So my mom and I have been obsessed with orcas for the past few years so we decided that it was time to see orcas in the wild ?

We traveled from Missouri to Seattle on June 10th and rode on a ferry to the San Juan islands on the 13th. The next day we went whale watching with San Juan Excursions (who is absolutely fabulous because if you don’t see orcas, you get to come again for free until you do) and saw humpback whales but no orcas. The next two days we saw a minke whale and various other amazing marine mammals but still no orcas ? On June 17th, we nervously boarded again. It was our last possible day to whale watch since we were leaving on a ferry early the next day. It was our lucky day!

We saw two gorgeous transient matrilines as they casually traveled along the west side of San Juan! ? Being able to see T46E’s huge sprouting dorsal was awe-inspiring. I started crying immediately. Best day of my life!

 

-Lillianna