Washington Orca Baby Spotted Swimming with Pod Near Bellingham

A small pod of orca with a new baby was spotted in Bellingham Bay and now I think I know which whale pod it was.

Baby Orca Sighting: A Morning Surprise in Bellingham Bay

On Tuesday, March 11, 2025, a small pod of orca whales, swimming with a new baby, was spotted in Bellingham Bay, Washington that caught the attention of locals as they explored the shallows. The orcas are members of one of the Southern Resident pods, often seen swimming through the Salish Sea. While the exact pod of the orca hasn’t been confirmed, we can make an educated guess based on the unique characteristics of these whales' pods. As protected species in our region, the family groups are all labeled and watched carefully.

The Southern Resident orcas are made up of three primary pods, J, K, and L pods, and are easily identified by unique markings and familial (family) traits according to research by Orca Conservancy. Because these whales were spotted in Bellingham Bay, it is likely they belong to the L pod from the L11 matriline. They were recently seen in the area, and a few of its members are regularly seen in Bellingham Bay.

I think there are three good possibilities, so lets try to identify the whales seen in the video from all the information we know so far. The first possibility is L77 Matia, who was born in 1987 and is often seen in Bellingham Bay. You can tell by her very distinct dorsal fin with a small notch near the top and a fully open hook saddle on the left side. The other likely possibility is L94 Calypso, who is another younger female from the same matriline with similar dorsal fin markings and is also seen often in Bellingham Bay.

In June 2023, the L77 matriline was seen with a new calf, named L126, and it was found to be the firstborn of another pod member named L119 Joy.  The mother is L77’s oldest surviving calf. I think this is the best guess for which pod was seen in the video. The younger calf looks to be almost half the length of the older two, around the correct proportions for a young orca between 1 and 2 years old. A two-year-old orca is usually just under 9 feet long, with the adults between 23 and 30 feet long, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Wildlife.

No matter which orca was spotted, it is an encouraging sign for the future of the protected Southern Resident orca population. Without many successful and surviving new orca births, the long-term survival of these special animals is very uncertain. For me, which orca whale was spotted is much less important than making sure they continue to be seen in Bellingham Bay for generations to come.

You can watch the video of the orca pod by clicking here.