kitsap) now, looks like the little NOAA boat is with them. So far the sun has kept the fog from closing in so we can see them!
1:30 - First glimpse of blows NE of Point No Point, heading up Admiralty Inlet. - Orca Network

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Wow, did they give us a present at point no point. Two whales came right up to the shoreline. The research boat is still following them through admiralty inlet! Still heading north. - Dianne Dee Iverson

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1:00pm - Granny (J2) and Onyx (L87) gave us a pass right off Point No Point with NOAA boat. Heading north. Lots more whales were further off shore and east towards Whidbey. The newly-attached satellite tag shows clearly on L87 Onyx's dorsal fin. Happy whale watching all! - Sara Hysong-Shimazu

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12:55 - Susan Marie Andersson called to say the whales were off Point No Point and seen orcas passing close by land, including J2 Granny.

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12:46 - L87 passing Point No Point, with others spread out from west side of possession point south to Eglon. NOAA with the group to the south. - Connie Bickerton

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12:30 - Sight line south of point no point mid channel. - Elyse Sollitto

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12:33 - Three "stragglers" and NOAA zodiac headed north from Eglon.
12:10 - heading north now, back closer to the west side. A gorgeous sight heading your way PNP-ers!
12:00 - about 1/2 mile south of Eglon boat ramp. Small breach, splash, spouting. Hard to tell direction but I think they are heading slightly east, kind of milling around. One of them is huge! - Rebecca French Gerke

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12.09 - Sounds like they have moved north past Shilshole and Carkeek. - William R Peters

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11:50 - spotting them for last 20 minutes north of Kingston. - Gina James Vigna

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11:27 - Seeing fins from Point No Point, heading north! - Elyse Sollitto

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10:55 - groups north of Kingston ferry with others trailing.
10:22 - have good visual on adult male mid channel at yellow buoy mid Jefferson Head to Kingston with another male and at least three females/younger whales west of mid channel, steady pace northbound.
10:05 - just saw fins and a breach (near a lucky boater) out from Port Madison still south of Jefferson Head/Beach. Northbound. - Alisa Lemire Brooks

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10:59 - huge breach just north of Kingston ferry lane mid channel but closer to Kitsap side still heading north.
9:29 - due west of Fay Bainbridge mid channel big male dorsals rising out of the fog and distortion. At least two males I think. Bad visibility. They didn't seem to be moving too quickly when I saw them briefly. If travel patterns are consistent with the last couple of times into Puget sound the rest are possibly behind those males. - Connie Bickerton

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10:11 - Orcas off president point going north. - Joanne Graves

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9:42 - The whales are here! Bainbridge island! - Dianne Dee Iverson

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8:21 - Victoria Clipper reports a large group of orcas traveling across the shipping lanes from West Point toward Bainbridge Island. - Stephanie Raymond

December 25
Did anyone get a photo of the two huge breaches right in front of West Point lighthouse at sunset? From Sunset Hill we could see about 30 people standing out on the spit below the lighthouse, and the whales went right by the bouy and showed off a little. - Susan Vennerholm

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After waiting for a looong time in West Seattle our persistence paid off. Saw a few scattered from Alki long after sunset in the dimming light. At least one male and a couple smaller, presumably females. Not close enough for photos. They were still heading south. Brrrr! - Mike Russell

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From 4:40 to 4:50 in waning light, we pulled off on South end of Rolling Bay, Bainbridge Isl. and spotted a few further south mid channel when all of a sudden in the stillness I heard the unmistakeable blows of orcas. Ed and I watched an adult male, a female and a calf about 1/2 mile from us forage as they trended southbound. They appeared a little bit sleepy, the calf looking so cute as it completely logged for over 10 seconds. Best end to a rather sparse (for us) sighting day.
4:20 - orcas have grouped up some. This later group more west of mid channel crossing West Point/Rolling Bay
4:09 - been watching a group of 10-12 spread out in smaller groups in glassy calm water, sightline Faye Bainbridge and Carkeek to Golden Gardens still southbound. Breaches, tail slaps and a little one in the pod. Nice to be ending the day seeing orcas who eluded our trip to Kitsap - Alisa Lemire Brooks

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4:05 - They are past Presidents Point now in Kingston. At least 7. One large male in the rear. They are close to the west side of the sound. - Corrie Beamer Urquhar

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3:52 - watching them make their way south of Golden Gardens. They're not moving fast. - Jessica Pagan

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3:50pm - Orcas, 6 or so going past Shilshole marina to the south. Merry Christmas! - Veronica Von Allworden

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Perfect sighting of 4 orca on Christmas Day at 3:45p off Meadow Point headed towards Golden Gardens Park. - Michael Hamm

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One of the orcas seen earlier today from Carkeek. Great to be there with such a fun group of orca lovers today. Happy holidays!!! - Steve Smith

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At about 3:30 (when we went back into Shilshole) they were spread out from at least Carkeek Park to south of West Point. They were still moving quite fast, they are just so spread out in small groups that it sounds like they might be going quite slow. They appeared to be moving at about 5-7 knots, so if they keep that up they might be at Alki by now or soon. - Alex Wetmore

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3:30 - It was glass calm on xmas day 2013 as we watched a group of about 16 orcas heading southbound near Seattle, about 1.5 miles west of Shilshole BayMarina and 1.5 miles north of West Point/Discovery Park. They were traveling and well dispersed over about 1/2 mile. Several pairs included juveniles. We were in our sailboat motoring (no wind) so we shut down as they passed. We could hear more coming from the north and saw more to the west towards Point Monroe, counting at least 16. We were one of 3 boats in the general area that appeared to have encountered the orcas. A fine xmas present! - Scott Tobiason

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3:29 - there are still some making their way past Carkeek. I'm headed to Golden Gardens to see if I can catch the bull that was "leading" the way. - Jessica Pagan

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3:08 - Jamie Grundhauser called with an update from Carkeek Park: Orcas are surfacing right in front of them not far offshore, and others are still visible across Puget Sound near Kingston. They turned north briefly then continued heading south.

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2:32 - Whales out by Indianola way to the west side. Heading south. - Jack Nolan

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2:20 - At least 7 orca just cleared Point Edwards in Edmonds. Very casually heading south. Best Christmas present EVER! - Dave Golner

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2:16 - Can see one moving south way out east of Fay Bainbridge. Probably same one seen from Richmond beach. - Sue Surowiec Larkin

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2:16 - They are by the Kingston ferry. - Jamie Grundhauser

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1:56 - Both sides of the ferry - north then south. About halfway - then more closer to Edmonds
1:52 - Edmonds Kingston ferry we just passed them. - Sheila Cox

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2:11pm - Wow! One or two animals are pretty close in to the Richmond Beach side. If you're at Richmond Beach or Carkeek, keep your eyes peeled for these east-side whales!
1:37pm - The main group is spread out on both sides of the mid-channel buoy, rapidly approaching it across from Richmond Beach / Jefferson Beach.
1:31pm - At least one has already made it to the mid-channel buoy. They are booking it today!
1:28pm - Seeing them from Richmond Beach now. Group is heading south, mostly mid-channel and maybe a bit west of mid-channel. Best views likely from Kitsap side! - Dave Haas

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Our family has been enjoying watching a large pod of Orcas just off Richmond Beach on this glorious, sunny, sparkling Christmas Day! What a gift! All the binoculars are in use - what a delight!! Surfacing over & over, the whales were heading south, but suddenly turned & headed north, coming even closer to the shore. Wonderful treat! - Karen Weber

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1:20 - they are very spread out across channel still heading steadily south. From Kingston we saw some foraging, breaches, tail lobs. we are moving to Indianola in hopes to see them from there south.
12:55 - Big group of us just above Kingston ferry seeing them stream by, mid channel and west of. - Alisa Lemire Brooks

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12:57 - Brad Hanson is watching orcas in the Kingston ferry from Richmond Beach, south Edmonds.

