A little, unexpected drizzle did nothing to dampen our spirits as we set sail for our morning tour on our vessel Marauder IV. With both inside and outdoor seating, it’s equipped to handle any conditions and also the animals we were searching for are waterproof after all!
We cruised south and were just about level with Race Rocks Ecological Reserve when we came across our first species of the morning: Transient Killer whales. It was a rather large pod with approximately 10 individuals. Identified as the T10s and T109As, the group were travelling with indecision; east then south, then east again, only to swap to a southerly direction on the next surfacing. There was a very notable male in the group, T10C known as “Bones”, fully grown with a powerful presence. In contrast the T109As brought two little ones to the table that were born last year, their spritely surfaces were endearing.
Before heading for Victoria, we got to stop by Race Rocks where the numbers of California and Steller Sea Lions are growing by the day and the Harbour Seals are as entertaining to watch as ever. A successful morning!
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