The crew leaned over the railing. The water was clear. The shape was large and black, moving with power but also intention. Smooth arcs. No splashing. No diving.
Then the dorsal fin broke the surface. “That’s no dolphin,” one of them muttered. “It’s an orca.”
They all knew orcas weren’t common this close to shore. And definitely not alone. But this one didn’t seem lost. If anything, it looked like it was circling them, waiting.