August 14, 2006

It was another fine day for whale-watching as the Orca Spirit traveled to San Juan Island in search of our southern residents. We met up with some of the L-12's south of False Bay and watched intently as a small group of whales foraged nearby. On the return to Victoria, we stopped off at one of Captain John's favourite locales, the east coast of Discovery and Chatham Islands. Here, many Harbour seals were sprawled lazily on the many rocky outcrops enjoying the warmth of the late morning sun. It was a spectacular way to complete another great trip!

In the afternoon, we traveled to meet members of J-Pod that were traveling south from Vancouver. We met up with the whales just south of Turn Point and were greeted with some fantastic breaches by a young sprouter, probably J-26! The whales were actively foraging in the tidal rips, and were very vocal as well. We were treated to some excellent views of several whales, including a couple of mother and calf pairs. It is always a pleasure to be able to see the close bond between a mother and her calf. In resident orcas, this bond is maintained throughout a killer whale's life.

The evening trip found us back at False Bay again in the company of J-Pod. It was another amazing evening in which we were again treated to breaching orcas almost as soon as we arrived on scene. The whales appeared to be in a jovial mood, and in between the many periods of active foraging, we saw several tail slaps, breaches and a spectacular spyhop! We watched patiently as the many whales swam past our boat. Our southern residents put on another tremendous show. It was another fantastic day on the Orca Spirit!

Here are some great photos taken by Captain Christian on the evening zodiac tour.