August 26, 2015: San Juan Islands, WA- Heading out of Roche Harbor into Open Bay to circle Henry Island. One kayak(me + guide) head out at 9:00 am. Ended up being the luckiest day ever & the thrill of a lifetime!! I was scared (but not fearing for my life scared), adrenaline rush times a thousand, a lot excited, a lot in disbelief at our luck, mostly in complete awe of these mammals. We had no idea the whales were in the waters so close to us when we headed out; this was simply great timing plus PURE LUCK. We moved our kayak as close to the cliffs and in the kelp as possible to be out of their way and stopped paddling while we watched them play and move through Open Bay. But they were everywhere and we ended up being in the route of a few as seen. Keep in mind however that our kayak was no more obtrusive than a piece of driftwood floating on the surface. Must have been over 30 whales playing, jumping & feasting on a salmon breakfast.
I saw one breach completely out of the water. It was utterly amazing, incredible, wondrous, unbelievable – IT WAS A DREAM COME TRUE!!! Three passed right under our kayak, one looked right at us. The one that looked at us had her baby with her(look close)…. Such a completely magical, inspiring encounter with these extraordinary mammals. They are massive and move swiftly. Their agility is remarkable. The dorsal fins on the males are mammoth- OMG! This was a pod/pods known as the Southern Resident Orcas of the Salish Seas or North Pacific Ocean. They are an endangered community of whales and currently protected under the Endangered Species Act. I heard it was L-Pod with a few of K, but maybe J too as they are the ones with babies of which we saw 2 or 3. This was seriously one of the most amazing days of my life. It was a once in a lifetime experience that I’ll treasure forever. I was excited beyond belief and I almost felt like I had superhuman powers after our morning kayaking adventure, haha. It really is transformative to have such an experience. I hope you enjoy and pass along!