Whale watching in Seattle in July
Mar 27th, 2002 | 08:29 PM
#2
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I went last August. From what I understand if you take a boat directly to the islands you don't see too much wildlife. There's a boat tour company that leaves from Seattle or Anacortes that will take you to specific locations to see wildlife. Absolutely breathtaking!
Mar 28th, 2002 | 12:39 PM
#3
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I believe April and May are best for whale watching...my daughter's 2nd grade class went last year in April and had a GREAT time--Orcas spouting and going RIGHT under our boat!
July can be a wonderful time to visit Washington but you'll have a lot of company, especially in the San Juan Islands, make reservations way ahead and plan on long ferry lines. The islands are pretty but our favorite time to visit is Sept/Oct when the crowds have gone.
July can be a wonderful time to visit Washington but you'll have a lot of company, especially in the San Juan Islands, make reservations way ahead and plan on long ferry lines. The islands are pretty but our favorite time to visit is Sept/Oct when the crowds have gone.
Mar 28th, 2002 | 01:41 PM
#4
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At the risk of sounding like a party pooper or worse, can I just put in a word about Orca watching in Puget Sound? I know this is a big business, but having an Orca come up "right under your boat," while thrilling, is a very dangerous thing - not for you, but for the Orca. These intelligent, curious creatures are at real risk of injury from props or other human-made objects or debris in the water, and deaths or serious injuries happen all too often.
Most whale watching operators are consciencious people, who wouldn't want their own jobs jeopardized by their actions, but increasing tourist pressure on Orca pods - keeping them away from feeding areas, for example, or getting between them and their prey or kin, can reduce their survival rates. There is already evidence of us "loving to death" some of these animals.
Right now in Seattle, a heartbreaking drama is playing itself out on TV every night - an orphaned Orca juvenile, separated from its Canadian pod, is getting so accustomed to people and boats, and so lonely, that it's now hanging out near a ferry dock, has been seen rubbing up against one of the Vashon ferries, and has caused ferries to detour or slow down in order to miss her with their propellers or hull. It's all very exciting for the ferry passengers, but it's a disaster waiting to happen for the poor Orca.
While this is dramatic, it's indicative of a bigger problem. Orcas and other marine mammals are part of a complex system, and if we turn them into tourist attractions we run the risk of disrupting that system, no matter how well-intentioned we are. We don't want repeats of Keiko, the "Free Willy" Orca that was released in Iceland only to keep coming back to its pen because it lacks independent survival skills.
I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm scolding - I don't mean to be negative. I've been thrilled by seeing big creatures up close in the wild, too (in the case of a Bowhead who bumped the bottom of my 14' Smokercraft in the Pribilof Islands - way, way too close...) But I really hope folks will take pains in making sure their whale watching trips are being run by real professionals who know how high the stakes really are.
Most whale watching operators are consciencious people, who wouldn't want their own jobs jeopardized by their actions, but increasing tourist pressure on Orca pods - keeping them away from feeding areas, for example, or getting between them and their prey or kin, can reduce their survival rates. There is already evidence of us "loving to death" some of these animals.
Right now in Seattle, a heartbreaking drama is playing itself out on TV every night - an orphaned Orca juvenile, separated from its Canadian pod, is getting so accustomed to people and boats, and so lonely, that it's now hanging out near a ferry dock, has been seen rubbing up against one of the Vashon ferries, and has caused ferries to detour or slow down in order to miss her with their propellers or hull. It's all very exciting for the ferry passengers, but it's a disaster waiting to happen for the poor Orca.
While this is dramatic, it's indicative of a bigger problem. Orcas and other marine mammals are part of a complex system, and if we turn them into tourist attractions we run the risk of disrupting that system, no matter how well-intentioned we are. We don't want repeats of Keiko, the "Free Willy" Orca that was released in Iceland only to keep coming back to its pen because it lacks independent survival skills.
I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm scolding - I don't mean to be negative. I've been thrilled by seeing big creatures up close in the wild, too (in the case of a Bowhead who bumped the bottom of my 14' Smokercraft in the Pribilof Islands - way, way too close...) But I really hope folks will take pains in making sure their whale watching trips are being run by real professionals who know how high the stakes really are.
