ALL Zoom Sessions and the Whale Watch Trip - this course offers participants roughly 8 hours of education, guided community discussions, and 1 community group, in-person experience! This does not include the time spent reading the book.

Guided Naturalizing with a focus on orcas, where applicable - roughly 3-4 hours aboard a whale watch charter equipped with an experienced Captain and knowledgeable Sea to Sky Guiding Naturalist. While we’re charting a course to observe orcas in the Salish Sea, we’ll also watch for other wildlife, whales, birds, and marine mammals during the entirety of the excursion. Our chartered vessel leaves from Anacortes, Washington. *Please note: as with all wild animals, we commit to doing our best to locate orcas but cannot make any promises—these wild animals move about and can travel 70-100 miles in a single day. Community networking through the Pacific Whale Watch Association and knowledge of the previous days sightings and wildlife patterns help strengthen our chances for an encounter!

Optics - Binoculars: Nikon PROSTAFF P3 8x42 (4 pair available for use).

Educational Materials Available While Onboard: 2019 Bigg’s killer whale guide; *2023 Southern Resident killer whale guide. Laminated behaviors and identifying the basics, created by Sea to Sky Guiding.

Trip Report - within two weeks of the end of the last excursion, a detailed trip report with photos will be shared for participants to enjoy. Details will also be found on our blog!

*2023 Southern Resident orca catalog is on hand strictly for educational values and comparisons to Bigg’s killer whales; we will not be striving to actively watch these critically endangered orcas if around, and if a chance encounter were to happen, by law we are not permitted to be closer than 1,000 yards to them, must report our findings, and then safely transit out of their immediate area.