When a 10,000-pound orca whale decides to leap out of the water in front of a boat, it tends to leave a lasting impression.

Western Washington U. senior Bryan Tibbs knows this first hand.

At the age of 11 or 12 while  crab fishing with his family in the San Juan Islands, a whale approached their boat, swam under it, and leapt out of the water a few yards away.

“It’s pretty incredible when you witness something like that,” Tibbs said. “It’s burned into my memory. I remember being able to see its eye when it was sideways under the water.”

There are more than a dozen whale-watching companies scattered along the coast of Washington and throughout the San Juan Islands. Summer provides a great time for locals and tourists to get out on the water and experience orca whales.

The close proximity of Bellingham to the islands, which boast some of the best whale watching in the country, has tourist companies busy — and wildlife officials on the lookout for anyone in violation of Washington’s whale laws.

Victoria Souze is a naturalist for Island Mariner Cruises, a whale-watching company run out of Bellingham.

She said whale watching is anything but an exact science, but the best chance to see a whale is out on a boat.

“Certain [mother whales] like to come up and show off their babies,” Souze said.   “Sometimes they will come up to look at the passengers hanging over the rail.”

Souze said the boat has been surrounded by a pod of whales and had to wait as long as 20 minutes before observers could turn on their engine and safely leave.

Options for up-close sightings are limited to areas such as Lime Kiln Point State Park, located on San Juan Island, Souze said.

She said this location is a great place to stand on shore and watch as the whales come close to the cliffs and play in the kelp beds.

Orca whales usually swim in groups made up of multiple families, called pods. Each pod is assigned a letter to help keep track of them. Local pods have anywhere from 10 to 42 whales, Souze said.

Other whale watching companies such as San Juan Safaris, San Juan Excursions and Victoria San Juan Cruises advertise that they spot whales 90 to 95 percent of the time.

With so many boats on the water, wildlife officials regularly patrol the water to make sure the whales are kept safe.

Sgt. Russ Mullins, an enforcement officer for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the department’s goal is to protect the whales from harm or harassment, either accidental or intentional.

Under a 2008 Washington law, it is illegal for any vessel, including kayaks, to come within 300 feet of a whale. Crossing the path of a whale or failing to turn off a boat’s engine are offences that could result in a penalty of up to $1,025.

Mullins said the department has issued about 10 citations in Whatcom and San Juan counties since the law was passed – mainly to commercial cruise boats – but most cruise companies are supportive of the laws.

“It is kind of difficult to judge distances out on the water,” Mullins said. “We’re not going to take enforcement action on someone who is 98 yards from the whale. We are just trying to educate people about the whales.”