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12:40 pm - Jamie Grundhauser reports she's seeing fins and blows hugging the shore north of Kingston ferry docks, still heading south. We have Id's of J pod for sure (J27) - they are traveling pretty fast today.

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J27 Blackberry at Point No Point. - Rose Anderson

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11:28 - Mid channel, Granny in the sound! Seeing many from Point no Point. - Elyse Sollitto

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12:37 - seeing them from Kingston heading south. Closer to Kitsap side. Southbound shipping lanes.
10:57 - They're here (Kingston)!! Mid channel just saw a big spy hop. - Sara Hysong-Shimazu

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10:28 - They're just north of Point No Point, off Hansville, mid-channel, still heading south. - Howard Garrett

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10:03 - mid channel Mutiny Bay now. - Jim Barrett

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Elsa Leavitt called at 9:30 am, reporting seeing the whales just north of Bush Pt, heading south. Saw two big males, and many others, spread out between Whidbey and mid-channel.

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9:26 - Orcas at Bush Point. Seem to be hunting and going both directions. - Rachel Gaydosh

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Thanks to Alisa Lemire Brooks for alerting us to Resident orca calls on the Port Townsend hydrophone at 8:18 am. We don't know direction of travel, but most likely headed in, so let us know if you see them. Yay, Christmas whales!

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Possible gray whale - Just saw what looked to be (not sure) a small Gray headed towards Belfair off the South Shore of Hood Canal. Am on the beach on the South Shore of Hood Canal. It was swimming towards the end of the Canal near Belfair. It was clearly gray in color, much bigger than a Dahl, too gray for a pilot whale, large flukes, spouting as it slowly porpoised through the water seemingly on a mission. The last time I saw a gray come through here a couple years ago I'm told it got caught in the low tide (as the Canal is only 30-50 feet deep here at mid channel) and died near the Thelar wetlands. I watched for it to come back but didn't see it. It was clearly not a Sea Lion and if a Gray it had to be an immature one traveling alone. - Ginger Miller

December 24
Coastal orcas - R. Kuehn snapped some great shots of 250-300 CA sea lions as they were porpoising away from 7-10 pursuing killer whales at about 1030. The pod included one adult male and were last seen heading north slowly off Sea Ranch, CA (south of Mendocino). He did not get any photos of the whales however. We then had two follow up reports that were likely the same group of animals: 2:05PM Killer whales 1.5 miles north of Sail Rock, 1:30-2:30PM Killer whales off Navigator rocks and south end of Sea Ranch. Sounds like they were working the area pretty good. - Naked Whale Research

December 23

December 22
11:31 am - ORCAS on the Port Townsend Hydro!!!!! - Jamie Grundhauser

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11:30 - Hearing faint calls on the Port Townsend hydrophones. - Orca Network

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11:25 - Calls starting on the Port Townsend hydros. - Pam Ren

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Thanks Pam for posting the few I saw, maybe 4-5 at most, saw them mid channel and closer to Marrowstone Island side just approaching Bush Point bend, moving quickly. Dropped down to the boat launch and you could see them very far away and this gal fishing with her husband was so excited! she turned to her husband and said, ok, this just made my day. - Marilyn Armbruster

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10:10 AM - Marilyn Armbruster reports that the orcas are now at Bush Point. - Pam Ren

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A 9:55 call from Alisa Lemire Brooks alerting us to the presence of orcas in Admiralty Inlet near us drew my eyes to the water, where even in less than a mile visibility in the fog, three orcas appeared a minute later, in steady procession northward toward Bush Point. - Howard Garrett

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9:45 - Many Orca off Windmill Heights (1.5 miles south of Bush point, in Admiralty Inlet). Heading north, maybe 1/2 mile offshore, moving fast. - Mike Meyer

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9:30 - orca spotted in Mutiny Bay. - Raymond Bigelow

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8:57 - Victoria Clipper reports 5 orcas northbound at Double Bluff, midchannel. - Stephanie Raymond

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Transients (Bigg's whales] - 5:25 - Just watched a group of about five transient orcas aboard a WA State ferry right off the Lopez Island landing. They were full of breaches, pec slaps, both regular and inverted tail slaps and head stands! This was my fourth time ever seeing orcas from a ferry in the twenty years I have lived on San Juan Island. Made my day. - Melisa Pinnow

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Thanks again to Alan Hobbes Buchanan for the call about whales in Harney Channel and for waiting for us to get there! Nothing like a last minute boat ride and whale watch to make your day. Calm water, gray skies, green shorelines, and the sound of blows made for a beautiful afternoon. So much family social time too! All the kids playing together and chasing T49A1 (the male), and T49B3 (less than 6 months old) was so cute. - Ivan Reiff

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12:37 - Capt. Alan Hobbes called to say he was with T49A's & T49B's, at least ten Transients in West Sound, Orcas Island.

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9:14 am - Maia of WA State Ferries called with a report of 4 or 5 orcas in Upright Channel, between Orcas and Lopez Islands.

December 21
4:30 - Maia reports a single orca seen at Frost Island, just east of the north end of Lopez Island.

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Through thick fog and chilly drizzle I stood watching for orca swimming past Bainbridge Island yesterday in the waning light. Orca Network had been posting most of the afternoon that a pod was making its way south in Puget Sound. Around 3 pm, reports brought them close to nearby shores and I finally gave up trying to make headway on my Christmas decorating and grabbed a rain jacket and binocs and headed out. I made it to a favorite lookout spot on the southeast shore of the island within 10 minutes, and within 2 minutes had them in sight. My teeth were chattering, and holding the binoculars still was a bit of a challenge. I promised myself I'd throw on more layers next time I go running for the door after hearing "they're back." I was soon joined by a couple of fellow orca watchers, and while we were rewarded with only a few fleeting glimpses from our roadside perch at Rockaway Beach, the sight of the tall, black dorsal fin breaking the surface of the steely gray waters of Puget Sound never fails to quicken the pulse. Once you see an orca in the wild, you will know that is where these magnificent belong. Forever wild and free. - Susan Marie Andersson

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4:50 - Maia of WA State Ferries called to report a single orca heading north near the Fauntleroy ferry dock.

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4:02 pm - Just saw them off Alki Beach Park heading towards Vashon. - Leslie Holsopple

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4 pm - Jamie Grundhauser reports J2 Granny is among those breaching and spyhopping off West Seattle, just south of Alki.

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Maia of WA State Ferries called at 3:20 pm to report 3 - 4 orcas headed south in the middle of the shipping lanes, just NW of Alki.

