What do whale watchers do after work? Watch whales of course! Yesterday evening, a few of our members headed over to Deception Pass Bridge in time to catch the T137s swimming west through Canoe Pass. T137A "Jack" even snagged a seal under the bridge! 📷: Erin Gless, PWWA

Not all heroes wear capes, nor do all orcas. A dorsal "cape" is a thin band extending from the saddle patch to the eye. All orcas have them in utero, but only some retain them in adulthood. Looks like T123D "D'Arcy" has a cape! 📷: Uwe Zimmermann, Seabreeze Adventures 🖼️: Emma Luck

vancouverisawesome.com/the-mix/how-va…

It's finally happening! An orca emoji is on the way!!! 🖤🤍🐬 mashable.com/article/new-em…

We can't quite put our finger on it, but something about this eyepatch pic of T036A1 "Tierna" really grabs our attention! 📷: Eugenie Ollenberger, White Rock Sea Tours

Happy Hump Day! 🐋 These adorable pictures of BCX1068 "Split Fluke" and her newest calf are just too much. Look how the little one mimics momma's moves. 🥹 📷: Sara Jenkins, Wild Whales Vancouver

We think *all* trash we remove from the Salish Sea is inappropriate, but this particular balloon was REALLY inappropriate! We retrieve hundreds of balloons from the water each year, but don't think we've ever found one quite like this! 😳🚫🎈 📷: Western Prince Whale Watching

We love a good spyhop! This one is brought to us courtesy of Bigg's killer whale T065B "Chunk". Chunk was born to mom T065 "Whidbey" in 1993. Her older sister, T065A "Artemis", was born in 1986, and brother, T063 "Chainsaw", was born in 1978. 📷: Cal Ekstrom, SidneyWhaleWatching

Earlier this month, Center for Whale Research conducted fieldwork off the outer coast. Fortunately, they were able to locate all 74 endangered Southern Resident killer whales, including the youngest calves, J62 and J63. pugetsoundinstitute.org/annual-orca-co…

August already?! The summer is flying by! To kick off the month, here are some shots from a recent playdate between the T36As and T65Bs near Washington's Stuart Island. 📷: Rebekah Hardee, Deer Harbor Charters

They're back! Salish Sea puffin sightings are special enough, but horned puffins are exceptionally rare. We typically see tufted puffins, but there's been at least one horned puffin near WA's Smith Island since 2017, and at least two since 2022. 📷: Ken Rea, Spirit of Orca

More than a decade after the start of an epidemic that's killed billions of sea stars, researchers have discovered the bacterium responsible for Sea Star Wasting Disease, a key step toward recovery for the 20+ species affected from Alaska to Mexico. tula.org/news/researche…

Northern Resident killer whale A60 "Fife" supervises reconstruction at Telegraph Cove Resort. ❤️‍🩹 📷: Prince of Whales

Hot take: Whales need krill more than humans need krill oil. 😑 abcnews.go.com/Business/wireS…

TGIF - Thank Goodness It's FRANKENSTEIN! 🥳 Fan-favorite humpback BCX1358 "Frankenstein" is back for another feeding season. He's one of a handful of Salish Sea humpbacks matched to breeding grounds off both Hawai'i *and* Mexico. 📷: Amanda Colbert, Blue Kingdom Tours

Even in a heat wave, these seals don't dare go for a dip when T19 "Nootka" is on the prowl! 📷: Kyla Bivens, Puget Sound Express

Two flukes are better than one! These synchronized swimmers are CRC-22133 (dark fluke) & CRC-19286 (light fluke). Interestingly, they've both been matched to Cabo San Lucas in winter. Perhaps they know each other from the breeding grounds? 🐋 📷: Catherine Duncan, Orca Spirit

Bigg's killer whale T46D "Strider", born in 2000, might have one of the most distinct dorsal fins in the Salish Sea. 📷: All Aboard Sailing

Here's something we don't see everyday - a northern fur seal! Northern fur seals are known for their dense coats, large eyes, short snouts, and long whiskers. They spend more than 300 days at sea each year, and sightings in the Salish Sea are rare. 📷: Val Shore, Eagle Wing Tours

There's kelping, and there's KELPING, and this is the latter! This humpback was nearly completely covered in bull kelp. For anyone worried, this is an intentional behavior. The whales seem to enjoy feeling the smooth, slippery kelp on their skin. 🐋 📷: Five Star Whale Watching