Puget Sound Express - Edmonds

09/03/2026

Rare bird alert: Nazca B***y 😱 Guests and crew aboard a recent PSE Puffin Cruise were in for the surprise of a lifetime when we spotted a juvenile Nazca B***y hanging out on a kelp float around Smith Island! This striking bird is a little far from home, with its usual range spanning from Mexico to the Galapagos Islands and down to Peru. It is theorized that this bird may have ended up in the Salish Sea by hitching a ride on a cargo ship. Since August 25, we’ve been seeing this individual consistently around Smith Island; this series of sightings marks only the seventh time a Nazca B***y has been recorded in Washington State!

📸: on Instagram

09/01/2026

As we move towards autumn and winter, we want to highlight our options for group tours and private charters! If you’re planning a corporate bonding event, school field trip, holiday party, or even a wedding, why not host it on the water? We offer bespoke tours for every group, from a 2-hour scenic cruise to a 5-hour whale watch! If you’re ready to make a booking or would like some more information on our group rates, please send an to our team: [email protected]. See you onboard!

08/25/2026

Did you know that orcas are s*xually dimorphic? This means that mature females and males are visibly different from one another and, in the case of orcas, can be seen in their dorsal fins 🫍 During puberty (around age 12-15), male orcas experience a rapid period of growth where their dorsal fin shoots up in height, typically ending up around 5-6 feet (1.5-1.8 meters) tall — roughly double the height of their female counterparts! Adult male orcas tend to have dorsal fins that stand straight up, whereas adult female orcas often have curved or angled dorsal fins. When viewing orcas, it’s usually pretty apparent which whales are adult females and males, but it’s often more difficult to determine the s*x of the juvenile whales; we sometimes don’t know an individual is male until they start undergoing the sprouting process.

In this recent encounter with the T77 pod, you can see the difference in dorsals between the female and male pod members, as well as the juvenile who was born in 2016. Within the next five years, we should have an indication on whether T77E is female or male!

08/23/2026

Did you know that we’re in the middle of World Photography Week? We’re celebrating by sharing some of our favorite photos taken by guests aboard our whale-watching trips and puffin cruises this summer! How epic are these shots?! ☀️

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08/12/2026

08/07/2026

Recently, we’ve had an influx of questions about one topic in particular: our sweet, sweet Blueberry Buckle!

Made fresh daily aboard each PSE vessel, Blueberry Buckle is a family recipe in the Hanke family, and we love serving it to visitors from near and far! Included in each Welcome Aboard booklet is the recipe, but we know that these can end up in scrapbooks, memory boxes, and even the bottom of your luggage. So, without further ado, the Blueberry Buckle recipe of your dreams:

🫐 Ingredients:

Cake -

1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 cups sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups fresh blueberries-washed

Crumb Topping -

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon

🫐 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°, grease a 9x9 baking pan.

2. Combine sifted flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. In separate bowl cream together butter and sugar, gradually add egg and milk.

4. Combine dry ingredients with wet until smooth.

5. Fold in fresh blueberries.

6. Pour into greased pan.

7. For topping use a pastry cutter or two knives cross-wise to cut butter into sugar, flour, and cinnamon - butter should be the size of peas.

8. Sprinkle topping on cake and bake for 35 minutes or until middle does not jiggle when shaken.

9. Enjoy! We can’t wait to see how your Blueberry Buckle turns out!

08/05/2026

Yesterday’s afternoon trip from Seattle (Edmonds) saw Swiftsure heading south to Commencement Bay in Tacoma, where we witnessed some pretty spectacular orca activities, including these awesome breaches from T137A Jack… Jack-robatics, if you will! We love days when we get to spend time with wildlife right here in Puget Sound 🫍

We have tours departing daily from Seattle (Edmonds), including our Half-Day Tours at 9:30 am and 2:30 pm, and our All-Day Tour at 10 am. For more information or to book, head to our website: https://www.pugetsoundexpress.com/seattle-whale-watching-tours/

07/31/2026

🚨 New product alert 🚨 For the past several months, our excellent team of naturalists has been hard at work creating a new product, and it’s finally here: everyone, give it up for the Puget Sound Express Wildlife Activity & Coloring Book! Researched, written, and illustrated by PSE’s very own naturalists, this book features 34 pages of fun and educational entertainment, perfect for kids of all ages (yes, that includes you, mom and dad!).

For future bookings, you’ll have the option to pre-order a PSE Wildlife Activity & Coloring Book as part of your reservation. If you already have a booking, fret not; we will also be selling the books on each vessel!

P.S., each book also comes with an 8-pack of crayons — can’t wait to see all your wonderful creations!

07/27/2026

We can’t believe our summer season is already halfway over 😱 We've had some awesome days out of the water so far and can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer holds! Check out some of our favorite summer 2026 photos snapped by crew members and naturalists aboard our vessels.

If you’re ready to join us for an adventure on the water, tours depart daily! Check out our schedule below:

📍Seattle (Edmonds): Half-Day Tours depart at 9:30 am & 2:30 pm; All-Day Tours depart at 10 am
📍Port Townsend: Half-Day Tours depart at 10:30 am and 3 pm; All-Day Tours depart at 9 am
📍Port Angeles: Half-Day Tours depart at 10 am and 2:30 pm

📸: Photos by Naturalist Zoe, and Crew Members Lauryn & Bridget

07/14/2026

Did you know that July 14th is World Orca Day? Our morning Half-Day Tour from Edmonds knew just how to celebrate — with two groups of orcas! We only got about 5 minutes from Edmonds before spotting our first group for the day: four orcas, including T37A (Volker), T37A1 (Inyo), and T37A2 (Inky)! Right as we were departing, Inky lined himself up perfectly with Mount Rainier for a spectacular photo op 😍

After departing, we got word of some more orcas in Penn Cove and headed up Saratoga Passage to find them. When we arrived, we were excited to find T37 (Rocky III, but more commonly known around Puget Sound as Pizza Fin), along with T34A (Pachamama), T34A2 (Amaru), and T34B (Sonder). These individuals were grouped together and were cruising close to shore. We got to watch some great surfacing sets from these individuals, and then headed back for Edmonds. What a great way to spend World Orca Day!