We visited the ‘American Serengeti’ that harbours one of the highest concentrations of whales, dolphins and marine life in the world, including a totem species, the orca. Because of widespread wildfires in British Columbia and elsewhere, much of the Pacific Northwest, including Seattle, was covered by a thick layer of smoke, coming throuqgh at the same time as a heatwave. Despite the smoke we had a great morning spotting two pods of wild orca.

On 6 September 2017, we did a half-day trip on the Chilkat Express from Edmonds (just north of Seattle) and about an hour into the cruise, travelling south in Puget Sound, we could see orcas! The Southern Resident orcas are actually a large extended family, or clan, comprised of three pods: the J, K and L pods. Within each pod, families form into sub-pods centred around older females, usually grandmothers or great-grandmothers. Both male and female offspring remain in close association with their mothers for life. We saw a pod of Transient orcas, the mammal-eating killer whales.

Puget Sound Express is a proud member of the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA), dedicated to responsible, sustainable marine wildlife viewing and conservation in the Pacific Northwest. The Chilkat Express is a hydrofoil jet boat with no propellers, making it one of the quietest in the whale watch fleet.

Wild animals would not stay in a country where there were so many people. Pa did not like to stay, either. He liked a country where the wild animals lived without being afraid.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Photography by Ronel van Zyl

About the author

Sharing life

I am a British South African living in London and sharing my passion for London, Great Britain, my country of birth South Africa, events and my travels. I am a freelance photographer and can always be found with my camera. I believe a photo can tell a story so much better. I love capturing the moment.

Visit Ronel’s blog at https://ronelvanzyl.blogspot.co.uk