September 28, 2006

This morning, after cruising through Race Rocks to see the many seals and sea lions hauled out on the historic lighthouse, we witnessed eight transient killer whales traveling together. The group was a mixture of females, juveniles and calves. Characteristic long dives created some surprises when the whales surfaced. As we traveled through Oak Bay on our return home we spotted a pair of Bald Eagles.

This afternoon we were lucky enough to witness a transient kill. After watching the transient killer whales travel for some time, the water exploded with activity as the eight whales startled some Dall’s porpoises. We had an excellent demonstration of how powerful the whales are as they worked together to chase the porpoises! What a show!

September 27, 2006

We set off this morning on our search into another beautiful day with calm waters and clear blue sky. We knew it was going to be yet another great day. Cruising off to Race Rocks to see the sea lions and seals, from there we met up with a nice playful group of bow riding porpoises. To top things off we got to see a Minke whale. Never a dull day here!

This afternoon we crossed the Straight of Juan de Fuca into US waters to see a Gray whale. The Gray whale was feeding the entire time we were viewing it; diving down to four to five minutes at a time taking huge mouthfuls of sediment and small creatures that were living within. Fifteen minutes west of the Gray whale there were two Humpback whales; a mother and a calf were resting on the surface. As we watched, the calf tolled over displaying its huge pectoral fin and tail fin. As we traveled between the Gray whale and Humpbacks we watched hundreds of porpoise fishing in the kelp forest along the shore line.

Here's a note and fantastic photo from one of our passengers:

Hi in Victoria,
Me and my girlfriend were on your 1pm whale watching tour last thursday with Brad.
First of all, it was a great trip and we enjoyed it a lot.
Secondly, I want to share this picture of one of the Orcas. It was taken with a bit of zoom and has NOT been modified in any way!!! Isn’t it a great (and lucky) shot???
We are already looking forward to our next whale watching trip,
until then,
Markus Dicke
(Germany)

September 24, 2006

This morning, we headed south of Victoria on the search for some transient orcas that were found by our spotter earlier in the morning. On the way, we watched some Stellar sea lions foraging east of Race Rocks while keeping our eyes peeled for the transients that for the time being had given us the slip. After a long search, we encountered the transient orcas just west of Trial Island where we found T20 and the T100's traveling east towards Discovery Island. The large group included two males (T20 and T102A) and a female with a calf. We had a spectacular pass from the 2 males that included a fantastic spyhop from one of the big guys! The morning trip concluded with a tour of Trial Island and Great Chain Island where we watched many Harbour seals that were resting comfortably despite the presence of their most formidable predators only a short distance away.

For Sunday's afternoon tours, we traveled to Haro Strait where we met with the transients again. We also met up with Tucker, a local whale researcher of the canine variety. Tucker spends his time sniffing for whale feces, which is studied by human whale researchers to indicate stress levels, state of reproductive hormones, exposure to toxins and diet. The two male whales were active this afternoon and it was a thrill to have such an intimate encounter. We even saw one of the whales swimming upside down at the surface! Our afternoon trip ended with a great tour of the near shore waters of Chatham Island and Great Chain Island.

September 22, 2006

Wow – what an excellent morning! Our 9 am Orca Spirit tours went out with a full load of eager whale watchers and we did not disappoint! As we came out of the harbour we had a choice of what whales to go and see. We decided to look for the transient orcas that were just around the southern tip of Vancouver Island. We found them with no problems and had a terrific show. There were 4 orcas in total including a small calf who drew "awwwwws" from our group. After that we had a short two minute boat ride to go and visit two Humpback whales that were on the south side of Race Rocks. As we were watching the humpbacks we could see the transients splashing around in the distance, so we went over to investigate. It turns out they were hunting a Harbour seal - the seal managed to evade the whales by jumping onto the engine platform of one of the zodiac boats in the area. The whales circled for a bit and then gave up. Phew! Lucky Harbour seal! After all this action, we decided to slow things down by taking a look at the seals and sea lions over at Race Rocks. The sea lions were as entertaining as ever! Hard to beat this trip!

As hard as our 9am was supposed to be to beat, we had an excellent 1pm trip as well! We came out of the harbour and headed straight for the transient orcas. We had an excellent viewing opportunity and after about 10 minutes we found the humpacks from this morning in front of the transients (about 200 - 400 m)! As it turns out the transients avoided the humpbacks all together. That left us with our knobby nosed friends and they put on an excellent show. After one particularly long deep dive, we were sitting waiting for them to surface with our engines off, and both the humpback whales surfaced near our vessel and we became very aware of how big they really are!! After our fantastic humpback visit we went off to look for the transient orcas again. We then went to visit the sea lions and seals at Race Rocks. Because it was getting nearer to high tide, there were many sea lions swimming around the rocks and we were delighted by their play in the water. An excellent trip and an excellent day!

September 21st Photos

September 21, 2006

With no reports of whale sightings, we left the inner harbour this morning to join other boats in a search along the Coast of San Juan Island for the Southern Resident Orcas. This is one of their major summer fishing grounds. Though the residents eluded us this morning, we spent some time with the Harbour seals out on the Chain Islets, watching as they stared back at us with just as much curiosity.

