39 Killer Whales Put On A Show For Ferry Riders

It started out as just another ferry run from Seattle to Vashon Island. Then the skipper found himself navigating through a pod of 39 killer whales out for a salmon dinner.

Capt. Mike Chase alerted passengers and slowed the Kalama so everyone could get a look Wednesday.

“I first saw one about a quarter-mile away and slowed down immediately,” Chase said. “We go at a pretty good clip, so it wouldn’t take long to be right on him, and I didn’t want to spook him or hit him.”

Next thing he knew, “we were right in the middle of them,” the skipper said.

“We only see them down here a couple of times a year,” he said. “It’s pretty special when you get the chance.”

The orcas began arriving in Puget Sound on Monday. Rich Osborne, curator of the Friday Harbor Whale Museum, said it’s unusual to have so many so far south at this time of year.

The ones encountered by the ferry are from two families usually found around the San Juan Islands, about 80 miles to the north - the 20-member J-Pod, which arrived Monday, and the 19-member K-Pod.