Here come the Minions!
Our pet name for this banana boat with their yellow covered occupants. We saw them every day, all day long.
Resident Orca pod
We saw this pod of 5 Orcas on the move, hunting for fish along the coast line.
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Beautiful Harbor
Another lovely harbor on San Juan Island. I felt like I was back on the New England coast. Our boat left from here on the 2nd day of our tour, instead of Snug Harbor.
Roche Harbor, WA
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Some people drive some pretty nice cars here on the island.
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Another view of Roche Harbor, WA.
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Double Spy hopping Orcas
We felt thrilled to see a single spy hop which is fairly common with the resident Orca pods, but to see and capture a double was like ice-cream for the cake. Researchers say they perform this maneuver to have a better look around them. Could they be intelligent enough to coordinate this double vantage and communicate the results to one another afterward?
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Spy hopping in the middle of the Salish Sea.
They are known to pop up anywhere and without warning. One has be to fast with the camera to capture the action.
This Orca may be Granny, who is believed to be about 90 years old. No longer reproducing, the researchers who follow her say she is a strong maternal figure within the pod hierarchy, often taking young whales who have lost their mother, under her "fins" for security as they grow and mature.From Whales
Lighthouse point
So many little light houses dot the points on the coast line. This one seemed idyllic with the Orca swimming in front. If you can imagine, Mt. Baker would be to your left if the photo were large enough.
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The only thing missing here is the Orca swimming in front of the light house .
Mt. Baker pictured on the left.
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Cartwheeling in front of Mt. Baker
Researchers call this action a cartwheel...not exactly a breach, but still heaving up their enormous bodies out of the water....probably for sheer pleasure....and making a big splash.
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Have you ever seen such a tremendous fin?
This must be the one we called "Big Mike", the largest Orca we saw on the trip. Kinda spooky seeing that big dorsal steaming towards the boat!
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Cartwheeling in front of Mt. Baker PhotoCrop
Researchers call this action a cartwheel...not exactly a breach, but still heaving up their enormous bodies out of the water....probably for sheer pleasure....and making a big splash.
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