Cue the helicopter...

We are going to be in an IMAX movie.

Yes, really.  My understanding is it will be featuring scenery from northwestern Washington State for a new IMAX theater that will be built near the Seattle Great Wheel, the big ferris wheel at the Seattle waterfront.

Our Roche Harbor boat (SeaHawk) was used for filming the whale watch scene.  Before we left for our trip, the helicopter was flying low over Roche Harbor for those set-up scenes.  The assistant director was on our boat, in radio contact with the helicopter crew.

These folks chartered our boat, and had us put people onboard... free trip, but they were instructed that: "I'll let you know when to point and act excited.  We'll CGI the whales in later."

Yes, really.

We discussed heading out Mosquito Pass, with the helicopter making a close pass as we moved into the open water of Haro Strait.  Then, we'd pick a direction and hold that while the helicopter made more passes, with the passengers doing their "excited" part.

The "close pass" turned out to be about 50 feet above the flybridge (with our usual bimini top removed).  At one point, I grabbed my little pocket camera for a shot...

Then, the start of the passes from the side...

Even closer.  Then, a call from the helicopter: "Can you have the captain slow the boat down, and not take photos while we're making our pass?"

Ummm... sorry.

Then another call: "That lighthouse is good for a background.  Can you maneuver closer to the lighthouse?"

Lime Kiln Lighthouse.  The whales were further south; if they had been right here, we have to stay 1/2 mile offshore from the lighthouse.  Yeah, we can get closer.

The helicopter made a pass about 20 feet over our heads, then moved closer to the water towards the lighthouse, then a sweeping pull-up.

"That's great!  Take the boat back and make another pass by the lighthouse!"

The whale watch captain in me was itching to get to the whales, which were further south.  They made another close pass, told us they got the shot, and were heading back to refuel.  I pushed the throttle forward to head for the whales.

About 30 seconds later, the assistant directer got a call... "Well, that was fast.  Someone called the Sheriff about our helicopter buzzing the lighthouse.  Another 10 minutes and another call: "The shot looks good.  You're good to go."

The passengers did a fine job of "whooping it up" for the filming.  And, yes, we did get them to the whales... where they, again, whooped it up... this time, for real. 

We got back to the dock in time to get the assistant directer to his chartered seaplane and on to Seattle for the next shot.  Happy guests... yes, some of them were people who had paid for the trip, then got a refund and a free trip.  And get to be in an IMAX movie.  (Yes, they all had to sign releases.)

First mate Mike said, "So, if they CGI the whales in from that shot next to the lighthouse... does that make us look like we are violating the regulations?"

Making movies.  ;-)

On our second trip, I had a report that the whales had moved north and were moving north between Battleship and Turn Point (close by Roche Harbor).  Of course, the largest party on that trip was late... so the only boat that had been with that group of whales had to move on.  We were going to have to "re-find" them.  At least we had a general idea where to look.

One of the Victoria boats was heading to that area, so we coordinated who would take which part of Haro Strait while we both looked.  We found the whales first, called the other boat, and set up for viewing.  Another boat called and said they'd be heading that way.  Another boat (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife) didn't call, but also set up... to keep an eye on the boats doing the watching.

The way things turned out, a big male (most impressive because of the big dorsal fin) broke off from the rest of the group, essentially blocking the two boats who were coming on-scene.  We had a very active group pretty much to ourselves for about a half hour.  And by "very active," I mean: one of the females breached... then again... and again... and again.  I reached for my little pocket camera, that had been sitting in the sun since the helicopter shoot... I turned it on, got a "low battery" screen, and it shut off.  I think the heat was too much for it.  What happened next will certainly sound like I am making this up.

More breaches than I have ever seen in a single trip.  A couple of double breaches (two whales together).  I stopped counting at 25 breaches.  By this time, the whales had moved near Turn Point Lighthouse, making for a gorgeous background.  The third boat on the scene had a group of photographers onboard - just in time for the whales to stop breaching.  When the whales moved on from the lighthouse, the breaching started again.

Somewhere beyond 35 beaches (including 2 each for the double breaches).  Tail slaps.  Spy hops.  A tail wave as we departed the scene.  Yes, really.

And during it all the 3 young boys (part of the late party) screamed through the whole trip.  I took us back on the "scenic route," through John's Pass and the Cactus Islands.  We saw seals and bald eagles, then turned along Spieden Island and saw Mouflon Sheep and Sitka Deer, including something I hadn't seen before: an albino deer.  All white.  Then heading back to the harbor, a bald eagle fly-over.

Quite the day.

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And, a shot of the blue moon...

Yes, that was after I got back home and got out my "real camera."