Our first sighting was a Minke whale right by the bifurcation buoy (I didn't make that up) before we even passed Orcas Island. It surfaced only twice and I didn't catch any pictures, but this sighting was not just a fluke (sweet), as our captain soon announced that a resident orca pod was on the horizon.
We followed this first pod, the J Pod as they are known by researchers, for quite awhile. In that time they treated us to some really great observations of orca behavior. There was a lot of cartwheeling and slapping the water with fins and tails. I've been to Sea World enough times (worked there, even) to think I had grown jaded to watching orcas, but this was a truly magnificent experience.
-Jenni
P.S. Island Adventures gets our "seal" of approval! (Oh, like you didn't think of that one too!)