MORNING TOURS
The sun was shining as we set sail from Victoria Harbour. We didn’t know what we were going to see but had high hopes for a day full of wildlife. We made our way south, past Race Rocks into the Juan de Fuca Strait. We were rewarded with our patience as we spotted blows in the distance. A lone Humpback was feeding in the deep waters close to Washington state. We were lucky enough to see the large tail flukes as the animal dove down deep into the water. It was awesome to see.
Moving on, we made our way east and stumbled upon another awesome sight. A pod of Transient Killer whales were making their way west, back in the direction we came from. We quickly turned around and watched as they motored their way in search of Seals, Sea lions, or Porpoises to eat. Their black dorsal fins cut through the waves like knives, gracefully stalking their way through the ocean. Leaving the pod we made our way back to Victoria, excited with the fantastic morning, and excited to see what more we could see in the morning.
AFTERNOON TOURS
Another travel South was on the cards for Saturday afternoon. We headed out of the harbour with reports of Transient Killer whales near Sooke. As we drew closer to Race Rocks Ecological Reserve and Lighthouse we were intrigued to hear the family pod of Orca had been in the park hunting for about a half hour! They made their way out the reserve heading West and that’s where we viewed them. Round the coastline of Bentinck Island they went continuing their path west, eventually tracing East Sooke National Park. It was believed to be the family group T109As with a very prominent male whose dorsal fin stuck evidently out of the water for everyone to see.
We then continued the adventure South where we bumped into a couple of Humpback whales. Always a breathtaking sight to see these huge animals in their natural habitat. Big breaths and graceful flukes, then we had to start making our way back North but not before a quick swing by Race Rocks ourselves. It was a Harbour seal, Steller and California Sea Lion soup, topped off with stunning views of the second oldest lighthouse in Western Canada. A full and congrats way to finish off the day!
