Very few events in life can actually be categorized as “once in a lifetime.” Viewing the ocean’s top predator, the orca (yes, they even eat sharks), from a sea kayak would certainly qualify. Fortunately, these amazing marine mammals can be found just a day’s drive from North Idaho near the San Juan Islands of Washington State.
My friends and I decided to see if we could be one of the chosen few to experience orcas up close and personal. Our tour company, San Juan Outfitters, made it clear only about 20 percent of kayakers actually have the opportunity to kayak with these majestic creatures, given they travel about 100 miles per day. Thus, you must be in the right place at the right time.
Our adventure began in Roche Harbor on San Juan Island, where we met our guide, Alex. Alex is everything you would expect in a kayak guide: He is cheery, sports a beard that would put Grizzly Adams to shame, and gives the impression he really loves his craft beers.
With just the right amount of humor, Alex instructs us on how to don our spray skirts and how to hold our paddles. We are, after all, about to embark on a fun and exciting excursion, even though the incredible currents and orcas do present some danger. (Note: there has never been a known attack by orcas on humans in the wild.)
Once we were in our sea kayaks we pushed off and soon the fancy, yet rustic, Roche Harbor was in our wake. The kelp, with its long fronds, danced in the currents like a mermaid’s mane. We paddled past gorgeous homes and turned south along the sparsely inhabited west side of San Juan Island. According to Alex, the Southern Resident killer whales frequent this side of the island because this is where their prey, Chinook salmon, is found. He also informed us that this population is critically endangered with only 81 whales left. Currently, there are four new calves, which is a saving grace considering it’s been more than two years since an orca calf has survived. Because of their dire situation, we were even more interested in observing these animals.
Alex pointed out a bald eagle flying above our heads when we heard what sounded like a muffled gunshot. My heart raced when I saw five blows in the distance. Alex immediately told us to “raft up,” meaning to link arms, thus making it easier for the orcas to maneuver around us. With each surfacing we could see the whales coming closer. The males have a massive 6-foot dorsal fin that slices through the water like a samurai sword. It conjured up both excitement and fear within us.
Out of nowhere a whale surfaced about 30 feet off our bow.
We could hear the exhale and inhale and see the white eye-patch and white belly just below the surface. She continued to swim by, followed by seven other orcas. One of the huge 30-foot males swam beneath us, angling his body just enough for his fin to miss our tiny kayaks. I could see his eye looking up at me. Sailors tell tales of looking into the eye of a whale, and I can now understand why. I was completely humbled in their enormous presence.
We watched them surfacing up the island away from us as we sat there, wallowing in amazement and wondering if that had truly just occurred. All at once, as if we had just come to, we erupted in cheers as we realized we were part of the chosen few. We had just experienced a single moment in the lives of these incredible animals and in doing so created a defining moment in our own. A once in a lifetime experience.
By Meegan Corcoran
As Featured In: Winter/Spring 2016