I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time several years ago. The closeness to the boat is revealed in the fact that my camera is a “Pentax Optio with a 3X Optical Zoom” and I was not using much of the zoom. The “TWO for” aspect of the photo is the second orca under water to the left. Orcas are member of the dolphin family and as such are curious. On many occasions over the years I have seen orca change their direction of travel to come close to a boat and even make circles around the boat to check out the occupants. The “checking out” is obvious as they turn on their side to get a better view and on one occasion a spyhop about seven meter (20 feet) behind the boat. Sometime sitting and waiting is the best option.
It appears that humans are not the only mammals that drool in their sleep. It may take a few clicks on this photo to have it enlarge but the drool is there. There are several dozen Steller sea lions that spend their summer in our viewing area and most of them are the large older males. There are several small rocky islands in the area of Telegraph Cove that provides a “haul out” for the sea lions. As long as we manage to stay “up wind” they provide a great opportunity for interesting photographs.