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Kimberly Sylvester-Malzahn, Connie Bickerton, and I watched two large male Orca slowly moving south bound, spread out Bainbridge side to mid channel, between 3 & 3:15 pm this afternoon. No idea if Ts or Rs, but there were several harbor seals grouped up near the shore looking a but nervous. - Susan Marie Andersson

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2:36 - Rolling Bay Walk... huge male & at least 2 others. Moving south. - Kimberly Sylvester-Malzahn

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1:48 - they are passing Golden Gardens Park now. Two groups. One group is already off the Shileshole North entrance the other group is still a tiny bit north west of Meadow Point. - Hays Clark

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1:43 - They're mid-channel, so halfway between Carkeek and Bainbridge (roughly)...
1:37pm - group is still making their way south. Folks at Fay Bainbridge and Carkeek, you're up next!
1:29pm - spotted at least three dorsal fins, slowly making their way south, roughly along the line between Richmond Beach Saltwater Park and Jefferson Head. - Dave Haas

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1:11 - Passing south of Kayu kayu actually park mid channel. - Jamie Grundhauser

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2:20 - atop Shilshole Marina have resighted just two individuals mid channel nearing West Point/Rolling Bay, traveling well apart from one another. Had really clear visibility for a few minutes, now fog moving in. I think we are done for the day.
1:53 - seeing adult males and more spread out southbound Faye Bainbridge and south. from Carkeek. gonna move to Ballard.
1:10 - orcas were passing yellow mid channel marker heading southbound, a little east of mid channel, so probaby equal to Jefferson Head/Richmond Beach by 1:20.
12:56 - post and they show up ...see one fin gliding in calm but low visibilty waters, mid channel just south Kingston, southbound at steady pace.
12:53 - group of us at Kayu Kayu (north Shoreline) and have not seen them yet. - Alisa Lemire Brooks

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12:06 - At least 5-6 orcas headed south off Richmond beach! Could be more but a little foggy :) - Toby Black

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12:15 pm - 4 or 5 orcas off Edmonds. They must of hung around Edmonds for a bit because they are right in front of Edmonds again heading south.
11:20 - Orcas off Edmonds heading south right now. Saw 4 or 5 myself. - Ben Abrahamsen

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We got a call from Donna Walker reporting 1 female orca heading west, seen from the Bainbridge Island at about 10:45. - Jamie Grundhauser

December 20
Transients (Bigg's whales) - We just saw orcas swimming east in Port Townsend Bay at 3:40pm. There were 2, I believe both female. They were swimming slowly, did not appear to be feeding. I have a photo taken outside the Northwest Maritime Center. - Megan

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3:15 PM - We were so excited to see at least 5 orcas off the point of Port Townsend, headed across the bay. Two were large males. They were moving slowly, it was awesome. They were going toward Marrowstone. - Cherylann Turner

December 19


December 18
4:17 - We just saw orcas swimming by Port Townsend! A rare December treat. - Sound Experience aboard the Schooner Adventuress.

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3:28 - They were headed west, past the shipyard, the last time I saw them... Yep, they're still up there, past the Port Orchard passenger ferry dock and the marina, headed toward Gorst. I saw one going past my house, but there are at least two of them. I saw two distinct spouts as they passed the shipyard. 2:47 - There be whales here! (Between Port Orchard and Manette) - L Michelle Gardner

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2:40 - Brad Hanson reports orcas off West Point, just off Elliott Bay, still slowly heading north in choppy seas.

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2:17 - Yeah, on their way past Fay Bainbridge! - Sue Surowiec Larkin

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4:15 pm: Several Bainbridge Islanders watched them from shore at Rolling Bay Bluff between 2 & 3 pm. They were really spread out mid-channel from Elliott Bay north to Fay Bainbridge with 2 males in particular really hanging back, at one point the males did a bit of synchronized breaching. NOAA boat with them periodically.
2:10 - Watching K-Pod from Skiff Point, BI mid-channel. Helicopter and NOAA with them. - Susan Marie Andersson

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Pod in Elliot Bay. Riding the 1:10 ferry today from Bainbridge to Seattle I saw tall dark fins of 3 grouped very tightly with bursts of fanning water. There was one further ahead and East of the group about 30 feet. 90 % sure orcas. My first thought was dolphins but quickly changed with the tall fins and then saw flashes of white near their breaching noses. They swam about 200 feet in front of the ferry headed north towards discovery park. - Chester Bennett

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2:35 - Brad Hanson is with at least K pod (K25 has been ID'd) about 1.5 miles NW of Alki, still heading slowly north, very spread out.

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2:30 - just watched a second group of orcas pass discovery park. This grouping closer to Seattle side than first group
1:54 - Seeing NOAA boat and splashes from breaching at discovery park. Whale Scout in action! - Whitney Neugebauer

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1:45 - Looks like the last of them just passed Eagle Harbor, mid channel. There were quite a few really spread out. I counted 5 in the last group. - Heather Polverino

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1:44 - At Manitou Beach... clear view south. Many spread out around NOAA boat. - Kimberly Sylvester-Malzahn

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1:10 - I have been watching them from country club Road on Bainbridge Island. There are two small boats out there with them. the whales are getting very close to the boats. They are Midchannel directly across from Eagle Harbor. - Aviva Weiss Grele

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1:00pm - Looks like they've all made it past Alki. Still headed north. And yeah, seemed like they sped up.
12:27 - Still Several off Mee Kwa Mooks northbound.
11:58 - See one male off Mee Kwa Mooks. Northbound.
J26 Mike, 22-year old son of J16 Slick, was part of the group that was heading north off of West Seattle. - Mike Russell

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12:54 - WA State Ferries reports 6-8 whales in the Bremerton/Seattle ferry lane, northbound.

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12:17 - Me kwa mooks still not moving fast. - Kelda Martensen

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11:53 - Possible whales at Jeff Head maybe heading North!!! - Peter Sergeeff

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I had the extraordinarily good fortune to have seen a total of about 30 Orcas today, including some that swam right beside and in front on the 11:05am ferry from Vashon to Fauntleroy! They left "footprints" the entire way. After the boat landed, I watched with my binoculars from the hill above the ferry dock for almost 1/2 an hour as many (15-20 total?) whales slowly cruised by headed North, east of mid-channel. I saw a sleep-line of about 8 individuals! This astounding experience was thanks to Sound Actions Podblasts! Thank you so much Amy Carey and Orca Network for giving me one of the greatest experiences of my life today! - J Felicity Welt

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11:45 - Sweet! from atop Queen Anne I can see big boy and smaller dorsals gliding northbound-sightline between southside of Alki Point and northside of Vashon. - Alisa Lemire Brooks

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11:42 - There's a group of maybe 5, at least one male just south of Blake island still heading north.
11:26 - I'm watching from Gatewood Hill and my best guess is they are right off Lowman beach right now. The whales closer to the west Seattle side still seem to be going north. Those mid channel turned south.
11:05 - Visible from Lincoln Park now. Too bad the weather is getting so gross! - Krista Larson Billinghurst

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11:35 - Just spotted them. I'm near the West Seattle lighthouse. - Wendy Horger Alsup

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11:30 - Mark Savio called to say he saw orcas heading north between Fauntleroy and Vashon Is.

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11:10 - Trileigh Tucker reports seeing orcas between Vashon and Blake Island, possibly going south now.

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11:05 - WA State Ferries reports orca off Dolphin Point, north of Vashon, just milling, no direction.

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10:52 - they are passing through the vashon ferry lanes now I can see them from my house on Glen Acres. - Danielle White

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11:10 - And have about 10 just off Lincoln park.
10:36 - West Seattle get ready. Leaders are about halfway between Dilworth and ferry. Also...looks like the same j and k mashup gang from the other day.
10:24 - At Dilworth spread out northbound. - Amy Carey

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We were at Vashon Island this morning. Our first time there on the east side of the island. From approximately 10:20 a.m. to 10:25 a.m. the orcas were visible going north just a little north of Burien. Twice breaching. - Elston Hill

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8:39 - Large pod of orcas headed north from Gold Beach toward Point Robinson. Watched them for 15 minutes from Gold Beach, saw at least four adult males and at least 20 total. It looked like they were feeding off Maury Park, still headed north. - Carl Sells

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Coastal orcas - Coast Guard Mission at Cape Disappointment called at 2:02 pm with a real time report of probably 2 killer whales at the Columbia River bar entrance, heading north.

