MaST Center

Located in central Puget Sound between Tacoma and Seattle, this hydrophone location lets you hear sounds made by orcas, humpbacks, and other marine life -- including fish and seals. Bigg's killer whales transit this location year round, and Southern Resident killer whales often pass by, especially in the fall when Chum salmon run. You may also hear the commercial ships going to and from the Port of Tacoma, powerboats using the adjacent ramp, and even SCUBA divers enjoying Redondo Beach.

A single Aquarian A5 hydrophone was first deployed in summer 2023 at a depth of 2 meters (below MLLW). The MaST Center location is hosted and maintained by the Marine Science and Technology Center, a part of Highline Community College.

Status update 9/3/23: We are beta testing this location with an initial deployment led by Cora Reese and Scott Veirs. An old Labcore and a new Aquarian element both failed within a month, so now we are using a single repurposed Labcore40.