This trip to Washington was different in two ways. One, we took a plane. There is no way we wanted to drive up again. Two, instead of my dad going my younger brother tagged along with my sister and me. We arrived in WA on Friday afternoon then took the 2+ hour drive to Mount Vernon. This is a town about 30 minutes away from Anacortes (where the Ferry is). We went to bed pretty early in order to get a good night’s sleep. We had sea kayaking the next day.

About our trip:

Day 1: 9/1/06
Sea Kayaking from San Juan Island
Marine mammals seen: none
Birds seen: bald eagles

We had to wake up at 7:00. We needed to be on San Juan Island by 11:00. The only ferry that would get us there in time left at 8:45, and it was about a 30 minute drive to the terminal. We got to the ferry about 5 minutes before it left. I was freaking out yes. That was a close one.

The year before, my sister and I shared the same kayak. We were far behind the rest of the group the entire time. When they stopped to let us catch up they would only do so for a second and then they would be off again. The guide was so active he wanted to keep going non-stop.

This year it was different, and so much more enjoyable. We did stay with the same company. They are pretty cheap and they launch at a great spot off the island. The differences were: my brother came along and the guide was super laid back. My brother is a 6’6” football player. So he shared a kayak with my sister. I shared with a guy I didn’t know, but he was really nice and also buff. My sister and I were thrilled. We were ahead of the whole group the entire time and we barely had to paddle ourselves. The guy I was with made the kayak go so fast it was awesome. We also were riding the currents so we would sour over waves. We even “caught” a few. The trip was just worth the ride. I got to actually enjoy myself. And of course the view is gorgeous.

The guide we got this year was in no rush to go as far as possible. The other two groups we were with (one which was guided by the guide we had the previous year) went a lot further than we did. I was so happy because really I just wanted to be out on the water. Next year we will definitely request this guide.

The trip was about 5 hours. After kayaking we stayed on the island for another 2 hours, waiting for the next ferry to arrive. We shopped :)


Day 2: 9/2/06
Whale watching from Anacortes
Marine mammals seen: Orcas, Harbor porpoises, Stellar sea lions, Harbor seals
Birds seen: Bald Eagles

The boat didn’t leave until 11:00 so we enjoyed sleeping in until 9:00. It was a much better start to the day. We also found the boat harbor without any trouble.

Once on the boat it took 3 hours to even find the whales. Along the way we saw numerous harbor porpoises. All were in little groups of 3 or 4. One group had a very small baby. It was so cute. We didn’t get to watch for any longer than it took to pass them because it was already going to take a really long time to get to the Orcas. We also saw 2 Stellar Sea Lions hunting. The one would throw his body up in the air and thrash and wiggle. Finally we realized what he was doing when he came up with a huge salmon in his mouth.

They were far out heading towards the Pacific Ocean. It was amazing once we did. There were no more than 3 other boats out with us. Most ended up leaving far before we did. We caught up to a pair of Orcas from K pod. We followed them for about 10 minutes. They were swimming fast. Lots of porpoising. They breathed in synchrony. There is nothing more beautiful than seeing a wild Orca. The first glimpse of them made me so happy. Unlike the summer before, this was all so familiar. Watching them swim so fast and so far was incredible. This is where Orcas belong. Finally they (and we) caught up with a lot more whales. I think all were from K pod. Soon we were surrounded by Orcas. They continued to swim towards the ocean. We continued to travel beside them. Keep in mind the captain was very good at keeping his distance from the whales.

The whales were all spread out. No two swam together like the ones we had previously been following, except for a couple of mother/ calf pairs. One mother calf pair swam right next to our boat. The little guy was so adorable. The mother even let him be on her side closest to our boat so we got a wonderful view of the baby.

Since we were stopped many of the other Orcas swam pretty close to the boat, but none got as close as that mother and her calf. I was unable to get a picture of the pair but it was a wonderful memory.

We had been with the Orcas for about 40 minutes when one decided to do a couple of breaches. I was so excited. Seeing this behavior was so wonderful. I had seen it in the previous year but I can never get enough of it. After the Orca was done breaching a few of the other started spy hopping. They were putting on a wonderful show. I loved every minute of it.

After they stopped with the excitement we had to turn around and go back to Anacortes. We only got to spend about 50 minutes with the whales because it had taken so long to find them in the first place.

On the way home we stopped at a small island known to be Harbor seal territory.

A successful whale watching experience, and a wonderful memory.

Once we got off the boat we had yet another treat. We noticed a bald eagle that had just landed on a sign right next to our car. We ended up watching it for 30 minutes before it flew off into a tree covered piece of land. It stayed on two different lampposts, which gave us great photo opportunities. While it was on the lampposts sea gulls were continuously attacking it. A number of times it let out a huge screech. This was the first time I had heard the noise of a bald eagle so clearly. He was only feet away from me.


Day 3: 9/9/06
Whale watching from Anacortes
Marine mammals seen: Orcas
Birds seen: Bald Eagles

We used the same company so again it started at 11:00. Another day to sleep in.

This trip was interesting. My brother decided not to go. He loved seeing the whales but he didn’t like the boat ride out to see them. It was only my sister and I. The rest of the boat was full of the class of 1946. That’s right. They were having a class reunion on the whale watching boat. They had all grown up in Anacortes, attended Anacortes high school, and many had been watching the whales for years. Talking with them was really nice. Other than 2 other younger people about our age the whole boat consisted of the class of 1946.

The whales were a lot closer than they were the day before. It took us “only” 2 hours to find them. They were off the west coast of San Juan Island. They were all swimming close to the shore. It was again K pod but L pod was with them as well. This day they were hunting. They swam in all different directions.

We saw a lot of L-57, but it was from a distance. He was an all to familiar animal that we had encountered many times in the previous summer. A lot of the K pod members swam very close to our boat. For the second day there were no other boats around us. When we turned off our engine nothing but the blow of the Orcas could be heard. Not only could we seeing the whales, but we could hear them too.

Nothing exciting, other than the pure joy of being surround by the magnificent wild Orcas, happened that day. By this I mean they did not do any aerial behaviors. But I was just enjoying being out there with them.

We saw a couple more mother/ calf pairs. One calf was swimming with another relative. The mothers have no problem bringing their calves close to the boat. Again a mother brought her calf closer than any other Orca had come. Though this day was full of Orcas coming in for a close up.

Because we found the whales in a lot less time than the day before we were able to spend 2 hours with them. Again as we left they started making their way toward the Pacific Ocean.

I was so happy that the pod we saw on both days consisted of members of K pod. The summer before we had encountered only a couple of K pod members, but had found many of L and J members so I was so happy to have seen K pod. This year was full of new faces (or should I say dorsal fins). Ones I was so happy to meet. K pod is beautiful. Many of them have beautiful saddle patches. I think they are my new favorite pod.

As we turned to leave another mother and her calf swam by. It was a wonderful last moment with the wild Orcas.

I can’t wait until next year.



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