December 17
My family and I were at Lime Kiln Point on San Juan Island at 1:30 today. We saw a small pod of maybe 7 orcas that were hanging out briefly and then went booking North - even porpoising out of the water. I believe it they were Transients. Before they took off we saw a spy hop and a tail lob. There was at least 1 bull, maybe 2 and a mother and baby. They were pretty close to shore. Lots of birds flying around - must have been some good food nearby. We got lucky today!!! :) - Coleen Moore

December 16


December 15
Report of 10 orcas (most likely transient) off Gabriola Island near Nanaimo BC at 3:15 PM by VMSA researcher Kelsey Cullen. - Josh McInnes
Note: no IDs are available for this sighting.

December 14
4:36 - Just saw them from Lincoln Park. They were going north. - Chris Way

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4:30 - Mid channel, directly West of Lowman. Too dark to see much. Until we meet again! - Barbara Bonner

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4:18 - They're directly west out from Lincoln Park as the sun sets. - Brian N Nicole Jenkins

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4:35 - Still watching here in the dark! They started moving north and are heading toward Alki from Lincoln Park.
3:47 - At Colman pool, Lincoln Park - many (15-20?) - right between here and N tip of Vashon, heading slowly N. No breaches or tail slaps, just lots of beautiful dorsals! - Trileigh Tucker

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3:17 - from Fauntleroy ferry. Almost positive it's Blackberry J27. - Jessica Pagan

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3 pm - I am at Lincoln Park and can still see them. It's almost like they have completely stopped moving, resting now. - Meghan Finley

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2:40 - Just south of the Vashon ferry lanes, still heading north. - Jessica Pagan

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2:39 - Just now visible from the south end of Lincoln park. Not to Fauntleroy dock yet but visible from just near it. - Ian Willson
2:21 - slower now (if that's possible), still northbound at north end of Arroyo, too far to see now.
2:03 - still slowly northbound passing Arroyo Beach, closer to east side.
1:37 - I've been watching and filming them at Dilworth for a while. Definitely were resting and northbound, then woke and turned south for a few minutes, now resting northbound again. - Meg McDonald - WildNorthwestBeautyPhotography

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12:38 - Just watched several spouts for about 10 minutes just south of Three Tree Point. The spouts were much closer to Vashon and heading northerly. - Jill Clogston

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1:03 - Still off Dilworth, heading north. They're slow!
12:28 - Definitely heading north, very slowly. Watching them from Dilworth. - Jessica Pagan

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12:33 - 10 or 12 seen going slowly north as seen from 3 Tree Point. Babies too 12:06 - From three tree point it seems they are much closer to the Vashon shore. James Branson

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11:55 - We are seeing them from pt Robinson around dilworth or so close to the Vashon side direction is up in the air. Lots of fins and spouts. - Anna Stuart Olive

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1:13 - Leaving them now still moving slow straight out from Dilworth point. Should hit Fauntleroy ferry in 1/2 to 1 hour depending on if they pick up speed.
12:38 - Slow as molasses...mid channel. North bound off Dilworth.
10:50 - Can see B. Can't tell if they turned.
11:47 - They are close to Dilworth but we can't see direction. - Amy Carey

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11:43 am - They are north of Des Moines they are all clumped together they are moving super slow it looks like they're heading north but almost stationary and they're all really tightly packed together.
10:53 - They look like they are still heading south straight across from Normandy Park Beach on Vashon side.
10:48 - I see them from Normandy Park beach. They are straight across on the Vashon side. - Tanya Jackson Esparza

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10:16 - I saw at least seven near Burien headed south. - James Branson

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10 am - Southbound. Leaders near the yellow channel marker past three tree point. - Amy Carey

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9:37 - Orca spotted headed south along Vashon Island. Just Passes Dilworth Point. Spread out about 1/4 mi. (yippee) - Jan Kubat Staehli

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9:28 - Faunterloy headed south. - Jamie Grundhauser

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9:25 - WSB saying they're heading south past Lincoln Park!
9 am - A friend just posted that she's seen orcas this morning by the Fauntleroy ferry dock, "playing" and heading south. Not sure exactly when; will let you know as soon as I can find out. - Trileigh Tucker

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8:15 - 2 orca heading south 2-300 yards off the Fauntleroy ferry dock. - Trev Dellinger

December 13
President Point (about 2 miles south of the Kingston ferry dock), 2:30 pm - females had a large sea lion that they were playing with. Seemed to be teaching their younger ones. Sea lion got away and headed for the beach and whales stayed only 20 yards away watching him. Don't know the outcome but probably not in the sea lion's favor, he looked beat up and tired. Lasted about 2 hours. Large male 25 yards off beach showed off his moves for us, doing all kinds of tail slapping, breaching, slow barrel roles and other fun. Always stayed about 100 yards away from the females playing with the sea lion. - Whitney Sackman

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About 3:00 pm, President Point Kingston (about 2 miles south of the Kingston ferry dock), pod of about 8-10 Orcas playing between Mid Channel buoy and Kingston side for about 1 1/2 hours, spy hopping and body splashing. Large male and females with calves. Always so exciting to watch from my home. They finally headed north. - Margaret Steen

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Approximately 8-12 orcas were off President's Point for approximately 1 1/2 hours. One observer (a former Alaska fisherman) said they were training their young to hunt. A sea lion was injured or killed as they breached, swam in a circle, and hunted. Approximately 4:20 p.m. the orcas swam north toward Whidbey Island. - Pam Wilson

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3:40 - I'm looking west with binocs from north beach at the shore line south of apple tree cove at a very active group maybe only 100yds off shore. There's a lucky bunch of watchers on that beach getting done good pics for sure! So much splashing, full body breaching, tail slapping etc. - Jennifer Greiner Clark

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3:22 - The first two just moved out of my sight from Lincoln Park, West Seattle. They were at the Southworth ferry dock, heading north.
2:48 pm - spotted one orca off the N. end of Vashon Island, near the ferry dock, heading north, closer to the west/Vashon side of the passage. - Trileigh Tucker

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3:00 - the southern group is now visible from the north end of Vashon! - Whale Scout

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Around 3:00 in Kingston, WA an Orca pod lingered off President Point for a good hour or more. The male put on a great show, coming in just feet from the beach. Such a treat to watch! - Angie Heuer

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2:27 - Right next to the Kingston ferry drop. Small group with huge male. - Whitney Sackman

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2:44 - After that last group dive, they came back up waaaaay over on the Kitsap side. Not easy to make out from Shoreline/Edmonds now, impossible without binoculars. Every so often the entire group stops surfacing and disappears under water for up to 2-3 minutes. Wonder what they're up to... Herding/shoaling fish maybe?
1:40 - Seeing some of the most active killer whale behaviors from 2 or 3 of the many animals across from Richmond Beach (Edmonds/Shoreline), approximately mid channel. Been watching full body lunges, porpoising and many other behaviors since around 1:15 PM. Just watched an inverted full body breach through binocs! Three other animals were doing sync'd surfacing. Overall group is slowly making their way north. - Dave Haas

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12:14pm - More Orcas at Dash Point (north of Tacoma). - Kelly Burns Keenan

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12:16 - the group off Rolling Bay is still headed north and trending more toward mid channel now rather than close in to Bainbridge. Only occasional dorsals spotted in the haze.
11:47 - they appear to be headed north - staying under for long periods
11:38 - at least 2 dorsal fins in rolling bay very close in on the Bainbridge side. - Lynn Batson

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11:42 - Sounds like north group is northbound near Rolling Bay and the south group is northbound somewhere near Dash Point, which means likely to head up the east side of vashon. - Amy Carey

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11:02 - John Rogstad of WA State reports the ferry Tacoma on the Seattle/Bainbridge run slowed down for 12 orcas frolicking and spyhopping in the traffic lane just off Eagle Harbor.

