Injured humpback whale ‘Schooner’ makes remarkable return to Salish Sea

A humpback whale missing part of its tail has been spotted off the coast of Anacortes, Wash., after completing a more than 2,600-mile journey from Maui.

Hawaiian Adventure’s sister company Island Adventures identified the whale, known as CRC-19888 “Schooner,” during a tour on May 3. Schooner, a 4-year-old humpback, lost its left tail “fluke,” likely due to a ship strike in 2024. Despite the injury, the whale successfully migrated from its winter breeding grounds in Hawaiʻi to its summer feeding grounds in the Salish Sea.

“These whales amaze me more and more every day,” said Lexi Jeffers, a former Island Adventures naturalist who identified Schooner off Maui earlier this year while working with Ultimate Whale Watch and Snorkel. Jeffers confirmed Schooner’s identity through the citizen science platform Happywhale during a February tour near Lahaina.

Schooner is the 2021 calf of BCX1193 “ZigZag,” a well-known humpback whale documented over 80 times between Hawaiʻi and the Salish Sea since its first sighting off Maui in 2006. Some scientists say these whales exhibit high site fidelity, often returning to the same breeding and feeding grounds across generations.

Schooner successfully traveled an approximate 2,677 miles between Lahaina and Rosario Strait, where Island Adventures naturalist Tyson Reed identified it.

The sighting coincided with the start of boating season in the region, May 3, prompting whale advocates to remind boaters to watch for marine life and slow down when whales are spotted. Commercial whale watching vessels display a whale flag to alert nearby boats of whale activity.

“We are in awe of Schooner’s successful migration despite fasting in Maui for months and with such a significant injury to its tail,” said the Hawaiian Adventures team.

Ongoing sightings of Schooner can be tracked at happywhale.com, where naturalists and the public contribute whale identification data across the Pacific.

“We’re hopeful for the future of this remarkable whale with a partial tail,” the team said.