Whale Watchers Spotted 70+ Orcas Thursday, A New Single-Day Record

SEATTLE — The Pacific Whale Watch Association is celebrating a banner day for orca sightings: On Thursday, whale watchers in Washington and southern British Columbia reported seeing 72 Bigg’s killer whales, the most ever spotted in a single day.

“The number might sound unbelievable,” said PWWA executive director Erin Gless, “but it’s no April Fools’ joke.”

Throughout the day, researchers logged 10 distinct groups of Bigg's killer whales across the Salish Sea, from as far south as Hood Canal in Puget Sound up to Vancouver Island’s Campbell River in British Columbia. The largest group contained 18 killer whales and was spotted by PWWA operators off the north end of the San Juan Islands.

“We were watching a group of four whales when, out of nowhere, 14 more materialized,” said Sam Murphy of Island Adventures Whale Watching. “It was magical.”

Unlike the Southern Resident killer whales, which are a much more common sighting in the Pacific Northwest, Bigg's killer whales are not listed as endangered, and have actually seen their numbers grow to nearly 400 over the past few years. Bigg's killer whales, sometimes called "transient" whales, also have a fairly loose social structure and don't form close groupings, or pods, the same way Southern Residents do.

That said, 72 sightings is nothing to scoff at. Bigg's killer whales can sometimes be harder to spot because they don't breach, echolocate or play as much as the Southern Residents, preferring to stay silent as to get the jump on their prey.

“This was an awesome community effort with watchers from Campbell River to Puget Sound contributing sightings and photos,” said Monika Wieland Shields, director of Orca Behavior Institute on San Juan Island. “We wonder how long this increase in Bigg’s killer whales will continue, but they keep setting records. More than 70 in the region in one day is astounding.”

Previously, the PWWA estimates that the record number of sightings in a single day was probably around 50 to 60, so Thursday's 70-plus orcas spotted clearly set a new record.

“There have been days in the last decade with around 50 different Bigg’s killer whales reported, maybe 60,” said Mark Malleson, a researcher for the Center for Whale Research, “but Thursday was certainly the most so far.”

Among the 72 whales spotted Thursday was the iconic T063, also known as "Chainsaw" because of the two large notches near the top of his dorsal fin. Chainsaw is not often seen in inland waters, so sightings are rare.

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Mysterious Orca 'Chainsaw' Sighted Near The San Juans

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