July 9, 2006

The morning tour aboard the Orca Spirit found us in southern Rosario Strait at the bottom of Lopez Island visiting with members of K and J-Pod. The whales were spread out offshore. Passengers were treated to some breaches as the whales made their way along the shore as they traveled towards San Juan Island. It was an excellent trip!

The afternoon tour was nothing short of spectacular! We arrived on scene offshore of Lime Kiln State Park on San Juan Island to find the whales in a playful mood. The killer whales put on a tremendous social display that included breaches, spy hops, tail slaps, pectoral slaps, logging, and rolling. We had a great visit with a sprouter male, Mike (J26), who put on a tremendous acrobatic show of breaching that thrilled our passengers and crew. It is a true pleasure to spend time with these magnificent animals.

On our return journey to Victoria we traveled through the Chain Islets to view the Harbour seals, Cormorants and other sea birds. At our last stop near Great Chain Island, we witnessed an attack by a bald eagle on the double-crested cormorant colony. It was another great trip aboard the Orca Spirit!