Rhonda Tallant

We purchased the Orca Point Lodge and Whale Watching on-line prior to the cruise and it couldn't have turned out any better! Because there were already 3 ships in port, we had to tender to shore. It was raining that morning, so it was a little miserable to start with..however it did clear up. Once on shore, we boarded a comfortable bus and were surprised to see that there were only about 20 people on the bus so we weren't cramped. We took a short bus ride to the boat for the Whale Watching portion of the trip. The boat we were on was huge and because there were only 20 of us, it allowed us to walk around easily & take a whole row of seats all to ourselves. The boat had two levels. The bottom level was enclosed and heated with room for probably 75 people (there were only about 12 that stayed on the first level). The 2nd level was partially enclosed and partially open. There was a small snack bar where you could by snacks and drinks and they provided coffee, cocoa and water free.

So did we see whales? Boy did we ever! We started out seeing a couple from a distance and the boat would move closer. They are restrictions as to how close they can get to the whales.but the captain would get as close as allowed. When that couple went under for a 'terminal dive' (stays under for an extended period), he would move on to look for others. The highlight came when we saw a group of about 4 whales and he pulled as close as he could. The whales were doing dives and I was able to get several pictures of them. The captain shut off the boat once we were as close as we could get and we watch in fascination as the whales began swimming closer and closer to us. At one point, one of the whales was within about 3 feet from the back of the boat. The guide opened the back door so we could see the whale up close and it felt like it was so close I could have touched it. Until you see one that up close, you can't appreciate how massive these creatures truly are.