My Quest for Willy

For as long as I can remember, my favorite animal has been the Killer Whale.  Yep, there is no doubt that Free Willy just penetrated my psyche and left me mesmerized by the complexity and beauty of those black and white creatures.  I have posters of Orcas breaching, stuffed animals, a beanie baby, Free Willy and Free Willy 2.  I went to Sea World and got sprayed by Shamu's belly flop.  I even followed Keiko's journey to freedom (Willy's real life counterpart)--and paused to mourn when he died a few years back.  

One of my dreams is to see my majestic friends in their natural habitat.  Even though I went to Sea World once as a child, I dislike the idea of it.  I know that part of the profits go to wildlife protection and conservation efforts blah blah blah but still, they have whales and dolphins in tanks.  I refuse to support animal captivity if I can help it.  My mom and I went on a whale watch cruise in Friday Harbor, WA when I was in the 7th grade, but no whales were in sight, and the highlight of my trip was eating some kelp straight from the sea.  Thoroughly unexciting.  

Now that I am living in the Pacific Northwest, I am more determined than ever to see my whales!  Try as they might, they cannot hide in that vast Pacific Ocean any longer.  The Puget Sound off the Washington coast is not only a popular place for transient Orcas, but it is also home to three pods of Orcas, totaling roughly 90 whales. 

 Thus, the Puget Sound is an obvious hot spot for whale watching in the summer months, with a plethora of cruise lines to choose from.  Three I found that have solid reputations are Island Adventures, Island Mariner Cruises, and San Juan Safaris.     

Two babies were added to the local pods in early February--how cute!--but unfortunately these local inhabitants were recently added to the endangered species list.  Why, you may ask?  Well no one knows exactly why yet, but experts are saying that it is likely the result of depleting numbers of Salmon--the whales' main diet, the warming waters, and the increasing number of whale watch boats, which not only pollute the waters but also may interfere with the whales' communication system due to all the noise.  Well shit.  Now what am I suppose to do?!

One way to help is by choosing a cruiseline that uses biodiesel fuel as oppose to regular old diesel because the ship omits less pollution.  The most prominent biodiesel line in the Puget Sound area is Western Prince.

Another option is to whale watch from the land.  Lime Kiln Point State Park on the San Juan Islands is part of the Washington State Parks, and apparently there is a lovely cove in the park where the local pods of Orcas come to eat and play.  The park is for day-use only, but packing a picnic and a good book for the short hike to the lookout point sounds like a lovely way to pass the time.  Plus, there is no threat of sea sickness!

Whether by land or by sea, come May I will venture up north to Washington's many harbors and finally get some face time with my longtime aquatic friends, if only for a brief magical moment.