Humpback Whales of Puget Sound
(Photo: Dave Hutchison)
In one of the most incredible wildlife conservation stories of our lifetime, after being extirpated locally by commercial whaling, Humpback Whales are now making an incredible comeback in the Salish Sea and more and more humpbacks are making their way further inland, deeper into the waters of Puget Sound proper.
There are several common breeding grounds in tropical and sub-tropical waters for humpback whales. The four main regions in the North Pacific are Hawaii, Mexico, Central America and Asia. The individuals that are most commonly spotted in Puget Sound have usually migrated here from the Hawaiian breeding grounds and are generally en route to their winter feeding grounds in the Bering Sea. When there’s confirmation of whales being cross-matched to their breeding grounds we include that below.
ID NOTES
CPHC #s — Because humpback whales have such a long migration, covering many state and country lines, they tend to pick up not only an abundance of barnacles and admirers along the way, but also an abundance of ID numbers from various government and non-government organizations. We’ve organized our list according to the Canadian Pacific Humpback Collaboration, which covers humpback whales in the entirety of the Salish Sea, but we have also included ID numbers from other entities when they’re known to make it easy to quickly search for your favorite whale.
Through the CPHC whales are given an ID number that starts with BC for British Columbia, and then is followed by either an, X, Y, or Z, which is given based on the pigmentation of the underside of their flukes. Whales designated “BCX” have mostly black flukes, “BCZ” have mostly white flukes, and “BCY” designates a mix of both black and white.
Calves — Because the pigment in a calf’s fluke will change dramatically in the first few years of life they are generally not given an official number until they are a few years old and instead are identified by their mother’s number (if their mother is known).
CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITIES
Research — There are several great organizations working on research and conservation of humpbacks in the Salish Sea. Cascadia Research Collective is based in Olympia and has been doing extensive research across the entire Pacific Ocean for over 40 years. Salish Sea Humpbacks is an ongoing photo identification project for humpback whales in the Salish Sea and we would be completely lost without their great ID catalogs.
Sightings — There are a number of organizations that track humpback whale sightings. Locally, Orca Network tracks sightings of killer whales and baleen whales daily and you can submit your sighting via their facebook page. Globally, Happy Whale aggregates sightings through their website and provides a great public database to track migration patterns of individual whales.
Boating — If you’re viewing these magnificent creatures from the water please review the Be Whale Wise guidelines so you’re up to date on the regulations and the best ways to interact with the wildlife on the Sound. If you’re on the Sound frequently also consider purchasing a whale warning flag that you can fly when whales are around to alert other boaters.
While we adore the entire Salish Sea (of course!) with this list we’re focusing specifically on humpbacks that appear in the waters of Puget Sound and we generally aren’t including individuals that tend to stay in the Northern Salish Sea (the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the San Juan Islands, the Strait of Georgia, etc) without traveling further south into the collective basins that makeup Puget Sound.
*Big Mama is an exception because, well… she’s Big Mama. She belongs on every list.
*These creatures are ever changing and we’re updating this list daily as we discover new (and old!) information. If you notice something that we’ve missed, or if you’ve had your own encounter with a humpback whale in Puget Sound that you don’t think is listed here, please let us know in the comments!
