Blain's cousin Krista came over on the ferry and brought her sea kayaks. A definite whale junkie, she's been kayaking with whales for years and has generously shared an amazing adventure with friends and family for years.
Onto the water and little did we know we were to be treated to one of the most amazing animal encounters either of us had ever experienced.
Paddling with the tide, we rounded Lime Kiln Point and the famous lighthouse. Bob, Chance's new friend, pointed to the distance in a gesture to keep going. Soon we spotted the whale-watching boats in a rough line and figured something might be coming our way, so we stopped paddling and sat still. Within a half hour we were completely surrounded by a pod of 20 or more orcas as they worked their way up the coast.
Krista took this shot. A lot of hers were really close.
It's hard to take good photos right in the middle of a travelling pod of whales. Krista did a much better job, being the steel-eyed pro, so most of these shots were hers. I was always a little late on the shutter to get the goods and had to settle for a lot of wakes.
Krista had several some very close encounters with very large fins. One youngster cleared the water a couple of times just to splash for everybody lining the shores. How we managed to be exactly in the middle of everything at exactly the right time, particularly since the whales hadn't been spotted in weeks, I'll never know. Krista, however, would say that that's just how it was supposed to happen.
Wow. Really.
Wow. We will always be thankful for this experience from Krista.
And to the whales. May they always be.
My attempt at a movie.
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