Orca Close Encounter, Southeast Alaska

Just Breaking the Water's Surface

Orca

   It had already been a pretty great day; snorkeling with seals, finding my first nudibranch, and watching brown bears catch and eat salmon underneath a waterfall. It would be hard to imagine how a day like this could get any better. Then it happened.

Pec Fin wave

   The general cry of 'orca' went through the boat from bow to stern in what seemed like a millisecond. People crowded the rails, grabbing and pointing cameras, or just pointing off in the distance where a large, dark fin would break the surface.

Glassy orca bow wave

   It turned out to be a large pod of orca who decided to stay with us for about twenty minutes. A couple of different times they would swim right over to and under our boat. Some seemed quite playful waving there short nubby pectoral fins in the air, while other calmly patrolled the perimeters. There seemed to be quite a bit of belly to belly swimming which led me to think some friskiness may be happening.

Orca going vertical

This hunch was solidified when a group of four whales came inches away from the boat with the big male swimming upside down and showing off his big male parts. Even some of the guides were thrown off guard thinking at first that this whale was giving birt

Well endowed orca

h only to realize with a flushed face what they were truly looking at.

  The water was as flat calm and glassy as a photographer could hope for. It was a typical grey Alaskan day which gives the pictures an almost ethereal feel. It just seemed right that the more we cheered on the orcas' antics the more intrested in us and the boat they acted. It was truly another magical day on the water.