Quick list of humpbacks that have been confirmed in Puget Sound
(More elaborate profiles + information below)
BCXs
BCX0700/Checky
BCX0837/Tempest
BCX0870/Scoop
BCX0887
BCX1210/Slate
BCX1251/Orion
BCX1441/Shell
BCX1660/Prowler/Baker
BCX1661/Double Drop
BCX1702/Uluka
BCX1704/Vivaldi
BCX1705/Ocular
BCX1710/Ocean
BCX1747/Delta
BCX1761/Speckles
BCX1856/Honu
BCX2045
BCYs
BCY0324/Big Mama
BCY0349/Masquerade
BCY0429/Gator
BCY0458/Raptor
BCY0685/Squint
BCY0785/Mathematician
BCY0796/Cassiopeia
BCY0862/Apollo
BRY0893/Donegal/Windy
BCY0994/Dalmation/Heathcliff
BCY0996/Chinook
BCY1005/Sturgeon
BCY1007/Titan
BCY1015/Google
BCY1022/Scratchy
BCY1033/Merlin
BCY1211
BCY1218/Kata
BCZs + CRCs
BCZ0180/Pyramid/Monarch
BCZ0414/Zephyr
BCZ0432/Two Spot
BCZ0478/Annabelle
CRC-13002
CRC-17319
CRC-17938
CRC-18300
CRC-18502
CRC-19816
CRC-20210
Calves
BCX0414 2019 Calf
BCX0870 2018 Calf
BCX1193 2021 Calf
BCX1210 2019 Calf
BCX1210 2021 Calf
BCX1301 2021 Calf
BCX1333 2021 Calf
BCX1710 2022 Calf
BCY0523 2019 Calf
ADULTS
Because humpback whales are given a BC number based on the amount of black vs white in their flukes (X = mostly black, Z = mostly white, Y = mix of black + white), humpback calves aren’t given an official number until their second year when the changes to their flukes have slowed down. We’ve listed the adults below, in alpha-numerical order, with the calves in their own list below. Once they graduate to a number of their own, we move them to the main list.
*There are a few adult Puget Sound humpbacks that have CRC numbers, but don’t have BC numbers yet. Those individuals are listed at the end of the adult list in alphanumerical order.
BCX0039
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
1988
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-13003
TDI-15839
BCX0700 / Checky — male
This whale has significant scarring from an entanglement, highlighting the alarming statistic that 50% of all humpback whales show signs of being entangled at least once in their lifetimes.
BCX0700 was seen for a few days in early September of 2017 in Commencement Bay.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2017
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-13632
CS146
HIHWNMS-2011-04-27_A01
SPLASH-460318
GALLERY
BCX0837 / Tempest — female
Tempest has been spotted in Possession Triangle and Admiralty Inlet.
Tempest’s 2019 calf was first spotted on July 5, 2019 and then was spotted again on July 31st with a large bump that had not been seen earlier, potentially caused by a vessel strike. The last known sighting of the calf was on August 13th, 2019. (Source: Marine Education & Research Society)
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2018
KNOWN CALVES
CS295 — born in 2007
Calf — born in 2019
CROSSMATCH
Mexico
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-13718
CS229
HW-MN0510082
SPLASH-450233
BCX0870 / Scoop — female
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2020
KNOWN CALVES
Calf — born in 2021
Holey MoleyCRC-18710/ — born in 2018
CRC-19355 — born in 2016
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-15444
CS149
HW-MN0510055
SPLASH-560227
GALLERY
BCX0887
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2015
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-15948
HI20-0276
HW-MN0552567
SPLASH-530769
BCX1210 / Slate — female
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2015
2016
2018
KNOWN CALVES
Graphite/CRC-19313 — born in 2019
Malachite/CRC-19820 — born in 2021
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-16011
HW-MN0510050
BCX1251 / Orion — male
Orion spends a lot of his summer time in the northern Salish Sea, but has been known to pop down south to Puget Sound once in a while. Over the years he’s been spotted as far south as Olympia.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2017
2023
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-15262
CS354
HW-MN0510076
BCX1441 / Shell
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2019
2020
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-17836
CS309
HW-MN0510229
MMX0049
PWF-NP_6148
BCX1660 / Prowler / Baker
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2015
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-16019
