On a clear morning, Peter Hamilton drifts in his boat off Point Roberts, watching the J Pod orcas roll by, their tall black fins arcing like the spokes of a wheel through the smooth water.
A baby separates from the group and sidles up to the 18-foot powerboat. Hamilton can see the whale's eye just below the surface.

PETER HAMILTON/LIFEFORCE COURTESY PHOTO
An orca breaches off Lily Point at Point Roberts.