Kayaking and Killer Whales

Monday's post brought back great memories of the trips my husband and I have made to Seattle, so I thought I would go back to that area again today, if only in my blog.  What a great city!   I realize that Seattle is known for it's wet, rainy weather, but ironically enough, we had perfect weather on our visits.  Nothing but blue skies and sun.  We had clear views of Mt. Rainier and according to the locals, that is unusual.  However, I didn't care if it rained or not, because I absolutely love it there.  What's a little rain, anyway?
 

One of my favorite visits was when my husband surprised me for my 30th birthday by flying me out to meet up with him on a business trip.  We stayed downtown a few nights, then took a ferry to San Juan Island to stay on a sailboat docked in Friday Harbor.  While visiting a whale museum there, we learned we could take a whale watching trip on the Haro Strait and if we were lucky, spot a few Orcas.  The trip was by kayak rather than motorized boat, but we didn't mind.  We both knew how to kayak, and thought it sounded like fun, so we signed up with a group of 7 or 8 other people.  As we signed the waivers, I shrugged off the idea of any harm coming to us.  The whales would be far away, after all, because we would keep the kayaks close to shore, how scary could it be?

As it turns out, very.  Being in the water with a pod (family) of killer whales is one of the most amazing things I have ever done.  And also one of the most intimidating.  As long as they lingered out in the strait, breaching beautifully, I was fine.  It was when they swam our way that I became nervous, not only because of their incredible size, but because we were the only floating vessels in the water without a motor.  We had been instructed by our tour guide that if they came close we were to stay calm and back-paddle to shore.  Let me just say, kayak paddles don't move a person away nearly fast enough from a pod of approaching orcas!  However, after accidentally whacking the lady in the kayak next to me with my paddle as I frantically back-paddled to shore, my heartbeat slowed down and I began to appreciate sharing the water and such an incredible setting with these remarkable creatures.  They moved in just down the coastline from where we were, swimming and spyhopping.  Soon I found I was no longer intimidated by the whales but rather, mesmerized by their grace.  I felt honored to be in their presence.  Kayaking with the orcas was no longer scary, just wonderful, and very good for the soul!