Local guide

Best Time to See Orcas in Washington

There is no single orca season in Washington, because different whales show up at different times. Bigg's orcas can appear in Puget Sound in every month, and fall and winter have been the strongest stretch in the central Sound in recent years. The Southern Residents visit the San Juan Islands May through September and Puget Sound October through February. Gray whales pass through in spring, and humpbacks are around from spring through fall.

A season-by-season guide to which whales visit when, and where to watch.

Written by Assaf, the Olalla Bay editor. Updated October 2026.

Two kinds of orcas, two calendars

Washington has two resident groups of killer whales, and their schedules are nearly opposites. Bigg's orcas, also called transients, hunt marine mammals and travel in small, quiet groups. They are the orcas you are most likely to see from the house. Their travel patterns are less predictable than the residents, but they are increasingly seen throughout the Salish Sea: researchers at the Orca Behavior Institute recorded a record year in 2023 with more than 1,400 unique Bigg's sightings, and in recent years fall and winter have been the strongest stretch for Bigg's in the central Sound.

The Southern Residents, the J, K, and L pods, are the endangered fish-eating families. They follow the salmon. They visit the San Juan Islands May through September and return to the central Puget Sound October through February, chasing the fall and winter chum runs. In recent years their pattern has shifted: they are mostly absent in spring and summer and more present from September through March, because the fall and winter chum runs in Puget Sound have fared better than the Fraser River chinook they once relied on.

Winter: December through February

Winter is a good orca season in Puget Sound, which surprises most visitors. Bigg's orcas are around, and the Southern Residents are in the region following winter chum salmon. This is the best stretch for watching from shore in the central Sound: the whales enter through Admiralty Inlet and travel as far south as the waters off West Seattle, Vashon Island, Point Defiance, and Gig Harbor. Colvos Passage is on their route past the house. Winter mornings with calm water and low glare are prime viewing conditions.

Spring: March through May

Spring belongs to the gray whales. The northbound migration passes through March and April, and a small special group known as the Sounders feeds near Whidbey Island from March through May, sometimes close to shore around Langley, feeding on ghost shrimp. The Sounders are regulars: the same individual whales return to the Sound each year. Bigg's orcas are around all spring. The Southern Residents are usually scarce in spring; in their new normal they are mostly absent from April through August.

Summer: June through August

In summer, orca watching moves north to the San Juan Islands. The Southern Residents are in their core summer habitat around the islands May through September, and that is where the whale watch boats go. Bigg's are also in the islands and around Puget Sound through the summer, though summer and early fall sightings historically coincide with seal pupping season. Humpback whales are around in Washington waters from spring through fall, and they keep getting more common. From the house, summer mornings on the deck are still worth the look: a Bigg's group can come down the passage any month.

Fall: September through November

Fall is when the Southern Residents come back to Puget Sound, following the chum salmon runs down Admiralty Inlet. October is the classic month: the Orca Network marks October as orca salmon month, and the pods are often seen in the waters near Gig Harbor, the same waters that run past the house. Bigg's orcas stay strong through fall. Gray whale mothers and calves head south November through January, staying close to shore.

Where to watch from the house

The deck and the dock gazebo face Colvos Passage, which is the orcas' highway between the south Sound and the rest of Puget Sound. You do not need to go anywhere. The strategy that works: check the Orca Network sightings page in the morning. If whales were reported in the south Sound yesterday, spend the morning on the deck. When the seals suddenly vanish from the rocks, something with teeth is nearby.

For a boat trip with a naturalist, the established whale watch operators run out of Edmonds and the San Juan Islands. The Whale Trail marks on-shore viewing sites across the region, including Lime Kiln State Park in the San Juans, known as one of the best shore-viewing spots in the world, and sites around Admiralty Inlet and Point Defiance.

The rules, every season

Since 2025, Washington law requires vessels to stay 1,000 yards, about half a mile, from Southern Resident killer whales, slow to 7 knots within half a mile, and cut the engine if one surfaces within 400 yards. For Bigg's and other transient orcas: 200 yards minimum, and stay 400 yards out of their path. If you cannot tell which kind they are, assume they are endangered and give them the full 1,000 yards.

Questions people ask

What is the best month to see orcas in Washington?

It depends on which orcas. Bigg's can appear in any month; fall and winter have been the strongest stretch in the central Sound in recent years. The Southern Residents are in the San Juans May through September and in Puget Sound October through February.

When do orcas come into Puget Sound near Seattle?

Bigg's orcas can show up any month, strongest in fall and winter recently. Southern Resident pods arrive in fall and winter following chum salmon, entering through Admiralty Inlet and reaching waters off West Seattle, Vashon Island, Point Defiance, and Gig Harbor.

When are the gray whale Sounders in Puget Sound?

March, April, and May. The Sounders feed near Whidbey Island, sometimes close to shore around Langley, on ghost shrimp. Other gray whales pass through on the northbound migration in March and April.

When do humpback whales visit Washington?

From spring through fall, and they are increasingly common as their numbers recover in the region.

Can you see orcas from shore in Washington?

Yes. Bigg's orcas travel Colvos Passage past the Olalla Bay house, watchable from the deck or dock gazebo. The Whale Trail marks on-shore sites like Lime Kiln State Park in the San Juans and sites around Admiralty Inlet and Point Defiance.