KEX0047
MERS-BCXuk2016#9
MMX0171
BCX1661 / Double Drop
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2015
CROSSMATCH
Mexico
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-15952
HW-MN0510020
MERS-BCXuk2018#7
MMX0006
PUBLISHED ENCOUNTERS
September 2019 — Cattle Pass | All Aboard Sailing
September 2019 — Cattle Pass | All Aboard Sailing
GALLERY
BCX1702 / Uluka
Uluka has been spotted in Possession Triangle and Admiralty Inlet.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2015
2018
2022
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-16258
HW-MN0510109
MERS-BCXuk2017#8
MMX0132
BCX1704 / Vivaldi — female
Vivaldi has been cross-matched to breeding grounds in Hawaii and in Puget Sound she spent an extended period of time near Tacoma during the fall + early winter of 2018. There are conflicting reports about her official CRC number, but CRC-15936 seems to be the most current ID.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2018
KNOWN CALVES
Mozart — born in 2020
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-13649
CRC-15936
CS346
HIHWNMS-2018-3-13_G10A03
MERS-BCXuk2018#9
MMX0128
OSUWTG-MnWA014
PWF-NP_5660
BCX1705 / Ocular
Ocular is the 2016 calf of BCY0177/Slash/Humpless.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2017
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-16753
HW-MN0510102
MERS-BCY0177 calf 2016
BCX1710 / Ocean — female
Ocean was seen in Puget Sound in 2022 with a rambunctious little calf.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2022
KNOWN CALVES
Calf — born in 2022
ALTERNATE IDS
CRC-16831
HW-MN0510051
MERS-BCYuk2017#13
MMX0120
BCX1747/Delta
Delta was seen in Commencement Bay in Tacoma in July of 2023
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2023
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-16840
HW-MN0510144
MMX0076
BCX1761 / Speckles
Speckles spent a substantial amount of time during the 2016 + 2017 winter deep in Puget Sound. At the time they were a young juvenile and showed obvious scars from entanglement.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2016
2017
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-16888
HW-MN0510117
MMX0166
PWF-NP_3038
BCX1856 / Honu
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2019
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-18015
HW-MN0510206
MERS-BCYuk2020#10
MMY0149
BCX2045
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2020
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-19710
HW-MN0510497
MMX0277
BCY0324 / Big Mama — female
While Big Mama spends most of her time in the northern Salish Sea and hasn’t made a regular home out of Puget Sound proper, her storied past absolutely deserves a nod here as she’s an iconic symbol of the Humpback Comeback. In 1997 she was reportedly the first humpback whale spotted in the Strait of Juan de Fuca in 100 years when she was seen by then Prince of Whales Whale Watching skipper Mark Malleson. Since then she has returned every year since 2003 and has brought seven known calves back to the Salish Sea with her. It’s suspected that she could even be the reason that so many humpbacks now know about the historic feeding grounds of the Salish Sea.
Big Mama, along with her calves Divot, Split Fin and Poptart have all been cross-matched to Hawaii.
In a unique pairing, in 2019 Poptart was seen traveling side-by-side in the Salish Sea with a gray whale for over two hours.
It’s been previously reported that BCY0160/Heather is also Big Mama’s daughter, but that information seems to be incorrect as the timeline doesn’t quite add up and Heather has been matched to the breeding grounds in Mexico, which contradicts with Big Mama’s breeding grounds.
KNOWN CALVES (+ Calves of Calves!)
BCX1057/Divot — female, born in 2003
BCZ0414/Zephyr — female, born in 2011
Calf — born in 2019
Calf — born in 2021
BCX1641/Windsock — born in 2014
Olympus — female, born in 2018
Slice — male, born in 2021
BCZ0298/Split Fin — male, born in 2006
BCY0864/Canuck — born in 2010
In 2011 Canuck was seen entangled and is presumed to be deceased
BCX1560/Tulip — female, born in 2012
Calf — born in 2020
BCX1606/Beak — male, born in 2014
