whale watching

Disneynature’s acclaimed new film Earth presents the most spectacular 100 minutes of wildlife footage I have ever seen. The film reunites directors Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield, who produced the award-winning BBC series “Planet Earth,” in a new venture that brings equally stunning images to the big screen.

For 20 minutes I’d stood at the rail of the Pelagic, watching the rise and submersion of two black dorsal fins in Haro Strait, off San Juan Island. “Granny,” a 95-year-old orca matriarch, and “Ruffles,” named for the ripply edge on his fin, were cruising the silver waters in search of Chinook salmon.