Welcome the Orcas 2025!
Thanks to everyone who helped us Welcome the Orcas this year! The contests are now closed, and we will alert all winners in January 2026. We are especially grateful to the store owners who participated in our first-ever community Pod Passport game, and to everyone who played! Thanks too to the writers who submitted entries to our writing contests.
- Special thanks to the merchants who sponsored Welcome the Orcas, to Elliott Bay Brewery for hosting the kickoff in October, to Arthur’s for the delicious pancake promotion, and to Inner Alchemy for hosting a special holiday telling of Springer’s story. In this season of giving we are grateful for you!
Though the contests have ended, there will still be chances to welcome the orcas! We expect J, K and/or L pods will be here a few more times this winter. They have a history of showing up between Christmas and New Year’s. When the orcas are near, remember::
- Watch southern residents from shore! The central Sound is ringed with locations where you can watch southern residents from shore. Check our map to find a Whale Trail spot near you.Find us with binoculars to share at Whale Trail sites in West Seattle.
- Stay 1000 yards away at sea! In 2023, a new law was passed requiring all boaters to stay 1000 yards away from southern residents. Boaters have a key role to play in orca recovery. Give the whales the space they need to forage, rest and tend their young.
- Download the free app Whale Alert to learn where orcas and other whales have been spotted.
Wishing you all a warm and wonderful holiday season, and whales to welcome wherever you are!
About Welcome the Orcas 2025
Welcome the Orcas was an annual series of community events to celebrate the seasonal return of the endangered southern residents to central Puget Sound. We have been hosting Welcome the Orcas since 2010! Welcome the Orcas 2025 starts on October 16 and runs through December 15. All contests are now closed.
- Pod Passport Activity in West Seattle CONTEST CLOSED 12/15. Visit businesses and have your passport card stamped or signed. (Download the passport card here.) The goal is to find all members of J or K pod. Submit completed cards have your name entered in a drawing for a non-monetary, orca-themed prize! Learn more and submit your card below.
- Write for the Whales! CONTEST CLOSED 12/15. Write a poem, story or short graphic novel about the southern resident orcas. Submit your work to be considered for a non-monetary, orca-themed prize. Open to all ages. Three winners will be selected for each age category. Learn more and submit your entries below.
- Eat, Drink and Support our Sponsors PROMOTIONS ENDED, Thanks to Elliott Bay Brewery and Arthur’s for supporting The Whale Trail with special orca-themed promotions! Have a pint of Orca Pale Ale at the Brew Pub, or stop by Arthur’s for delicious stack of black-and-white pancakes!
Eat, Drink and Support our Sponsors!
10/1 – 10/31. Orca Pale Ale! Visit Elliott Bay Brew Pub and have a pint of Orca Pale Ale! For each pint of Orca Pale Ale sold, the Brewery will donate $1 to The Whale Trail! Stop by any of the EBB locations, in West Seattle, Burien or Lake City. Bring your friends and family – the Brew Pubs are family-friendly. Promotion goes till 10/31.
10/15 to 12/15. Pancakes! Visit Arthur’s in West Seattle for stack of delicious black-and-white pancakes, made with ricotta cheese and crushed Oreos! We think the orcas would approve! Sales of these special-edition pancakes will benefit The Whale Trail.
Thank you to Elliott Bay Brewery and Arthur’s for their generous support!
Pod Passport
The Whale Trail is partnering with businesses around West Seattle to Welcome the Orcas with a Pod Passport activity!
Here’s how it works:
- Participating stores and businesses display posters in their window that say “Welcome the Orcas.” (See below for the list of participating businesses.)
- Each poster has the ID number of a specific southern resident orca.
- Download or pickup a Pod Passport Card. Then, visit businesses around West Seattle to get your passport stamped or signed by the business!
- Complete the passport by finding all members of one or more pods.
- When you have found all members of J pod, K pod, or both, take a picture of the completed card. Send the picture to us by email to info@thewhaletrail.org, or upload it using the button below.
- Everyone who submits a completed card will have their names entered into a drawing. Three winners will be selected at random to receive a non-monetary, orca-themed prize!
- Good luck and thank you for playing!
When: The Passport activity launcheds at West Seattle Harvest Fest on Sunday October 26th, and goes till December 15th.
Did you know?
- Every whale has a unique ID. The ID consists of a letter for the pod they are from (J, K or L), and a number, that is the order of their birth. So, K13 is the thirteenth whale born to K pod since researchers started tracking the orcas.
- Each orca also receives a nickname, like Ralph or Samish or Kelp.. The Whale Museum holds public contests to name the whales.
Learn more about the Southern Residents or visit our Kids Cove
List of Passport Partners
Here are the lists of participating businesses in the Alaska Junction and Admiral Districts in West Seattle. Visit these businesses to get your card stamped or signed.
