Orca whale watching

8/17/11 (Tuesday)  - Today was resting up from yesterday's (Monday's) hike up Mt. Constitution and whale watching.



Whale watching did not begin until 1 PM, so we wandered around the island. Went out to Doe Bay and made dinner reservations. Nice view from the Doe Bay beach.

Headed back to Orca Village and shared a sandwich for lunch. A less than ordinary turkey sandwich was $8. We split it.

The whale watching tour (Eclipse Tours) began in Orcas Village at 12:45 PM. The Skipper gave us a 15 minute orientation. Especially important was that orcas had been reported in the area.

We boarded the Orcas Express at 1 PM and basically headed south/southwest of Orcas Island. Within 45 minutes the first orcas were spotted.

All tour ships are to stay within 200 yards of the orcas. If the orcas surface near the boat the skipper must turn off the engines until they are further away. Park officials are onsite monitoring the tour boats to make sure they comply.

Research vessels are there as well. One of note has a dog that is trained to sniff out orca poop that is then gathered to be examined by researchers. The dog, "Gus," was out there with his life jacket on. What is unusual about Gus is that he is afraid of water, so the handler has to take him onshore to pee.

There are two orcas pods that reside in the San Juan Islands area. We spotted the L pod. They are indentified by the white markings at the base rear of their top fin.

Occassionally transient groups of orcas are spotted, but it is dependent on the season whether or not they will be seen.

The whale watching was amazing and fantastic. They are a protected species, as a result of Sea World coming in and capturing several orcas years ago most of which have died. Seeing these whales (they are actually not whales, but members of the dolphin family) in the wild, open sea it is clearly evident they belong here and not in captivity learning tricks. They cannot possibly be healthy in an enclosed pool.

On the way back to Orcas Village we spotted two bald eagles, harbor seals and a sea lion. The tide was coming is as well causing strong currents that generate whirlpools. Cool stuff.

Dinner was at the Doe Bay Cafe. They feature dishes prepared with locally grown produce and caught seafood. I had a vegetarian "napoleon" that stacked grilled vegetables between polenta. Vicki had a vegetable dish with rice noodles. All very good.