OBI Updates

You think OBI would host a run-of-the-mill online auction? As if!

Mark your calendars: OBI's online fundraising auction is coming up later this month from September 23-27!

The following AI policy was adopted by our Board in August 2026.

2025 was a fantastic year, in large part thanks to our ever-growing community, and we are continually grateful for all of it!

Community science = public participation in scientific research

We spent the day with J-Pod, K-Pod, and the Greater L4 sub-group of L-Pod, a total of 59 whales

We’ll be listening in as Orca Behavior Institute’s summer interns, Elijah and Levi, share their internship projects.

OBI's 2025 limited edition T-shirt just dropped, and this year's design features the adorable T49A6 Charlie II!

Thank you SO much to everyone who donated products and experiences, cast bids, and won items from our online auction!

More than 30 of our board members, staff, friends, and supporters gathered for three days full of whales, laughter, and more!

Items include lodging, restaurant gift cards, whale watching trips, artwork, OBI merchandise from the vault, and much more!

We just wrapped up another fantastic weekend, this time with our first-ever Bigg’s 301 class.

They gave fantastic presentations on a regional Bigg's killer whale matriline and we celebrated by heading out on the water.

An all-day whale watch, trivia night, live podcast, camping, OBI swag, and more!

Come visit us in Conservation Village located at the center of the festival on the beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Looking for a transparent, open-source platform where you can regain control of your own social media feed? Follow us!

We know and love these whales as individuals and families and we want them to survive and thrive.

Better late than never? If you order in the next 4 days, you can save 24% with coupon code ZCELEBRATE24.

What type of special content do OBI Patrons enjoy? Fund our field research programs, offer internship stipends...

We love observing these social groups where instead of traveling in matrilines, the whales are all "mixed up"!

This year our intern Kelsey and Monika bonded not just over killer whales, but a shared taste in music.

After a few days where the weather was passable but the whales weren't vocalizing, everything finally came together...

Thus far during our first week in Puget Sound with the Center for Whale Research we have had some of everything...

We've been thrilled to have five encounters with J-Pod and L-Pod!

It's not often anymore you get all of L-Pod together without any other Southern Residents!

We're excited to be launching our very first whale book club, running from February through April of 2025!

This is a project Monika and Michael have long dreamed about and we're excited it's finally happening.

Monika and our science advisor Julie had a final in-person research meeting with her, but this won't quite be the end!

Tonight we had a gathering of the San Juan Island contingent of our team as a little end of summer celebration...

We're just two weeks away from the start of our brand new Whale University class, The Art and Science of Southern Residents!

OBI was selected to participate in the San Juan Island Community Foundation's 2024 fair giving campaign!

Today was our first day on the water during a two week stint in Telegraph Cove and what a day it was.

This year's design by the talented Sara Hysong-Shimazu features the one and only T65A5 Indy.

I don’t plan to give up. The Southern Residents themselves clearly haven’t given up

Amanda has worked on several education and advocacy projects in the past, but now Amanda will be working with OBI

Bigg's Orca STaRS concluded today with final student presentations

Our new North San Juan Channel hydrophone is now streaming online for you to tune in to!

"Commercial whale-watching reduces vessel incidents in the vicinity of killer whales in Washington State." - Shields 2022 -

UBC has “debunked” the idea that there are fewer Chinook salmon available during summer.

For decades, J-Pod, K-Pod, and L-Pod used to be seen on a near-daily basis during the summer months. The tides are changing