Last night overconfidence prompted my first orca hoax. On the shuttle from town, we stopped by Lime Kiln, and there people boarded, saying, ‘No whales, but they’re heading this way and should be by in half an hour.’ Awesome. My stop was next – perfect timing to crack into a sixer and see them. Well, although I saw boats zipping around to the North and even a couple of blows way out there, they must have changed direction; I was left waiting in the gray drizzle until nightfall. Simply giddy in the tent as the rain fell pitter-pat during the night, I was awoken several times by wind flapping the rain fly rather wildly. In the early morning, the rain had stopped but the fly was blown off the tent – I got up to attach it correctly, then dozing off as light breezes slowed to calm. 10:20am: magic blue and yellow boat zipped by, followed by the Soundwatch boat. 12:30pm: orcas milling off Hannah Heights seen from shuttle van en route to Friday Harbor. 5:53pm: orca with large male dorsal fin (possibly J1 Ruffles) foraging, with occasional direction changes and pec slaps. The orcas were in tight formation; one redirected a tail lob to the side at the last moment. Observed two breaches; two large-finned males came in much closer to the shoreline. Multiple tail lobs by same orca. Witnessed slow-motion spyhop breach as blow plumes rolled northward in a light wind. More breaches by males even closer to the island; females formed a tight group at the center, with several direction changes; double breach. 6:11pm: breach, most forming tight group, other males continuing to flank and follow on the island side. Tail lob. 6:19pm: males criss-crossing each other, following behind the females. Roundhouse tail lob. Males joined other males close to the point, moving in all directions, swimming toward the small island near camp. Spyhop, just on the other side of the small island, and again in front of the houses on the point. Spyhops – saw dorsal fin on the other side of the small island; spyhop, slow tail lob, calf changed direction. 6:34pm: orcas approaching and now inside the area between small island and camp. 6:40pm: breach off point. Another breach south of Smallpox Bay. The orcas came so close to shore, I could clearly make out the saddle patches and the see-saw motion of the big dorsal fins as they submerged in stages about twenty-five feet away. 7:45pm: harbor seal breached three to four times.
