Orca Whales off East Point
We headed north for our afternoon trip with word of a superpod near East Point. The group we had in the morning was closer, but we thought the opportunity to show our passengers more orcas would be well worth the extra distance. Our decision paid off in a big way. Today's whale show was nothing short of spectacular. We found 70 plus orcas in J, K, and L pods just reaching East Point when we arrived. The only whales missing from the group were the L-pod orcas we saw in the morning. From the beginning to the end our our visit the orcas were putting on a phenomenal show. It was non stop action which included somewhere around 70 breaches and cartwheels. The orcas were coming out of the water almost every minute of our visit. It was amazing to see these orcas playing like crazy in the warmth of the setting sun. We shut down the motors on two occasions to listen to the orcas surface in the stillness of the calm seas. Every passenger was thrilled, and all of the crew members agreed it was one of the best shows of the year. As if that wasn't enough we spotted three bald eagles perched in the trees on our way back home through the San Juan Islands. What a fantastic day!! Naturalist Bart Rulon