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I was on the 10:40 Bainbridge ferry and saw 7-10 orcas up close! The ferry had to stop so they could swim under us : ). Seems like they were headed north and swimming pretty fast. - Michelle Haines

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11:08 - They have us quite a show. Passing Vashon headed slowly towards dash point from Browns point. 10:55 - They're in a line headed east at Owen Beach. 10:38 - They're now circling near a small fishing boat that anchored off the point. 10:21 - 5 or 6 Orcas northbound from tip of Pt Defiance. - Jason Cook

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9am - boat Fauntleroy to Vashon 6-7 orcas looked like they were feeding and headed south towards Vashon - mid Channel. - Aimee Demarest

December 12
4 pm - We spotted 4 whales in the Salish sea near Yellow Point (Gulf Islands, about ten miles SE of Nanaimo). We have a condo at the Inn of the Sea and they were right in front of us. They stayed for about 20 minutes feeding. There was a mother with a baby next to her and two others. - Karen Green

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Took this just a little bit north of Olympia at Burfoot Park. 10-15 transient orcas consisting of adult females, juveniles and an adult male. They were gradually making their way out of Budd Inlet but had just made a kill as seagulls were feeding on scraps and the orcas were being very active with spy hops, back dives, tail and pec slaps. T037 may have been of the females but they were too far away to tell for sure. - Melisa Pinnow

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1:31 - Orcas heading north out of Budd inlet off of Dofflemeyer Pt./Boston Harbor. - Douglas George

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11:50am - There are now whales or other big marine mammals spouting, feeding and playing in Budd Inlet in front of Gull Harbor and north, not as far as Burfoot Park; (cannot see to the south). A neighbor sighted them by 10 am. There was a small boat respectfully watching. Any reports or confirmation - please let us know. I saw 2 with large fins and a group with 2 large and 3-4 with smaller fins not far away. I want to say orcas. - Wendy Eklund

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11:31 - They are still here and now watching them I think there may be more than 10, there seem to be quite a few.....
11:15 - They were headed south but they have been staying put for about 15 minutes.....
11:10 - We can see maybe 10 orcas in Budd Inlet off of east side in front of Gull Harbor. - Caty Whiteford

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10:30AM - 8 Orca Heading toward Olympia! - Chris Keller Galvin

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At 10:30AM I counted 8 Orca heading south from Hunter Pt. toward Olympia. At least one male and one baby. - Keller galvin

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10:35 - I saw 4 Orcas swim by - between Carlyon Beach (off Steamboat Island Rd) & Hope Island - I think it's Eld Inlet - I';m so excited I can hardly type. Anyway, it looked like a mom & baby & 2 other adults. Hope others can confirm. - Joy Loffler

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This morning at around 10 a.m. a pod of five orcas cruised by in front of our house on Pickering Passage. We are about 1.5 miles south of the Harstine Bridge. One was in the lead and the other four were a little way behind. - Christy Rowe

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11:10 - Apparently there is a group (10-12) that just passed under the Harstene Island bridge, heading south. That means they're possibly coming into Budd/Eld inlet territory OR Totten Inlet or both.
9:57 - There are at least EIGHT orcas currently heading south in Olympia by Boston Harbor into Budd Inlet. - Kim Merriman

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Saw what we believe were eight orcas in Pickering Passage, between Harstine Island and the mainland, 2 miles north of the bridge to Harstine, about 9AM. We initially saw a group of four, which was followed by a second group of four, swimming very fast toward the bridge that connects Harstine Island to mainland. I was struck that the white patches on them seemed more gray than white. - John Hamilton

December 11
4:30 pm - 8 orcas just came through the Narrows heading south. - Dino

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2 pm - At least 10-12 orcas were seen for over an hour feeding near Pt. Defiance! One very big bull and a small calf! Three of the males stuck close together, they all worked together to round up fish (or seals) to edge of the shelf where it dramatically drops off, they could pin em up to the wall of the shelf! Absolutely beautiful to watch! Boats were getting too close irritating the whales! We watched the whole hour from where the lighthouse use to be! - Dayna Campbell

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Michael Molnar called to report seeing a single, adult male, orca, heading north about 200 yards off the WA coast near the Quilleute River.
These were taken from the beach in LaPush, Washington. Right after this guy showed up on scene there was a lot of mammal activity in the area. We were swimming our dogs in the surf using a tennis ball, at one point while one of the dogs was about 20 feet out a sea lion popped up 15 feet away and watched him. Soon after that there were several seals around. do you think this was because of the Orca??? - Michael Molnar

December 10
Jeanne Hyde and I photographed a group of eight Ts from shore today as they headed south out of Cattle Pass at about 1515. We saw T35A, T35A1, T35A2, T38A, T75, T75A, T75B, and T75C and they blew by us in one series of surfacings. Ivan Reiff, who had been out on this group earlier and helped us find them, also reported seeing another group consisting of the rest of the T38s and T35 but they disappeared. - Dave Ellifrit

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Thanks to Captain Hobbes for calling me today about whales in front of his house in San Juan Channel. I hurried down to the marina, hopped on the boat and had a lucky winter encounter right in front of Friday Harbor! Transient Orcas in front of our office (red building) heading south in San Juan Channel. - Captain Ivan Reiff

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Loads of transients out there today with numerous reports. Report 1: Transients off San Juan Island - two groups were sighted this morning. Report 2: VMSA Researcher Russ Nicks was off Sooke BC and spotted a lone transient off Beachy head heading towards Victoria at 3:00PM. I am pretty sure from the description it is T103. Report 3: San Juan Island whale watching and wildlife tours found about 12 transients off Point Caution. T075As were in the large group of Ts off Point Caution. - Josh McInnes, University of Victoria

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11:55 - Maia of WA State Ferries called to relay a report of 3 orcas seen in San Juan Channel near Point Caution, between San Juan and Shaw Islands, just north of Friday harbor.

December 9
11 am - WA State Ferries reports a pod of approx. 12 orcas in Haro Strait off Speiden Island, heading north.

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After being alerted by Giles that orcas could be heard on the Lime Kiln hydrophones, we went out to find them. Sounded like residents on the hydrophones. At about 10:30 am we found them about 3 miles offshore of County Park in Haro Strait. The leaders were approaching the Kelp Reefs marker. We saw two groups of at least 6 orcas each surfacing about a mile apart, with an adult male between them, about 1/2 mile from each group. Then both groups disappeared, with only 2 males surfacing together. Next, the 2 males disappeared. It was cold, so we left. There could have been 20 plus orcas. They likely are the orcas spotted by the ferry in Haro near Speiden Island at 11 am. - Sharon Grace

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SRKWs on OrcaSound @ 10:00 am. Sounds like a lot of them! - Gayle Swigart

December 8
Sunday dawned cold and bright, becoming even brighter when the Southern Resident orcas passed Point No Point and headed north up Admiralty Inlet past Whidbey Island. Grace and power merged as they broke the surface breaching, tail-slapping and spy-hopping. Some traveled alone, others in pairs or trios, some grouped together in a spectacular display of family unity, dorsals glinting, vapor from their blows backlit by sunlight as they maintained a steady pace cutting through the quiet water. What a treat on a frosty winter's day! - Sandy Pollard

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At 1:30 pm we saw approx 10 orca in Juan De Fuca traveling east toward Victoria? We were at Point No Point on Vancouver Island. - Jana Johnson Note: no IDs are available for this sighting.

