The mother prior to this picture had caught and shared two salmon with her cubs. The large female in this photo had caught her first fish when the mother came over and took it away…
Hard to believe that the whale breached twice in a row. That is often the reason one gets a good photo because you are now prepared. Do not think that a long lens is necessary I use a waterproof Pentax Optio Wpi 6MP with a 3X Optical Zoom. A good lens is better but over the past few years I have seen some great photos taken on Phones and Tablets.