As we set sail from the harbour this afternoon it looked like it was going to be a bumpy ride given the strong winds. However as we rounded the point around Trail Island the sun came out and the waves flattened out brilliantly. We headed toward San Juan Island and soon saw whales everywhere. These whales were part of all three resident pods and collectively become the “Super Pod”. While originally the whales were quite spread out forging for salmon we had several close encounters with both a large male from L-Pod and a mother and her small offspring. We had many great viewing vantages of the whales visiting our vessel as we drifted along happily. Off in the distance were many whales rising to the surface, we could see sprays’ everywhere. Some of the behavioural examples include breaching, spy hops and tail slaps. It was quite a show!

A few lucky people joined us for our last trip of the day. Our first stop was with two humpback whales, a mother and calf. They were located just a few miles from the harbour of Victoria. A few miles southwest of these whales we found four transient orcas (the T30s). We arrived on scene just as they were sharing a kill. Judging by the scraps the seagulls were snatching up, it was probably a Harbour seal. As the sun started to set we headed to Race Rocks to see the many seals and sea lions hauled out on the rocks. We ended with a smooth ride back into Victoria harbour with the setting sun behind us – absolutely beautiful!

September 20, 2006
Captain John found us some active orcas on our tours today. What great photos!

"SUPERPOD" - September 19th photos

September 19, 2006

The day started off full of surprises. We set off in the morning to Race Rocks at word there were some transient killer whales looking for a quick snack in the form of a seal. When we got there we saw several whales all in the synchronized rise and fall, characteristics of sleeping whales. Then when they all rose together there were just too many of them to be a transient pod and finally when we spotted Ruffles and the recently born calf among the large group we realized this was not only the local residents but all three pods together in a “Super pod”! Upon realizing this we followed the super troopers rise and fall from Race Rocks back to Victoria off Trial Island. The methodical rise and fall gave us great glimpses of each whale finger print the saddle patch; this helped us accurately identify many of the whales.

On the afternoon tours the sun decided to peak out from the clouds and shine upon us as we cruised along the west coast of San Juan Island in search of the super pod. It seems that in our lunch break the super pod divided into J and K-Pods together and L-Pod on its own. We followed J and K-Pods for the duration of our trip, dazzled by their renewed energy and acrobatic displays of breaching, porpoising and even the occasional spy-hop. We finished our trip with views of sunbathing Harbour seals and innumerable Seagulls and Cormorants resting on the chain inlets.

For our final tour of the day we headed back to the San Juan Island to see L-Pod. The 45 whales were cruising south along the coast, fishing and playing as they went along. Hugo (L71) and Mega (L41) displayed some excellent fishing skills as they chased salmon around. We saw just how fast and powerful these animals are as a group of 5 porpoised quickly past our boat. We set off for Victoria Harbour into the setting sun and though it was getting chilly some tough souls stuck it our on the top deck to take in the beauty of the area.

September 17, 2006

We did not have to travel far this morning to encounter some of the amazing marine wildlife in the Victoria area. A couple of miles east of Race Rocks, we found a small group of active and entertaining Dall's porpoise that were playing in the wake of the Orca Spirit. Shortly thereafter, we received word that Captain Brad on one of our zodiacs had encountered a group of transients, the T30's, west of Race Rocks and we raced off to have a look. We were thrilled when he arrived on scene to find a leaping killer whale that had jumped right clear of the water in an amazing display of power and grace. What she was chasing we do not know, and it did not look like it was successful as the whales seemed to abandon their pursuit and moved east past Race Rocks. We traveled with them for a while and watched as they foraged. It was quite a transient show! After leaving the whales, we visited Race Rocks large pinniped population and traveled to Whirl Bay to view the eagles' nests. In Whirl Bay, we also came across two bald eagles!

This afternoon found the whales just a short distance outside of the Victoria harbour. We arrived on scene to find the whales feeding and socializing, with a few spyhops and several tail slaps from the young calf. We also saw what can only be described as a headstand from T30C. After the spectacular visit, we continued our journey and traveled south to Race Rocks, following the same route we did this morning. It made for a great trip, as we were entertained by the antics of several California and Stellar sea lions.

Here are some of the photos taken on today's tours by Corey, onboard biologist.

Here are some great photos taken by Captain John on the Orca Spirit tour on September 16th.

September 14, 2006

What wonderful weather! The Weather Man said it was going to be very yucky, but we had beautiful sunshine and flat calm waters! This morning we went for a trip out around the southern most point of Vancouver Island and traveled all the way to Sheringham Point. e had some fun rollers to play in and after we turned around at Sheringham, we were "surfing" the rollers as we drove with them. Unfortunately, my whale telepathy was not working this morning and they did not come to my silent urgings, but we did stop off at Race Rocks to see the sea lions and seals, which were as amusing as ever. Despite the fact that we did not see whales, we couldn't have had a more beautiful morning!

