I had to think about this overnight...

I come down from the helm at the end of each trip and help people get back on the dock.  I always say a few words about the trip, thank folks, and remind them to take all their belongings with them.  Every group is different.  I was surprised by the lack of enthusiasm... we had one of the best viewings of the season, with the boat in a great position, nice weather and calm seas.  The naturalist and I could not have been more excited about what just occurred.

On the way home, I stopped the boat and pointed out, "Besides that great viewing we just had, take a moment to take in the beauty all around us - looking to the southwest you can see the peaks of the Olympic Mountains above the clouds.  Look to the east and you can see Mount Baker.  The water we are on right now is the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and this is as calm as I've ever seen it.  The mountains silhouetted to the west are on Vancouver Island, Canada.  What a great day!"

Maybe it's because they can see things on the Discovery Channel, where hundreds of hours of video are edited into a couple of minutes?  I think some folks expect the trip to be like going to Sea World - whales right outside the harbor, breaching and jumping on command.  Unrealistic, of course... these are magnificent animals in their habitat; we get a view at the way they really live... see them on their endless search for food... see the family units working together... and occasionally see the joy when they jump and breach.

Breaching is the thing everyone wants to see.  We don't see it everyday.  Sometimes not every week.  Earlier this summer, we had a professional photographer who booked 4 trips with our company... he finally got the image he wanted on the 4th trip, and it is spectacular...

I'm not disappointed when we don't see this... well, I am disappointed on the occasional trips where we don't see whales; I really do want people to get the opportunity to see the Orcas.  Most of the time, people understand.

When I came down from the helm yesterday, I expected to see people still pumped up over what we had seen and experienced.  Maybe because I know from experience how special that whole trip was?