BCY1014/Poptart — female, born in 2016
Calf — male, born in 2022
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDS
CRC-15122
CS26
HI18-0021
PWF-NP_6026
SPLASH-460104
BCY0349 / Masquerade
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2018
CROSSMATCH
Mexico
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-16237
SPLASH-460142
BCY0380
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2006
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-13773
BCY0429 / Gator
Most sightings of Gator have been near Hecate Strait, but they were seen in Budd Inlet in August of 2013
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2013
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATIVE IDs
CRC-15808
CSY0050
SEAK-1005
SPLASH-460133
BCY0458 / Raptor — female
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2016
KNOWN CALVES
Calf — born in 2014
Harpy — born in 2020
ALTERNATE IDs
BCY0660
CRC-16031
CS272
MMX0005
SPLASH-560092
BCY0685 / Squint — female
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2008
KNOWN CALVES
Deca — born in 2020
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-20148
CSY0049
CSY0057
BCY0785 / Mathematician
Mathematician has been spotted in Admiralty Inlet and Possession Triangle. This whale has also been cross-matched to Hawaii and has been seen as far north as SE Alaska.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2019
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-15263
CS419
HI17-0025
SEAK-5305
BCY0796/Cassiopeia — male
Cassiopeia is the 2003 calf of Juneauite.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2015
CROSSMATCH
Mexico
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-11831
FIBB-4BB525
HW-MN0510091
MERS-BCYuk2010#2
MMY0052
SEAK-1447_calf_2003
SPLASH-450082
BCY0862 / Apollo — female
Apollo is the 2010 calf of BCY0172/Horizon. Apollo has a calf of her own, Nova, who was born in 2018 and is believed to be a male.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2018
KNOWN CALVES
Nova
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-16630
CSZ0011
HW-MN0510056
MERS-BCY0172 calf 2010
PWF-NP_1160
BCY0893 / Donegal / Windy — male
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2011
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-15350
MERS-BCYuk2014#3
MMY0006
OSUWTG-MnHI121
BCY0994 / Dalmatian / Heathcliff — female
Dalmation was born in 2015 and is the daughter of BCY0160/Heather.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2017
2018
CROSSMATCH
Mexico
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-16008
HW-MN0510088
MERS-BCYuk2016#3
BCY0996/Chinook
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2023
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-16590
HI20-0328
HW-MN0510087
MERS-BCYuk2015#2
MMY0057
BCY1005 / Sturgeon
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2014
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-15947
MMY0028
BCY1007 / Titan
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2015
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-17392
HW-MN0510042
MMY0048
PWF-NP_3055
CRC-17955
HW-MN0510250
BCY1015 / Google
Google was born in 2016 and is the calf of BCX1188/Jigger. In 2017 Google was spotted around Harstine Island in Case Inlet from May - July.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2017
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-16809
MERS-BCX1188 calf 2016
BCY1022 / Scratchy
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2018
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-16455
HI21_0050
HW-MN0510156
MERS-BCYuk2020#7
MMY0079
BCY1033 / Merlin
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-15966
HW-MN0510045
MERS-BCYuk2020#11
MMY0038
BCY1211
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2020
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-18757
MMY0207
PUBLISHED ENCOUNTERS + STORIES
BCY1218 / Kata
Kata is a juvenile humpback that showed up in Puget Sound in April of 2022 and made Commencement Bay its home until July, delighting beachgoers in Tacoma for months with near-shore breaches. We’re always eager to see where this beloved individual pops up next and as of February 2024 Kata has been cross-matched to Hawaii!
