Whale Watching • Seattle + Victoria

Hey y'all! I hope Monday was good to you and Tuesday was kind. We are nearly half way through the week already, and as much as I've accomplished, it feels like it should at least be next week by now! Ha! Anyway, I am excited you are here today. Like yesterday's post, I'm including this with Seattle + Victoria, because you can take this tour from both locations. Today's post is all about my absolutely favorite bit of our Seattle + Victoria trip—orca whale watching!

Yes, you read that right, we went killer whale watching! And NOT at Sea World, but in the wild! Along with whale watching in Maui, Orca Whale watching in the San Juan Islands was one of the most amazing experiences I've had in my life. To see these majestic animals in their natural habitat is nothing short of magical, and a true pinch me moment.

For our whale watching excursion, we left from Victoria shortly after arriving on our ferry, so from one boat to another. Like I mentioned earlier, this is also something you can do from Seattle as well. The San Juan Islands are accessible by car and boat from both Seattle and Victoria, so you could even elect to drive to the island and whale watch from there.

Five Star Whale Watching and their wonderful guides took us on a wonderful excursion filled with wildlife sightings. For weeks before our trip, I had been praying that we would see these elusive whales. Then our guide told us that there had been no sightings in the last several days of any whales of any species. I amped up the prayers right away! And, boy, did God bring his A-Game, as he always does. We saw a large pod of 27 including males, females, and even babies. It was absolutely breathtaking! You'll also notice some kayakers in the distance with the whales along side them—yes, you can kayak with the orca whales! Can you even imagine!? Adding that to my bucket list! ;) Along with the whales, we had the pleasure of seeing puffins, a bald eagle, and harbor seals that looked like little bananas huddled up on their little island. :)

You'll notice that my photos of the whales are not the greatest. I elected to focus my eyes on the prize per-say. Rather than miss out on seeing them with my own eyes, I just snapped the camera without paying too much attention to it. Yes, capturing photos was important to me, but I also did not want to regret only seeing them through the camera lens. I think we miss out on so much of life by doing that. Focusing on the perfect shot, we miss out on what is actually happening in front of us. Though I hate the photos aren't perfect, I LOVE that I experienced this and saw these beautiful creatures with my own eyes even more!