It's a site that will draw crowd
and silence onlookers their
distinct black and white patterns
are part of the culture and the
history of the Pacific Northwest.
But in recent years,
encounters between boaters
and whales are concerning.
Those who know the species
best. KING5 Sebastian Robertson
reports on the state of the sound.
I'll take your boarding
pass as you get on here.
Please watch your step welcome.
You can head on either side here from
a docking Edmonds good morning boat.
Captain Brian McGinn is on a mission.
I'm Brian. And no,
I've I've not done this yet,
but I'm excited to try it.
He's a full time while watching captain
this is my 7th season of these guys,
so part time comedian I haven't
found any Wales yet, but.
No, we're good. We're good.
That's what happens when you have 100
tourists on board for a half a day.
Whale watching tour Seattle traffic Saratoga.
The excitement is palpable.
I want to see that orca
take more grit.
Brine of Florida Free Willy was my
favorite movie growing up like Shamu,
the Puget Sound Express.
Like many whale watching companies
in the Pacific Northwest,
relies on reports from a network of spotters.
You'll have it.
From there it's a race to the potential.
Sighting the hunt for a glimpse
of the massive mammal is on.
They go down for five minutes.
You better be looking in the right place.
The right time when they
come back up again so.
OK buddy, come on CATA. Qadam
is a good day for McGinn and his crew.
I gotta well what? And now we're
in and we see the distinctive tale
of a humpback whale. Oh my God help.
The way that we tell humpback whales
apart is usually by the markings on
the underside of their tail, so we got
some really great looks at katas. Fluke
called Kata KT. A yes kata is her name,
and yes, there is a record of each and
every whale in the Pacific Northwest. Three
o'clock three o'clock.
Ohh yeah, here we go, David.
That was so cool, this one.
This exact one has been seen before.
In fact, it's made the news
tonight. Federal and state
officials are looking at whether
this jet ski or broke any laws
back in May. We showed you this
footage that was shot by a viewer
and one of the whales comes right
up to them and splashes them before
diving back under the water there.
Kata the whale was unharmed
and today serves as a reminder
of the reality we're facing. With
the marine Mammal Protection Act
calls for a football field between a
boat and a humpback whale. OK, take
my height and weigh that against
a good sized speed boat.
Let's say a 20 footer. Pretty big.
Now compare that to a full grown orca whale.
They can grow to anywhere between 20
and 28 feet significantly bigger,
though the fully grown humpback
whale which can top out at more than
50 feet. Both populations were
once hunted victims of both
pollution and climate change.
But today, according to the
Pacific Whale Watching Association,
the tide is turned.
They both humpback whales
and the big killer whales.
Their populations are both
growing really quickly,
and so in the last several years
we have been seeing more whales,
and there are more people going
to watch whales as well. So
oh, there he is
humpback whales, benefiting
from a record baby boom in 2019.
And despite new calves in recent years,
the orca population in the
state is still considered
endangered has been since 2005.
Regardless, sightings are up.
Ohh, I got something on Next up on our
tour right under that seagull yeah.
Or Florida couples dream.
Isn't anyone interested in seeing some
killer who a pod of orca whale. Killer whale
Oh my God babe.
With the whales inside the
boats motor is killed.
Good God, he's huge.
Oh my God. It's it's indescribable.
You dream about this moment your entire
life and then it finally comes true.
And you're like you just stand there, awe.
It's just so cool.
But without any harassment,
are you watching off your starboard side
Noah calling on boaters to stay 200 yards
from killer whales in Washington state?
Open water that can quickly become crowded.
We're seeing a lot more
transients coming in here,
and it's just because they
have a lot of food to eat.
We're seeing more and
more seals and porpoises
today. A glimpse from above water into
a world that most will never see.
Keep watching out.
There we go and again yes,
a check off a bucket list for this
woman like my whole life is made.
I can die now like I am good.
I have met my spirit animal animals
in the wild, alive and free
in a quickly changing world.
Life is complete. Admits this
place is absolutely beautiful.
Sebastian Robertson. KING5 news. Get
your last looks with these
whales as we are southbound here
out of car inlet. What a day.