I went out in the Strait with my family to go whale watching. We had been out for about an hour when the captain said someone said on his walkie-talkie that there were animals up ahead. Once we got there, I looked up to the horizon and saw a flash of black on top of the water.

The current pulled us closer and there was another glimpse, and another, and another. They were whales, humpbacks, to be specific. I had never seen live whales in the wild so this was an amazing experience for me. Soon enough, the same family came up in another place and before they all dove down, we were able to see their tails.

For around the next hour, we just simply watched these two families of humpbacks come up and dive down. Near the end of our trip, one came up incredibly close. I really appreciate the Strait of Juan de Fuca and all the oceans for letting amazing animals like this live and thrive. I’ve made a vow to go back there again one day.