We booked a whale watching tour the day before, and after a nice cup of coffee, we boarded the boat. It was a much bigger and faster boat than the electric Duffy, but not nearly as comfortable. Seat cushions and blankets were the luxury items. Captain Brian mentioned that yesterday they hadn’t seen a single whale… and no one had seen an orca “killer whale” today either. They travel 100 miles in a single day, and the pods were just too far away. So we all were braced for a disappointing trip.
We headed out into the waters around the 200 islands of the San Juans and Canadian gulf islands. Again, the boat’s soothing motors rocked the boys to sleep. But they were awake at first.
Actually Josh ended up getting a bit sea sick instead of sleepy. But it started off well.
Not long into the tour, we learned that there were 2 (J & K) of the 3 pods of whales in the nearby area. We saw so many dorsal fins and breeches (when they jump and flop back into the water) that we were completely spoiled. Orcas were everywhere! (And we learned that orcas are actually dolphins, not whales.)
By the end of the tour, we were all stunned by the majesty of these beautiful animals. I’m shocked we were able to take these pictures as well. The orcas must have been showing off. We were impressed!
Views from Susy’s mom’s house….
And the place we stayed….
