SEATTLE — Where to see the whales is one of the first questions tourists ask about Seattle.
They’re curious for good reason. The Salish Sea, the inland marine waters of Washington and British Columbia, consistently consistently lands on lists of top U.S. whale-watching destinations and last year was a record-breaking one for sightings — Bigg’s killer whales and humpbacks were each spotted on more than 270 days of 2022, according to the Pacific Whale Watch Association.
While the San Juan Islands are known as Washington’s whale central, over the course of the year, orcas, humpbacks, minke and gray whales pass through Puget Sound where Seattleites can glimpse them without straying far.
The quintessential Emerald City experience comes with environmental and conservation concerns, though. Perhaps the most urgent is protecting endangered southern resident killer whales, of which there are just 73 left, based on a census taken last year. Boat presence and noise can impact whales’ ability to hunt, forage and communicate.
“Everyone wants their five minutes with a whale,” said Donna Sandstrom, founder and director of the nonprofit The Whale Trail. “The experience of watching a whale takes people’s breath away, no matter how old they are, where they come from, what their backgrounds are.”
But how can you pursue that breathless moment without disrupting the creatures you came to appreciate? Here’s how a local scientist, a whale conservation advocate and PWWA’s director recommend catching sight of these awe-inspiring beings.
Watching from the shore
On a sunny afternoon at Alki Beach, families, couples and individuals stroll along the waterfront, many pausing to examine a sign just east of the bathhouse. It faces the Sound and explains who lives in it; you can often see harbor seals and California sea lions and occasionally spot orcas and gray whales from this point, it reports.
“There are orcas here?!” one boy, maybe 10, asks his parents incredulously.
The sign marks one Whale Trail site out of more than 150 along the West Coast and over 60 on the Salish Sea. Each site is publicly accessible and offers “a reasonably good chance of seeing orcas or other marine mammals at some point during the year,” according to The Whale Trail’s website.
To watch whales from land, whether from Whale Trail sites or elsewhere, there are two main approaches, Sandstrom said. One, track real-time whale sightings and strategically put yourself in the right place at the right time. Or two, simply show up and see who’s out there.
If you have the flexibility to do the former, “your chances are good,” she said.
The Orca Network’s Facebook page posts whale sightings throughout Puget Sound with details such as the whales’ species, location and which way they’re heading, and speed and distance guidelines for boaters. You can also report and view nearby sightings through the app Whale Alert.
If chasing the latest whale sightings isn’t an option for you, you can still improve your odds by picking a local spot known for marine mammal sightings. Check out the Orca Network’s Whale Sighting View Points map or The Whale Trail’s list of Washington sites, which includes information about which species to look out for at different times of year.
Whale Trail sites around Greater Seattle include Alki Beach and Lincoln Park in Seattle, Jetty Island in Everett, Marina Beach Park in Edmonds, Washington State Ferries and more.
If you have time for a day trip, Sandstrom recommends the Point No Point Lighthouse on the Kitsap Peninsula or Point Robinson on Maury Island, which is connected to Vashon Island. In the stretch of the Sound along Point Robinson, “the whales sometimes come so close it looks like they’re going to walk up onto the beach,” she said.
Wherever you’re heading, pack binoculars, water and snacks, a camera, clothing for weather changes and possibly a book and a picnic to make a day of it. Especially if there aren’t nearby whales confirmed, “set your expectations appropriately,” Sandstrom said. “You may or may not see them.”
Once you’re at the site, scan back and forth with binoculars, both close to the shore and out to the horizon. If you’re in a group, divvy up who’s scanning where. Then look for anything that breaks the surface of the water, like dorsal fins, whale tails or spouts (formed when whales exhale on the surface, these plumes of water can look like puffs of smoke on the horizon).
Even from the shore, PWWA director Erin Gless encourages people to be environmentally conscious: Carpool or use transit when you can and make sure to only whale watch from public locations and stay on trails.
Watching from boats
Compared to tracking real-time sightings, grabbing binoculars and dashing to the shore, heading out on a boat may seem like the easier route. But doing so legally and with minimal disruption to marine animals requires some homework.
When boats are around whales, particularly in close proximity or at high speeds, they can disrupt what scientists call animals’ “activity budgets,” or the amount of time they spend on activities such as feeding and socializing, said Cindy Elliser, a marine mammalogist and associate director of the Salish Sea Institute. Boat noises also disrupt the echolocation some whales, like orcas, use to find food and navigate in a dark ocean.
Slowing down and keeping a distance limits these effects. Washington regulations for whale watchers are complex and vary by whale species and boat type, Gless said. But here are some basic guidelines to know.
Boats should stay at least 100 yards — a football field’s length — from any type of whale, and legally must stay at least 200 yards from any type of orca and 300 yards from southern residents (or 400 yards out of their path in front of or behind them). Commercial whale-watching boats must stay 1,000 yards from southern residents, with some exceptions, and a new 2025 law will require recreational vessels to keep 1,000 yards of distance, too.
If you’re picking a whale-watching tour, Gless and Elliser recommend going with a PWWA member company. The PWWA is a group of 30 ecotourism companies in Washington and British Columbia with “a shared commitment to education, conservation and responsible wildlife viewing,” according to its website.
Nearby, Puget Sound Express runs $145 half-day tours from Edmonds, and FRS Clipper offers $109 half-day tours from the Seattle waterfront.
In general, do your research about the company before signing up for a tour, Gless and Elliser advise. Ask questions like: Are you licensed through the state of Washington to lead whale-watch tours and what regulations do you follow? How close does your tour get to whales and why? Do you partner with any conservation groups or researchers?
“Those are the types of questions that you should feel very comfortable asking,” Gless said. “And if they’re a conscientious company, they should have no problem answering.”
If a tour boasts about getting close to whales or promotes viewing southern residents, steer clear.
For those boating on their own — sans special equipment and biologists on board — estimating specific distances and distinguishing between whale species is difficult. Gless and Elliser encourage erring on the side of caution. Any whale in the distance could be an endangered southern resident, and more space is better than less.
Speed is one of the most important factors in minimizing disturbance, Gless said. Boats are required to cut their speed to 7 knots or less when they’re within a half-mile of a southern resident, but Gless said this is best practice if you suspect any whales are around.
When actively watching a pod, stop your boat or go the same pace or slower than the whales as you travel parallel to them.
“You want to figure out where they’re going and travel along like you’re a member of their pod,” she said.
You should avoid getting between the whales and the shoreline and limit your viewing time to half an hour, according to the British Columbia and Washington organization Be Whale Wise.
Sometimes it’s easiest to copy the pros: If you see a whale-watching boat that’s stopped or showing a whale-warning flag (depicting a whale tail over yellow and red stripes), whales are likely nearby. By hanging around a professional-led vessel, you can make sure you’re keeping a proper distance, Gless said.
Whether you’re whale watching intentionally or not, keep an eye out.
“You are in their water,” Elliser said. “Just as (when) you’re driving a car you look for people or other cars … (when) you’re on the water looking for other boats, you should also be looking for whales.”
And if one does pop up unexpectedly?
“Just stop your engines, let them pass, enjoy the moment,” she said. “It’s special.”