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2022
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE ID
MERS-BCYuk2021#2
BCZ0180 / Pyramid / Monarch
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2004
CROSSMATCH
Mexico
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-13704
FIBB-3BB406
SPLASH-450039
BCZ0414 / Zephyr — female
Zephyr was born in 2011 to mom Divot/BCX1057. It’s been suspected, and recently all but confirmed, that Divot is Big Mama’s daughter, which would make Zephyr Big Mama’s first grandchild.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2018
2019
KNOWN CALVES
Calf — born in 2019
Calf — born in 2021
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-15970
CRC-16295 (old CRC #)
HW-MN0510026
MMZ0004
BCZ0432 / Two Spot — male
Two Spot was first documented in Puget Sound in 2015 and has returned every year since then. He tends to stick around Possession Triangle, but has also spent some time north in Possession Sound and south in Elliott Bay.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC16017
CS631
HW-MN0510017
MERS-BCZuk2018#1
MMZ0013
BCZ0478/Annabelle
Annabelle was first seen in Hawaii in 2008 and was first seen in the Salish Sea in 2021. They finally made their way into Puget Sound for the first time in August of 2023.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2023
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-19189
MMZ0055
PWF-NP_1343
CRC-13002 / Vladavistok
Vladavistok was spotted in Eld Inlet and Nisqually Reach by Cascadia Research Collective in 1988. Since then they’ve been seen as far north as Alaska and as far south as Hawaii, with their last known sighting being in Angoon, Alaska in July of 2016.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
1988
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDs
HI05-0113
HW-MN0440906
PWF-NP_0506
SEAK-1963
SPLASH-474502
TDI-15400
CRC-16446
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2015
CRC-17319
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2016
ALTERNATE IDs
BCZ0504
MMZ00075
CRC-17938
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2018
CRC-18300 / Drogon
Drogon was spotted in Admiralty Inlet in 2022. Their tail is almost a doppelgänger to Scoop/BCX0870, so if you think you spot one of them look extra closely. Drogon and Scoop both have a similar notch out of the right side of their fluke, but the left side of Drogon has a much more noticeable hook to it.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2022
ALTERNATE IDs
BCX2141
MERS-BCXuk2021#7
MMX0344
CRC-18502
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2020
CRC-19816/Astroboy
CRC-19816 was spotted in Commencement Bay in February of 2023
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2023
CROSSMATCH
Hawaii
ALTERNATE IDs
BCX2152
CS762
HW-MN0510520
CRC-20210/Quest
This whale was seen south of Edmonds in December 2020, off Ten Mile Point (B.C.) in 2021, and then spent several months in Case Inlet in the winter of 2022.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2022
2020
ALTERNATE IDs
BCZ0502
HW-MN0510543
MMZ0085
CALVES
Because humpback whales are given a number based on the amount of black vs white in their flukes (X = mostly black, Z = mostly white, Y = mix of black + white), humpback calves aren’t given an official BC number until their second year when the changes to their flukes have slowed down. The calves below have been spotted in Puget Sound, but haven’t received an official ID number yet. Once they earn their stripes we’ll move them to the main list above.
BCX0870’s 2018 Calf, Holey Moley
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2019
2020
ALTERNATE ID
HW-MN0510325
PUBLISHED ENCOUNTERS + STORIES
October 2019 — Edmonds | Janine Harles
September 2019 — Point No Point | Janine Harles
BCX1193’s 2021 calf, Zindigo / Schooner
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2022
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-19888
HW-MN0510490
BCX1210/Slate’s 2019 Calf, Graphite
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2019
2020
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-19313
HW-MN0510324
(Video: Francoise Marmillion | Puget Sound Express)
BCX1210/Slate’s 2021 Calf, Malachite — male
Malachite is the 2021 calf of BCX1210/Slate. He was seen in May of 2022 traveling through Puget Sound with BCX1333’s 2021 calf and spent a significant amount of time near Tacoma in fall of 2022.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2021
2022
2023
2024
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-19820
FIBB-2BB436
HW-MN0510515
BCX1301’s 2021 Calf
This calf was spotted in Elliott Bay in June of 2023
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2023
ALTERNATE IDs
HW-MN0510587
BCX1333’s 2021 Calf
BCX1333/Ghost’s 2021 calf was spotted in Puget Sound in May of 2022 traveling with Malachite, BCX1210/Slate’s calf from 2021.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2022
ALTERNATE ID
CRC-19881
BCX1210s 2022 Calf, Iota
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2023
ALTERNATE IDs
HW-MN0510570
BCX1704/Vivaldi’s 2022 Calf
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2023
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-20898
BCX1710/Ocean’s 2022 Calf
This little tyke was spotted with mom, Ocean/BCX1710 in July of 2022 and the duo spent several days traveling around Puget Sound together.
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2022
2024
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-21218
HW-MN0510700
BCY0523’s 2019 Calf
This calf was seen in Commencement Bay in January of 2022 and then was photographed off the coast of Hawaii one month later.
ALTERNATE IDs
HW-MN0510442
PWF-NP_6066
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2022
BCY0995’s 2022 Calf
YEARS SPOTTED IN PUGET SOUND
2023
ALTERNATE IDs
CRC-20899
HW-MN0510662
