BELLINGHAM, WA – (MyBellinghamNow.com) Three humpback whales were spotted off the coast of the Lummi Nation Indian Reservation Friday.

Max Harger saw the whales around noon and says they passed as close as a mile offshore.

The whales passed from the Rosario Strait, going southeast into Hale Passage – the channel between Lummi Island and the reservation.

Orca Network’s Co-founder Howard Garrett says that all humpback sightings in the inner channels and straits of the Puget Sound are uncommon.

Garrett sees this sighting as especially uncommon because of the presence of three whales at once.

Harger says all three whales looked to be adults and came up every 30 seconds for air.

He was surprised that the whales passed through that channel as it is pretty shallow on the northeast side of the channel.

A rough drawing of the route Max Harger viewed the whales taking. Courtesy of Max Harger.

And if you want to learn more about whales and join in honoring Tokitae’s Legacy, Orca Network is holding their annual Ways of Whales Workshop Saturday.

Garrett says there will be a presentation about humpbacks; specifically about how a researcher is working to communicate with the whales, using his efforts as a model for potential extraterrestrial communications.

The workshop will be hybrid, held in person at Coupeville High School’s Performing Arts Center on Whidbey Island as well as online.

It starts at 10:30 a.m. and goes until 5 p.m.

The day will start with a talk about Tokitae, remembering her “resilience and engaging personality.”

The workshop will end with a panel discussion on salmon and the Southern Resident Orcas.

To learn more about the workshop and to register, you can visit Orca Network’s website.