While captaining a whale watching tour outside of Sitka Alaska, I happened to be at the right spot at the right time to get a photo of this large bull Orca coming right at me. This photo was taken just south of Whitestone Narrows, 18 miles north of Sitka. It is one of my favorite photos that I have taken of whales. Of course, orca are not man killers, but their name, Killer Whale evokes shivers down the spines of a lot of people. I love the way the Orca's wake is breaking ahead showing the forward motion and power. I love the long and tall dorsal fin signifying a large male.
In 1996, I witnessed a group of ten Orca teaching their young how to hunt by practicing with an adult Sea Otter. In the end they didn't kill the Otter, but they pounced on him and swatted him back and forth like a beach ball. The whole incident took about 20 minutes and then as fast as the drama began, off the pod went and we stayed to see the poor Otter swim to the shore and slowly drag himself up on the bank as if every bone in his body was broken.
Otters have very little body fat. They are just one big fir ball so an Orca would really rather make a meal of a juicy and blubbery seal or sea lion.
Orca are really family oriented and stay together in their own clans. Many times, out on tour,
I have come upon a cow, a bull, and a calf or two moving through Sitka Sound on their never ending quest for food.
Here is a photo of some Sea Otters that I took in Saint Johns Bay on the way to Salisbury Sound. The blonder faced Otter is simply older than the darker one. When resting, Otters swim on their backs and hold their front and back paws out of the water in-order to stay warmer as those parts are not covered in fir.
Me, piloting the SEA OTTER EXPRESS in 1995.
