The pod’s whereabouts after the morning sighting were not known. More than 10 orcas were reported in West Seattle’s Fauntleroy ferry corridor Sunday morning, traveling north toward Constellation Park as conditions calmed following a recent windstorm.
Report Places Pod Near Constellation Park
In a 10:06 am report, longtime bird and marine wildlife observer Kersti Muul described more than 10 orcas traveling north through the Fauntleroy ferry lanes, according to West Seattle Blog. In a 10:20 am update, she placed the pod near Constellation Park, writing, “Approaching Constellation, lots of blows,” the outlet reported.
The outlet noted that whitecaps could make the whales’ fins difficult to see from shore.
What the Sighting Report Leaves Unclear
The account did not identify the pod’s ecotype.
Vessel Rules Around Orcas
According to NOAA Fisheries, vessel rules in Washington’s inland waters prohibit approaching killer whales within 200 yards or parking in their path. Certain vessels are exempt from those prohibitions.
Orca Types and Vessel Distance Rules
The pod’s identity matters because Washington has several kinds of killer whales. The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife says three ecotypes regularly occur in the state: fish-eating residents, mammal-eating transients (or Bigg’s), and offshores. WDFW says boaters have been required since Jan. 1, 2025, to stay 1,000 yards from Southern Resident killer whales in Washington waters. Sunday’s report does not identify the pod as Southern Residents, so it does not establish whether that specific distance rule applies to this sighting.
West Seattle’s ferry lanes have drawn whale-watchers before. A Hoodline report from earlier this year described a separate encounter in which transient orcas were headed south and approaching the Fauntleroy ferry lanes, with dorsal fins and spouts surfacing in the channel.
West Seattle Blog asked readers to report sightings, continuing its practice of crowdsourcing real-time wildlife updates from locals along the shoreline. The account did not say how long Sunday’s pod remained in the area or where it went next.
