A highlight of our recent trip to the San Juan Islands was our whale watching trip on a fast-moving zodiac boat. We were accompanied by a naturalist who shared information about the Orca whales who frequent the local waters. About an hour into the trip we encountered two pods of killer whales in Canadian waters. Strict regulations required us to keep a distance of at least 200 yards, making it difficult to get a clean shot. Never mind that the boat was traveling fast -at almost 25 knots- and bouncing up and down with lots of spray. In the upper left corner of this shot you can see a small black fin of another killer whale in the distance.