Cool fog to the enjoyment of Killer Whales
August 14, 2019On the Marauder IV covered vessel, we ventured out into the Salish Sea for another afternoon of whale watching. This afternoon, however, was like no other! As we headed West we were engulfed in a thick, cool fog that gave us the magically mysterious feeling of being in a snow …
Calm Seas, Cool Animals
August 13, 2019Morning Tour It was a beautiful, flat-calm morning out on the water and within 10 minutes of leaving Victoria Harbour we had spotted our first whale: a Humpback! It was carrying out shallow yet frequent dives, lazily flicking its tail out the water as it went. After watching this individual, …
Cartwheeling Humpbacks
August 12, 2019It was another beautiful day on the water. We set out to the west searching for the Humpback whales that have been feeding in the area over the past few days. Humpback Whale back. Photo by Naturalist Gord. Image taken with zoom lens and heavily cropped. As we explored …
Humpbacks Galore
August 11, 2019Morning Tour We departed the Victoria Harbour in search of wildlife. Rumours of Humpback Whales had us eager to find the gentle giants. In the morning we ventured west and made a stop at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. There, we saw a Bald Eagle, Steller Sea Lions and California Sea …
A Wildlife Symphony
August 10, 2019Morning Upon leaving the harbour we moved south and rounded William Head to travel west. After a period of travel time we came across a single Humpback whale. It curved its spine into the characteristic “hump” shape and showed its reduced dorsal fin before, showing its tail and diving down. …
Five Species in One Day!
August 9, 2019MORNING TOUR A surprise was in store for us this morning as we exited Victoria harbour, a lone male Transient Killer whale was right outside the gates. T65A was travelling west along the coastline, away from his family pod who was nowhere to be seen. He provided a comical moment …
Some Things Never Change
August 8, 2019MORNING TOURS The waters were flat and calm as we headed out into the Salish Sea. The clouds hung low which provided a nice barrier to the sun’s glare and made for perfect spotting conditions. This was proved when we spotted a faint blow in the distance. The sighting got …
Our friend Scratchy!
August 7, 2019MORNING TOURS The chatter on the communications radio had us in belief that Humpback whales were feeding South towards Washington state. The intel proved fruitful and we were soon watching Humpback whales with the Olympic mountains as a backdrop! The first two we watched in succession were relatively small, one …
Fun Day on the Water!
August 6, 2019MORNING TOURS On Tuesday morning we left the harbour in the Victoria sunshine. We headed south to the shallow area known as the “Rock Pile” adjacent to Washington State mainland. We were soon in a sandwich of Humpback whale blows: left, right and behind us. Focusing on the one found …
Animals Big and Small
August 5, 2019Every day is a search; we don’t know exactly where the wildlife is until we find it! A little bit of fog added an extra challenge to our search on the Salish Sea. But it didn’t stop us from having a great time. The morning tour headed for the West …