Whale University
The first official program under the Whale University umbrella is Bigg’s 201, an intermediate level adult whale research experience running from January to May 2024. You can learn more about the class here and get on the early notification list for the next open registration.
Over time, we plan to expand our class offerings, starting with the two below. Please fill out this form to express your interest and be among the first to know when these classes will go live!
Fall 2025
Bigg's 201 - Virtual Version
Whale Book Club - Northern Residents
Drawing and Painting Orcas
Spring 2026 - Tentative Schedule
Bigg's 201
Bigg's 301
50 Shades of Gray Whale
Sign up to be on our early notification list for when classes open for registration
OBI's 10th Anniversary Weekend
Come spend a weekend on San Juan Island to celebrate OBI's anniversary! This event includes 3 nights camping at San Juan County Park, an all-day whale-watch excursion with Maya's Legacy, an interactive live-taping of the After the Breach podcast, exclusive OBI swag, whale trivia night, and more.
OBI Creative Community: Connect, Create, Cope
Come "take a breath" with OBI. We will provide weekly whale-related creative prompts that invite you to explore right-brained activities including art, photography, writing, exploring, building, and more. Some of these might be right in your wheelhouse while others might challenge you to try something new, but creativity is the antithesis to anxiety. These activities are meant to give your brain a break from the "real world" and a chance to CONNECT with like-minded people, CREATE something new, and COPE with the chaos.
Bigg's 201 ~ A fully virtual version of our flagship Bigg's 201 course
In this 4 month fully virtual course, you will work with whale biologist Monika Wieland Shields of the Orca Behavior Institute to improve your scientific literacy by doing a deep dive to learn more about Bigg’s killer whales of the Salish Sea. Regardless of your background, this class will help you practice reading and understanding scientific papers and let you explore real-world sightings data to create graphs and maps as you follow a specific Bigg’s family group. This class culminates with a virtual presentation where you can practice what you’ve learned about how to communicate science effectively.
Whale Book Club: Northern Residents and Salmon Farms
Through a progressive exploration of three books over the course of three months, participants will read and discuss a series of literary works, participate in “watch parties” of chosen films and movies, and join in author/guest speaker Q&As and presentations to learn more about Northern Resident killer whales and the unique threats they face.
Bigg's 201
In this 4.5 month course combining virtual lectures and in-person field trips, you will work with whale biologist Monika Wieland Shields of the Orca Behavior Institute to improve your scientific literacy by doing a deep dive to learn more about Bigg’s killer whales of the Salish Sea. Regardless of your background, this class will help you practice reading and understanding scientific papers, give you a chance to try collecting whale behavioral data in the field, and let you explore real-world sightings data to create graphs and maps as you follow a specific Bigg’s family group.
Bigg's 301
Students have loved the Bigg's 201 experience so much that the class has left them wanting more! For those who have completed Bigg's 201 (or the Bigg's STaRS class), we will be offering an advanced science class that will delve even further into the world of whale research. Bigg's 301 will involve more scientific paper discussions giving a broader overview of research topics including acoustics, toxins, and predation and will also include an advanced ID workshop. Students will work either alone or in pairs to delve into sightings data for extended family groups, looking for similarities and differences in Salish Sea habitat usage of related matrilines. The class will culminate with back-to-back presentation days and boat trips.