Sea Life?

We will be taking a coastal cruise from Seattle down to San Francisco with a stop in Victoria. What are the chances of seeing whales on the ship without taking a whale watching tour in port? We will be traveling the end of September. Thanks in advance!

I think they are migrating down to Mexico at that time. Chances might be decent.

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The gray whale migration seasons won't coincide with your September cruise, but there are resident whales that can be spotted along the Oregon coast, with more frequent sightings along the central coast. On our 2016 Pacific Coastal cruise (late September) we spotted gray whales from the ship - blows and tail slaps.

http://visittheoregoncoast.com/whale-watching/

Plenty of resident Orcas in Puget Sound. Where they are depends on where the salmon are. Also this time of year some transients when fish runs start and the seals show up also looking for the fish. Transients mainly eat seals but residents eat salmon. North of Seattle in Admiralty Inlet - along Whidbey Is. is a good place to look as is north of there in the Salish Sea before arriving at Victoria. There were photographs of Humpback whales a couple days ago south of Seattle near Burien (where SeaTac airport is) so they are in the neighborhood too. A matter of persistence and luck - same as fishing. Once in the Strait of Juan de Fuca Humpbacks would be what to look for but odds are lower than up in Alaska.

Thank you! May bring the binoculars after all!

You'll have at be out there and keep looking.

Last year (early April) on the way north on the Star Princess, we were lucky to see whales in the distance well north of the latitude of San Francisco (I forget where).

Better yet, in early October (coincides with the autumnal migration) headed south to San Diego a few years back, we saw a humpback breach from the library window of the Zaandam quite close.and others more distant.

Binoculars? Not so easy unless you have wide view of vision ones (generally expensive and heavier).

On our costal cruise in early Oct. there were lots of whales displaying on the way into San Francisco in the bay outside the Golden Gate. Lot's of "oohhs " as they breached and slapped their tails.

What can I hope to see on our sailing through the Panama Canal to San Francisco in January/February? Lots of marine life?