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Faint vocals on Lime Kiln at 22:14. Ship noise is fading so hopefully will get better quality and find out who they are! - John Boyd

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10:14 p.m. - The K pod calls are still on the Lime Kiln hydrophone now that the ship noise has diminished. 9:32 p.m. - K pod calls are audible on the Lime Kiln hydrophone! - Meg McDonald, Wild Northwest Beauty Photography

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9:04 Pacific - Vocalizations at Lime Kiln. Unidentified chatter faint beginning at Lime Kiln. - Suzy Roebling, Key Largo FL

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3:20 - Watching them from ebeys landing now! - Jeff Arbuckle

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2:52 - north of Port Townsend ferry lane now. Mid channel. - Rachel Haight

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Orca updates - Kit Turner called at 2:20 pm reporting one male orca a little north of Lagoon Pt., heading NW; at 2:30 pm we got reports from Sandra Pollard & Dick Snowberger that they were seeing the orcas from Ft. Casey, and Bonnie Gretz called at 2:30 pm to say she was seeing at least 4 orcas from Ft. Casey, heading NW. There is a ship anchored between Admiralty Head & Pt. Townsend laying cable, we have alerted the CG who has relayed the orca reports to the ship to make sure their project will not impact the orcas.

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Happy me....7-9 Orcas off Ft. Casey between 2:15 and 3:15 p.m, heading north. Nice smooth water, saw a breach, some spy hops, tail slaps...and even heard their blows, faintly, as they were in mid-channel between Ft. Casey and Pt. Townsend....and not nearly as cold as yesterday, though I was layered up!!!! Big Orca smiles!! - Bonnie Gretz

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Today, from approximately 1400-1445, I watched a pod of 6 or seven orcas traveling quite steadily from near the boat ramp at the Coupeville ferry slip, and later, from near the lighthouse at Ft. Casey State Park, as they moved from the north end of Marrowstone Island, moving northward until I could no longer view them, southwest of Ebey's Landing. There was at least one young animal in the group. - Martin Whittaker

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They went past south end of Marrowstone Island at about 1 p.m. - Bob Triggs

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We watched the orcas from about 12:30 - 1:15 pm as they continued west toward Bush Pt. They were out too far for IDs, but hopefully we'll have a photo or two, some of the last groups to go by were coming closer to the Whidbey side. We counted a minimum of 15 orcas, likely closer to 20, with at least 2 adult males. - Orca Network

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From Point No Point. The distortion and quality make me cringe but it's a wild orca and any morning spent in the company of wild whales is a good morning. - Sara Hysong-Shimazu

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10:49 - I see blows south of point no point, but can't see much else because of the water distortion. - Connie Bickerton

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10:35 - from atop bluff in north Edmonds I can see (barely) fins and blows at about Eglon still northbound. 10:00 - have resighted some still northbound, west of mid channel still south of Eglon. Earlier spotted at least a dozen blows. At 9:30 they stalled and started lunge feeding. 9:20 - can see them out from Edmonds due west still moving steadily north. - Alisa Lemire Brooks

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9:08 - Large amount of orcas heading north right now. Just passed Kingston. They are in shipping lanes. At least 8. Appears to be at least one very young one. Probably same ones we saw heading south yesterday. - Ben Abrahamsen

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We just had one report from this morning, 9 am heading north past Pt. Defiance - it was posted in a thread of reports of the other orcas heading north and Alisa just found it a short time ago - no other reports since. - Orca Network

December 7
A most wonderful, frigid, adrenaline rush tells of a dream, some might say an obsession, fulfilled. Kathleen Bean sees orcas from Golden Gardens Park in Seattle, and takes some gorgeous photos.

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About 3:30 this Saturday afternoon, there were a number of orcas spread widely between Seahurst (Burien) and Vashon Island. They were moving south bound. Dorsal fins and blows. - Tom Benedict

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Off Alki. This was my first time seeing them. Absolutely incredible! - Barbara Bonner

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K34 Cali (born 2001) passing Dilworth, Vashon Island. The rest of Cali's family was beyond that waterline, close to Three Tree Point, as they passed Dilworth. Thanks to Melisa Pinnow for confirming Cali's ID! - Meg McDonald, Wild Northwest Beauty Photography

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They got unusually close to West Seattle, where there were happy crowds (human) at both Lowman Beach and Lincoln Park. I never saw more than about 5-6 orcas at once. - Trileigh Tucker,

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2:45 - upwards of 6 just south of Lincoln Park by the Vashon ferry. - Michelle Jensen Rau

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2:38 - Orcas off the port bow on Fauntleroy ferry going south - Noelle Morris

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2:20pm - Numerous, active orcas spotted from the ferry Issaquah leaving Fauntleroy; heading south! - Karen Davis Smith

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1:47 - Lots of southbound orcas between West Seattle and Blake Island right now! - Stephanie Raymond

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1:30 - I happened to be at the whale view walk (go figure!) south of the aki lighthouse near alki beach in west seattle and at least four orcas passed by there apparently heading towards Vashon Island. I couldn't estimate the number but presumably it was the same pod your reports indicate was in Ballard a few days ago. I didn't have a good zoom lens but took a few pictures that I'm attaching. The time is approximate. I have a couple more photos, although all of the same quality from a distance. - vinay krishnaswamy

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12:31 - They're directly west of the magnolia bluff... Saw fins and water spouts... About mid channel. - Brad Johnsen

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12:43 - They are still north of the ferry lanes mid channel heading south. I'm watching from creosote on Bainbridge. - Connie Bickerton

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11:10 - Pod sighted this AM near Meadow Point off Golden Gardens. About 6 near Shilshole Marina. Moving Southward. - Walt & Nan Spady

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11:07 - They were just off north beach neighborhood a few minutes ago...definitely heading south by golden gardens. - Robin Reinhart Harnish

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1:15 - leaving still seeing them steadily southbound spread out the channel off Restoration Point/Alki. 12:48 - mid channel tho spread out, steady southbound out from Eagle Harbor/Elliot Bay approaching ferry lanes. I am on Magnolia Bluff they are south of me. So pretty. 11:54 - leaders passing West Point/Discovery Park...others spread out foraging mid channel between WP/DP and Shilshole still trending southbound. 11:01 - there's at least a dozen, many passing Golden Gardens with others approaching. 10:45 - saw first big boy from Golden Gardens...here they come out from green buoy off the point. 10:15 - lead orcas nearing Carkeek. 10:12 - Residents for sure..spread out mid and east of mid channel in small groups. at least a dozen, including 2 adult males, passing Richmond Beach southbound. 9:50 - Saw 1 fin north of Richmond Beach Park. Looking to see if others are trailing. - Alisa Lemire Brooks

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10:16 - Okay so I have at least 6 that are headed southbound just past Richmond beach (Shoreline) now. 10:03 - I have them right now straight out from Richmond beach. - Jamie Grundhauser

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9:44 - Definitely two Orca off Pt. Edwards now. No idea if they are same or different ones than the blows we saw about 10 mins ago. 9:32 - Blows off Pt. Edwards in Edmonds. Only saw blows....nothing else...heading South...looked like only one. - Dave Golner

