dust and starlightWashington
San Juan Islands
Orcas, a whale, and sea lions off Anacortes in the San Juan Islands, May 2026. All from the water, at a distance, with a long lens.
- Photographs
- 5
- Made
- May 2026
- Months
- May
- In the collections
5 photos
Field notes
When to go
One outing, late May 2026, while we were up for work. Late spring is a good window but not the only one. Bigg's killer whale sightings in the Salish Sea tend to peak in April and May and again in August and September, and humpbacks are seen mostly from about May through October.
Access and rules
All four frames were made from an open-air zodiac out of Anacortes, with a marine biologist aboard, at a distance and with a long lens; we did not approach the animals. As of 2026, Washington law requires boats to stay 1,000 yards from endangered Southern Resident killer whales (under 7 knots inside that range, and out of gear if they come within 400 yards), 200 yards from other killer whales such as Bigg's, and 100 yards from humpbacks, sea lions and other marine mammals. Go with an operator licensed under WDFW's commercial whale watching program, and check Be Whale Wise for the current rules.
Entry and passes
San Juan Island National Historical Park: no entrance fee.
Our story
Four frames from one day on the water off Anacortes: a humpback whale fluking against the forested shoreline, a pod of orcas surfacing along the coast, and two frames of a sea lion colony, hauled out on a rocky islet, then piled on a kelp-covered rock and apparently arguing about it.
Everything here was made from the boat, at a distance, with a long lens doing the work rather than proximity.
Nearest places
All placesAs the crow flies, from the center of San Juan Islands to the center of each.
