A short bus journey brought us to Puerto Madryn; as we approached it was clear that this would have been a nicer place to recuperate; badlands gave way to city which ended abruptly along the shore of a pristine bay.
For half the year, thousands of southern right whales call the bay home, but we weren't here for them. From February through April, this is the only place on Earth where orcas intentionally beach themselves to attack the seal and sea lion pups at the water's edge.
The first day was spent figuring out the second day, rent a car or take a tour? When Craig's license went missing (it has since been found) the decision was made for us. We learned through talking with the staff at our splendid hostel that orca sightings had been very rare this year, possibly due to changes in the weather; of the last month and a half of guests going in search of killer whales, the staff had only heard of three sightings. That wasn't a promising beginning.
We sped down the bumpy gravel road to a an outlook. The orcas had been seen moving in its direction. We got comfortable leaning over the railing, straining to see around the corner to get a first glimpse of the majestic hunters. In our excitement, we forgot the sunscreen in the van and thus wore more clothing than the sweltering day demanded, with Craig wearing his hoodie as a cape/cloak.
It only took a few minutes of waiting before we could see 6 fins jutting out of the shallow water. To our surprise, they weren't out in the sea, but were swimming along the shoreline.It was three females and three young juveniles. Although there were multiple seals playing in and near the water, we didn't see any attempts on them. But just watching these intelligent creatures so close while they patrolled the beach was magical and goose bump-inducing. You could sense their power as they surfed and rode the waves, and it was chilling to see that ominous fin pointed directly at you.
We were a little frustrated that on our wildlife viewing tour, our longest stop was in a village so people could go to restaurants or do souvenir shopping, but if we had rented a car we probably would have missed seeing the orcas, so in the end, it was a worthwhile tour.
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