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9:30 - It was pretty amazing. We were stopped a ways out from the dock waiting for the other ferry to leave and they swam real close. One was only about 50 yards off our stern. It was best view I had of them in long time. 9:01 - There is at least 5 orcas right now heading south right in front of Edmonds ferry dock. - Ben Abrahamsen

December 6
K25 south of Oak Bay. - Mark Malleson

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I went out in the morning to confirm which killer whales were spotted from shore south of Trial Island. I came across the K13's northeast bound south of Oak Bay and could see several more animals to the south but conditions wouldn't allow me to get any other ID's. Thanks to George and Gord for initially spotting them. - Mark Malleson

December 5
On the afternoon of December 5th I headed out with a group of adventurers after clearing the morning snow off the seats and we followed up a report of killer whales spotted near Speiden Island. We came across 2 groups of Transients in Boundary Pass. Many of them were the same individuals we had on December 2nd along with the T185's traveling close by. - Mark Malleson, Prince of Whales

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The snow started falling gently at about 9 am, and with no reports of whale activity and limited visibility Skipper Mark hustled out past the breakwater in the afternoon. He headed north towards Boundary Pass. After just over an hour of searching Mark found a massive group of transient killer whales. Usually these mammal eating whales are in small family groups of 2-5, but sometimes several groups join together. The group Mark found had 15, including the T185s, T75Bs. T38s and the T35s. - Prince of Whales Whale Watching

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Many orcas came through Active Pass, BC heading south. - Mary Greenwood Note: no IDs are available for this sighting

December 4
I was out swimming at around 2 p.m. off Sunset Dr. (Salt Spring Island, B.C.) when a pod of 5 orcas swam through just off Idol Island. They were headed north through Samsun Narrows! What a great experience! - Maureen Phelan

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A couple of the transients I saw from the Dec 4th BC Ferry trip. There were 3-4 of them just outside Active Pass and into the strait around 2PM. - Tim Green

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Roughly 4:00pm - Multiple Orcas sightings (surfacing, dorsal fins, and blows) from Sunset Hill in the Ballard Neighborhood of Seattle. Pod was heading south down the Puget Sound. Estimating 10-20 Orcas. - Tyler Sporer

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4:25 - two or 3 groups seem to be feeding and resting between mid channel bouy and big round bouy at north end of Shilshole Marina, milling n moving slow.
4:11 - still moving real slow by Shilshole.
3:56 - large group moving slow about few hundred out from Shilshole. - Susan Vennerholm

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4:13 - They were indeed passing West Point about 8 minutes ago. - Kate Schmiett

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3:33 - Just spotted them, way out mid channel south of Fay Bainbridge...heading south...small groups. - Sue Surowiec Larkin

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3:20 - Got em! Mid channel across from Carkeek park. Big group. Males, females & juveniles. Traveling southbound then turned toward East shore. Lost them behind a tree for now but look from Carkeek, Golden Gardens (if you can get high up) or Sunset Hill park with binocs. - Jennifer Greiner Clark

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3:07 - SRKWs are still southbound midchannel, now past Richmond Beach. About 20 I think.
2:32 - They're steaming steadily south past Richmond Beach!
2:18 - "a lot" of blows off Apple Tree Cove (Kingston), headed south, into Puget Sound. - Meg McDonald

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This sighting today at noon is between Anderson Island and Ketron Island. Friends of ours were bringing their boat back to Anderson Island from Tacoma today around noon and they were surrounded by two pods of Killer Whales that approached their boat on the East Side of Anderson Island in an area that the Washington State Department of Natural Resources has designated as a Dump Site for Dredged materials from the an area in the Port of Olympia. The Dumping of (20) Barge Loads or 20 Million Pounds of dredged materials is scheduled to commence this week in the area the Killer Whales were sighted in today. This is an area where three or more Dall's Porpoises are seen the year round. Killer Whales feed on Squid and other marine life and the squid are abundant in this area. Apparently they came right towards the boats and two pods circled and dove beneath the boats. I understand they counted around (7) Killer Whales including two small ones with their mothers. I'm up-loading the video that will be posted on the Anderson Islanders Facebook site later this evening very slow process. - Bob Lyden, Anderson Island.

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3:38 - I saw the Orcas between Salmon Beach & the point of Point Defiance, milling about for a bit, looked pretty close to shore (I was watching from Gig Harbor). When I was leaving 10 minutes ago, they had reached the point and appeared to be headed towards Vashon. - Heidi Powers Armstrong

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2:46 - We see 6 (one small one) Orcas just off Salmon Beach, Tacoma. - Kathy Wilson

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Humpback whales Marie Waterman of WA State Ferries called at 3:30 pm to relay a report from the Captain of the Ferry Chelan, of a single humpback whale SE of Turn Island, milling about, likely feeding.

December 3
1:07 - Just left 8 Orcas that seem to be feeding at Point Robinson Vashon. They are still there. One of the Orcas that visited Point Robinson today is K25-Scooter 22 year old male. - Kelly Burns Keenan

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This is J37 Hy'Shqa at Point Robinson today, according to Melisa Pinnow. So we had part of J pod with K pod in Puget Sound today, even if we couldn't see them all while they were spread out in the huge waves whipped by ferociously icy winds! - Meg McDonald

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12:06 - just found em. Steaming towards Point Robinson. - Amy Carey

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10:33 - Maia of WA State Ferries called to relay a report from a ferry of a pod of orcas seen from the north end of Vashon Island, heading south down the east side of Vashon. The number could not be estimated due to wind and waves.

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At 2:00pm we watched four orcas, including a small one, pass our home on Totten Inlet, moving up the bay slowly from north to south, into the inlet. We followed them with binoculars, lots of rolling and spouting, glistening in bright sunlight against a blue sky. We are guessing residents, because they left feeding debris for a large flock of seagulls to clean up. Spectacular. - Dee Morton

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3 pm - about half way down Totten Inlet (far south Puget Sound), immediately opposite the entrance to Little Skookum Inlet (Mason County). I don't know of any orca sightings this far down Totten Inlet. I have heard of sightings from Steamboat Island, five miles to the north. The water is only about 40 feet deep. - Anders Price

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1:30 - Just saw 3 Orca moving at a high rate of speed, heading north, north of Olympia and South of Hunter Pt., on the east side of the Inlet. They looked to be female, judging from the size of the fins. Their may have been a juvenile with them. They were zooming along, crashing through the waves. - keller galvin

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1:10 - We saw (3) Orcas heading north on the West Side of Budd Inlet. We were on the East Shore @ Burfoot Park. YEAH! Cheers! - Keith Edgerton

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Observed 4 orca in Budd Inlet this morning at about 11:30, moving north from Priest Point Park toward Olympia Shoal, feeding at they went. One juvenile in the group. By 11:45 I had lost sight. Using 20x spotting scope. - Mike Woodall

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11:44 - They are way into Budd Inlet, on west side toward country club. - Gayle Swigart

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10:48 - There are at least 6 orcas (hard to tell to wind and waves) currently in Budd Inlet - still heading south.
10:40 a.m. - The orcas I reported a few minutes ago are still heading south - past Boston Harbor and into Budd Inlet. Can't get a confirmed head count.....maybe 6.
10:16 - Whales! South of Dana Passage heading south! Large blows. Fins. Breaching. - Kim Merriman

December 2
Saw about 10 - 12 orcas swimming east in Boundary Pass today, between Waldron and Saturna Islands. They were swimming in 2 fairly close groups. First group was very close together with a little one swimming between mature orcas. Second group was spread out with breaching and tail slapping. - Maureen Welton