Alaska Junction (J Pod)
| Count | Business Name (alphabetical) | Address |
Orca |
| 1 | A La Mode | 4225 SW Alaska St. |
J58 |
| 2 | All the Best Pet Care | 4722 Fauntleroy Way SW |
J62 |
| 3 | Caper’s | 4525 California Ave SW |
J39 |
| 4 | Carmilla’s | 4528 California Ave SW |
J56 |
| 5 | City Mouse Studio | 4218 SW Alaska |
J35 |
| 6 | Curious Kidstuff | 4740 California Ave SW |
J22 |
| 7 | Dumplings of Fury | 4302 SW Oregon |
J63 |
| 8 | Easy Street Records | 4559 California Ave SW |
J44 |
| 9 | Elliott Bay Brew Pub | 4720 California Ave SW |
J16 |
| 10 | Emerald City Drama Club | 4455 California Ave SW |
J41 |
| 11 | Emerald Water Anglers | 4707 California Ave SW |
J42 |
| 12 | Fourth Emerald Games | 4517 California Ave SW Suite D |
J59 |
| 13 | Hot Wired | 4410 California Ave SW |
J51 |
| 14 | Husky Deli | 4721 California Ave SW |
J19 |
| 15 | Inner Alchemy | 4312 SW Oregon |
J64 |
| 16 | John L. Scott West Seattle | 4445 California Ave SW |
J37 |
| 17 | Lula Coffee Company | 4451 California Ave SW |
J49 |
| 18 | Molly Moon’s | 4556 California Ave SW |
J57 |
| 19 | Next-To-Nature & The Hydrant | 4543 California Ave SW |
J31 |
| 20 | NW Art and Frame | 4733 California Ave SW |
J26 |
| 21 | Paper Boat Booksellers | 4522 California Ave SW |
J40 |
| 22 | Pegasus Book Exchange | 4533 California Ave SW |
J45 |
| 23 | Rush Hour Clothing | 4517 California Ave SW |
J38 |
| 24 | Snapdragon | 4500 California Ave SW |
J53 |
| 25 | Snip its Haircuts for kids | 4506 California Ave SW |
J36 |
| 26 | The Brocante Beach House | 4529 California Ave SW |
J46 |
| 27 | Top Pot Donuts | 4709 California Ave SW |
J27 |
| 28 | Willow | 4536 California Ave SW |
J47 |
Admiral Junction (K Pod)
| Count | Business Name | Address |
Pod/Whale |
| 1 | Admiral Pub | 2306 California Ave SW |
K38 |
| 2 | Alki Bikes | 2606 California Ave SW |
K27 |
| 3 | Arthur’s | 2311 California Ave SW |
K36 |
| 4 | Circa Grill & Alehouse | 2605 California Ave SW |
K16 |
| 5 | Ella & Oz | 2138 California Ave SW |
K37 |
| 6 | Fit Bar | 2222 California Ave SW |
K42 |
| 7 | Freshy’s | 2735 California Ave SW, #120 |
K33 |
| 8 | Good Society | 2701 California Ave SW |
K45 |
| 9 | Hoste | 2332 California Ave SW |
K22 |
| 10 | Meeples Games | 3727 California Ave SW |
K43 |
| 11 | Ralph’s Hair Place | 2344 California Ave SW |
K12 |
| 12 | Seattle Dive Tours | 4217 SW Admiral |
K20 |
| 13 | Seattle Yarn | 2701 California Ave SW |
K14 |
| 14 | Shug Soda Fountain | 3800 California Ave SW |
K42 |
Or find them on the map below! Click on a whale to see the business, address, and corresponding whale.
Writing Contest
Calling all writers and artists! Send us a poem, a story, or a graphic novel story about the southern resident orcas. Here are some ideas for inspiration: What do J, K and L pod mean to you? What is your vision for their future? What would you say to them, if you could? Read our 2020 winners here.
- Contest is open to all ages.
- Entries can be in one of three categories: Poetry, Story, or Graphic Novel Story.
- Entries must be uploaded or postmarked by midnight 12/15/2025.
- Non-monetary orca-themed prizes will be awarded for the top three entries in each age category.
- Winners will be announced and notified in January 2026.
We’re so excited to see your work. Submit your entry below!
Welcome the Orcas 2025 Sponsors
Thank you to our business partners for sponsoring Welcome the Orcas!
- Arthur’s
- All the Best Pet Care
- Circa
- Curious Kids Stuff
- Easy Street Records
- Elliott Bay Brewery and Pub
- Fourth Emerald Games
- Hoste
- Inner Alchemy, Treasures and Transformation
- Meeple’s Games
- MonkeyPod
- Next-to-Nature, the Hydrant
- Ralph’s Hair Place
- Shugs Soda Fountain & Ice Cream
- The Brocante Beach House
- West Seattle Junction Association
Support the Whale Trail!
Please support The Whale Trail today! With your help we’ll keep connecting the west coast for the whales, producing community events like Welcome the Orcas, and protecting southern resident orcas by reducing boat noise around them. We are a grass-roots organization and rely on our donors, supporters and volunteers for everything we do. Together we’ll create a brighter future for whales, dolphins, and their ocean home. Thank you from the bottom of our orca-loving hearts!