This afternoon's tours were fantastic! Soon after we got back from our morning trip we had reports of transient orcas traveling towards the waterfront of Victoria Harbor. We traveled for only about 15 minutes and came across a group of about 10 transients (quite a big group for transients) that were traveling slowly towards Race Rocks. I became very excited at the prospect of carnage at Race Rocks (especially when we saw some harbor porpoise in the area), but to the relief of the passengers they were very peaceful and no blood was shed. After the whales had passed Race Rocks, we went and visited with the sea lions and seals for a while and started to head back towards the harbor where there were more transients! We came across a group of at least 15 and they looked to be a little bit more active then the last group, but still no carnage. All in all it was an incredible trip and we were able to see more transients in one area than our driver has ever seen!

September 13, 2006

Initially the morning did not look well for the sightings of Cetaceans. The sky was grey, the whales elusive and there was even a bit of swell off the coast past Race Rocks. However, as we returned from our unsuccessful venture out to sea the whales showed themselves in the true colors of the Orcas Spirit. The Transient Orcas were seen amid the small island of Race Rocks foraging for unsuspecting seals and sea lions that were resting upon the shores. We excitedly saw whale hunting in action as the whales cruised stealthily within 8-10 feet from the shore, sending scores of sea lions into alarm. Fortunately we did not witness a kill, but rather saw the whales continue to drift among the islands as we drifted back to Victoria Harbour.

With the early morning sightings of Transient Orcas we headed straight towards Race Rocks to see our friends. They had drifted up the West Coast and we made a leisurely cruise following them at a safe distance. One curious whale preformed a “spy hop” and surfaced above the water to view us with her eyes. Two other whales swam rapidly past us in a dramatic display of “porpoising.” Even when we thought we had our fill of these wondrous female orcas, a giant male orca joined them out of nowhere with his 6 foot dorsal fin protruding noticeably above water. An exciting display of behavior.

September 12, 2006

This morning we headed west into the fog. Though no sightings of whales had been reported we kept our hopes high as we joined the other boats in a search of the coast line. Very early in our trip we were joined by some shy porpoises. They gave us a few glimpses of their small dorsal fins before they disappeared into the mist. A visit to Race Rocks was rewarded by an up close viewing of some very noisy sea lions.

This afternoon we continued our search though some unexpected rough patches prevented us from going to far. A visit to a small bay near Race Rocks allowed us to see 20 Turkey Vultures soaring above the tree line. Stopping by Race Rocks we watched some sea lions aggressively determine whose rock to sit on was whose. Near the end of the trip the fog broke, allowing the sun to shine through showing the West Coast at its most beautiful.

September 11, 2006

Another amazing day on the water was highlighted by a spectacular Humpback whale sighting this morning and an absolutely awe-inspiring transient show this afternoon! Both trips had us heading west in search of inbound resident orcas. Although we were unsuccessful in our search for residents this morning we were thrilled to see both Harbour and Dall's porpoise on the way to the Humpback whale. The Humpback was fantastic as it was foraging near the boat. Our passengers watched as the amazing whale fluked on a couple of occasions, providing excellent photographic opportunities of the diving whale. We finished the trip with a customer favourite as we drifted through Race Rocks to watch the California and Stellar sea lions.

Carnage was the order of the day for the afternoon trip when we encountered a group of four transient orcas west of Sooke. The group included one large mature male and a very cute mother and calf pair (cute unless you're a Harbour seal :-) ). This encounter with the transients was absolutely incredible as we got to see the whales make a kill, or at least the aftermath. Although we were unable to identify what was taken, the attack was quick, and like many attacks most likely happened under water. We watched the whales feeding and could see the blood in the water. After the attack, we watched as the male spyhopped with half of his body out of the water. Shortly thereafter we left the orcas to their meal and journeyed to Race Rocks to finish another spectacular day of whale watching aboard the Orca Spirit.

Here is a great photo of one of our zodiacs taken by Wayne Dupuis!

September 10, 2006

This morning 3 Transient Killer whales where spotted by one of our zodiac skippers. They were seen foraging by Race Rocks which at this time of year is covered with Stellar sea lions, California sea lions and Harbour seals with their 2 month old pups. We followed the Killer whales as they left Race to forage along the coast of Vancouver Island. After searching through the kelp beds for sometime, the whales found a Harbor seal pup to feast on for breakfast. While watching the Transients hunt, 9 Turkey vultures were spotted scavenging a meal along the beach. A Bald Eagle kept a watchful eye on the vultures in case they left any scraps behind.

The same Transients were around the same area this afternoon but out a little further from shore. When we arrived on scene they were still foraging as Killer whales need to eat approximately 200lbs of food everyday, so that Harbor pup from this morning would only have been a snack. We got some great examples of how long these animals can hold their breath. While we were waiting for the Transients to surface again some Dall’s porpoises were spotted off the bow moving at a very high speed, moments later just behind the porpoises the transients popped up. The three whales worked together to separate a porpoise from the rest of the group. A very exciting chase ensued as the Transients toyed with the porpoise until the final lunge. A visit to Race Rocks completed our trip with a look at some other Killer whale food, the seals and sea lions.