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Large group of Transients (8-9) northbound past Turn Point towards Pender Island (15:30pm). - John Boyd

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We had two large groups of T's in the afternoon in Haro Strait. I came across the first group mid strait between Henry and Sidney Island moving quickly northwest. The other group was shadowing them within a couple of miles to the north east. There was also a single humpback whale they passed which I last saw south bound at Kelp Reef. Great way to start December! - Mark Malleson, Prince of Whales

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My T's today were T35, 38's, 49's, 75B and C. - Ken Balcomb

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4:12 - they were headed south along Anderson island. a big boat went passed and I haven't seen them since.
3:54 - I'm at chambers bay and can see them breathing in between Anderson island and McNeil - Alex Fazekas-Boone

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Five killer whales passed Point Robinson on Maury Island today. These fast-moving orcas dove deep as they approached the point, and they didn't resurface until they were about a mile past us - Meg McDonald

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That was so fun! Glad I finally caught up with them, been chasing them all summer & fall! I started at Point Defiance & they were already past Titlow by the time I got there. They were really moving. I went to Sunset Beach Dr. next. Where I finally caught up with them & saw them feed for a bit. They attracted a large group of Gulls & an Eagle to help them eat. This is the only time I actually saw them, not just their breath, today. Got a few good dives & some tail slapping. Then they were off again to McNeil/Anderson. & like Alex I watched them head around the corner towards Longbranch. Maybe they will still be here in the morning! Think I got a shot or 2 with my Telephoto at Chambers. With the Olympics in the background. Ill post if any turn out! - Melissa Bird

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1:40 PM - orcas heading south at Salmon Beach, Tacoma Narrows. - Sarah

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1:35 - They regrouped and are headed south down Tacoma narrows. They are just north of salmon beach now, very close to shore. I'm watching them from gig harbor side
1:24 - They're a little more spread out now and seem to be swimming in a circular pattern between Vashon and pt defiance. Tail flips, spy hopping. Glorious! Sorry I'm not close enough to get a pic!

1:16 - Between pt defiance and Vashon back and forth
1:15 - now southerly.
1:14 - Just surfaced. They are northerly in the Vashon ferry lane.
1:08 - Just northwest of the Crane/tug heading northerly and possibly westerly. - Sarah Jones Whalen

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12:38 - Westbound along south end of Maury Is. - Jason Cook

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12:50 - could see their blows between mid channel yellow buoy and Pt Defiance ferry heading southwesterly (so west) will be interesting to see which way they turn once they reach Pt Defiance. I go home now. Been a beautiful day.
Noon update - turned back to more southerly direction, again more towards Dash/Brown's Point as Amy said earlier.
11:45 - I moved south...they appear to be headed more westerly now with sun shimmering on their backs and dorsals.
11:30 - they've resumed heading south, about 1/2 mile out.
11:25 - they dove underwater past Pt Robinson and resurfaced near buoy to south. Alot of surface activity, maybe on a kill? I am watching from bluff above Des Moines marina. - Alisa Lemire Brooks

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11:40 - I can see them with binoculars from Ruston Way in Tacoma just SE of Maury. - Jason Cook

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11:33 - Still headed south towards dash point and Brown's point. - Amy Carey

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11:27 - KWs just passed Pt. Robinson, unfortunately underwater. Almost certainly transients, have a baby too. A few pix to come but no saddle patches due to angle of approach.
10:29 - 5 KWs just passed Dilworth on east side of channel. Look like possible transient fins. Still southbound. - Meg McDonald

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9:41 - Maia of the WA State Ferries reports about five orcas south of the Vashon ferry dock, heading south down the east side of Vashon Island.

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Lucky commuters on the 7:55 Bainbridge Ferry watching a pod of orcas headed south this morning! Take a break, bundle up and get on out. It's a gorgeous morning! Photo by my husband Ken Bennett. - Susan Marie Andersson

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FYI.... my husband takes the 7:55 ferry from BI and just texted that they announced there were Orcas near the boat on his way out... near Rockaway Beach... He said he did not see them but thought i would give you guys a heads up... just in case! - Cindy Russel

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The folks on the Bainbridge ferry just caught a glimpse of 4 or 5 orcas near the island, on the south side of the boat, offshore between eagle harbor and blakely harbor. It's the 7:55 Seattle to Bainbridge ferry. - Katey Rissi

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The Humpback Whale is still 10 minutes from our dock in Saanich Inlet. She has been in the same area for the past 3 weeks. - Simon Pidcock

December 1
Note: we don't have IDs on this group of orcas near Point No Point.
3:40 - Three orcas just passed Point No Point, heading south - closer to the Edmonds side now. - Amber Brust

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2:15- 2:30 - We just videoed 3 Orcas playing in Skunk Bay between Whidbey Island and Hansville. Normally, they are closer to Whidbey Island, but today in the still waters, they came much closer to the Hansville shore (about 1/2 mile), heading generally south toward Point No Point at 2:30. - Debby Replogle

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3:55 - They are just nearing Gold beach on maury island, mid channel in a pretty tight group. Went around the point about 3ish. I left them half way down maury still moving south. It will be a few hours before they would hit the entrance to colvos if they go there. Also not uncommon for them to go all the way there then turn and head back the way they came. - Amy Carey

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2:58 - perched on a road south of Three Tree Point/Burien can see pod. Going to be a sweet pass by for all at Pt Robinson. From this vantage pod seems to be bunched up...there are a lot of whales! - Alisa Lemire Brooks

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2:56 - Sounds like the orcas are reaching Maury Island, headed south toward Pt Robinson. Will they circle up the west side of Vashon Island, keep going south toward the Tacoma Narrows, or turn around and head back north? - Orca Network

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My first time seeing whales today. Saw on Facebook that these guys were on the north east end of vashon so we hopped the ferry from Tacoma over there and stopped at the first park we found. Saw whales way out in the water (barely) and as they swam past us we met some nice folks who told us a better spot to see them down the road. Went over to the other spot and waited, and sure enough they swam less than 50 yards away from us. This s&#% was dope. The video sucks because it's from my phone but man it's rad to know these dudes are in our backyard. - Alex Fazekas-Boone

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Here's another beautiful photo of the SRKWs passing Point Robinson this afternoon! This is a mixed group of youngsters and adults from J and K pods: Suttles J40, Se-Yi-Chn J45, and their mother Samish J14, with Ripple K44 and his mother Deadhead K27, Scoter K25, who was satellite tagged about a year ago. The tag barbs broke off in his dorsal fin and are still stuck there in what appears to be a depressed area of his fin, Skagit K13, his sister Deadhead K27, and Rainshadow K37.. Many thanks to Melisa Pinnow for identifying these orcas! - Wild Northwest Beauty Photography

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11:50 - Still heading southbound by Blake Island. Strong wind and waves on their dorsals is creating large sprays, making them stand out a bit amid the white caps. -v Tanya Hunnell

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11:15 - Jeff Hogan sees at least four orcas heading south between the north end of Blake Island and Alki Point, in windy, wavy water.

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11 am - Fast moving pod of perhaps 6 to 8 southbound Orcas, spread out, mid-channel, between Alki Beach and Blakely Rock. Seen from North Admiral - Dan Ciske

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Humpback spotted in Saanich Inlet this morning, Sunday, at 10:30 am. Must be the same one we saw the other day. We have lived here 5 years now and have never seen this many sightings before. - Karen Gray