Randy Witter has had a lot of success seeing orcas in the south Puget Sound.
“I was down fishing with my son one day and saw my first fin,” Witter said about the moment that sparked his passion for looking for the impressive marine mammals. “And I was like, that’s an orca.”
The Key Peninsula resident said he has easy access to the Carr Inlet area from where he lives. He’s often able to tell when orcas are approaching and headed to the Purdy Spit, and is now a regular contributor to online reports of orca sightings operated by the Orca Network. The Puget Sound nonprofit runs a popular Facebook group, the Orca Network Community Group, which had 75,500 members as of July 7. The organization aims to connect people to whales and other marine mammals in the Pacific Northwest, per their website. They also advocate for the conservation of Southern Resident orcas, which are endangered.
Witter said he uses a telephoto lens to take high-quality photos of the orcas he sees from the shore. Most of the time, the orcas he sees are 150 to 200 yards away, but he wants to see one much nearer — close enough for a “fully sharp and close-up picture,” he said…