August 30, 2006

This morning we headed west on the search for transient orcas. To our surprise and delight we found four transients south of Beachy Head. After spending some time with the whales, watching them forage for marina mammals feasting on large bait balls, we headed for historic Race Rocks. This time of year the ‘Rocks’ are covered with noisy, fragrant seals and sea lions.

For our afternoon tours we returned west to watch the transients. We got some fantastic looks at their large dorsal fins.

For the evening tours we went in search for an elusive Humpback whale previously sighted west of Race Rocks. After passing by Race Rocks to take a look at the sea lions battling for the prime haul out sites, we headed to Whirl Bay to see a Bald Eagle’s nest. While spotting for the eagles, a family of Black-tailed Deer were seen on the bluff below the nest. The tours concluded with a beautiful sunset as we made our way back to the harbour.

August 29, 2006

This morning we went on a whale search out towards Race Rocks. We were very successful and found a group of transient orcas at Beacher Bay, including a very large male named T63. He is a distinctive whale with a large notch out of the top, rear of his dorsal fin. It was very exciting to see him since he came to visit all the way from Alaska! He was accompanied by about 5 other whales and we had an excellent show!

This afternoon was an adventure! The naturalist and the teenagers on board had a great time on the top deck ducking the splashes from the waves. We saw the same whales as this morning (T63 and about 5 others) just south of Race Rocks! They were swimming and diving in many different directions; indicative of hunting! We did not see them make a kill above the water, but were quite sure that it happened below the surface. Afterward we went over to race rocks (still having fun in the waves) to visit the seals and sea lions.

August 28, 2006

It was another great day for whale watching as we headed east towards Salmon Bank in search of the L12's. We arrived on scene to find the whales resting and moving slowly towards Eagle Point. It was truly an inspiring sight to see as the large group of approximately 9 whales surfaced and dove almost in unison in the calm seas. After our time with the whales, we completed our journey with a trip through the Chain Islets to view the Harbour seals and sea birds.

This afternoon, we arrived off of Eagle Point to find the L12's foraging and socializing. We saw a tremendous cartwheel almost immediately upon arrival, and were treated to a very intimate pass from Mega (L41). The periods of intense foraging were interrupted by some excellent breaching and percussive behaviour (tail slaps and pectoral slapping). What a spectacular experience!

The evening we traveled to the waters north of Lime Kiln Lighthouse where we met up with members of K and L-Pod foraging as they made their way south along the coast of San Juan Island. There appeared to be whales every where this evening and we were treated to some fantastic passes by several whales. The whales were really vocal tonight, with lots of echolocation and some amazing cries and whistles that were heard through our hydrophone. We were treated to some amazing breaches, and were also treated to a visit from a very small calf (most likely the new K-Pod baby) and its mother. It was yet another great evening trip for passengers aboard our Orca Spirit tours!

Here is a note and some photos from our passengers.
(It is never too late to send us a message and some photos – we love to see them!)

Hello All,

Here some pictures from our vacation on Victoria 4th (morning trip zodiac 9.00 am) and 5th (afternoon trip orca spirit) of July 2005. Sorry that it is one year later, but better late then never, so we think. Hopefully you have something of our pictures, and you can put them on your site. We had a great time, maybe we see you about a several years again.

Bye, Bye

Mrs M. Tijink and Mr A. de Jong from The Netherlands.

August 27, 2006

This morning, we did not have to head far as our spotter Brenden found whales off the Victoria waterfront! We arrived on scene to find a resting group of J and K-Pod whales making their way slowly towards Haro Strait. We were thrilled to see the newest addition to our southern resident community, K41, in the group. After visiting with the J's and K's, we traveled rest to find another large group of L-Pod whales also in a resting state. Another highlight of the morning was a trip to Race Rocks to view the California and Stellar sea lions. What a spectacular morning!

In the afternoon, we traveled to Haro Strait where we again met up with L-Pod, who were still in a resting state. We got some excellent views of Faith (L57) and many of our L-Pod favourites than continued traveling east to meet up the J's and K's. After an intimate visit with Ruffles (J1) and a few other J-pod whales, we traveled to Eagle Point, where we watched some whales foraging actively off. It was an amazing afternoon spent with all 3 pods, concluded with a spectacular visit through the Chain Islets.

August 26, 2006

This afternoon we spent time with members of J-Pod! We had an intimate encounter with one of the females from the pod, who turned around to come and check us out - who's watching who? We were also able to see one of our favourites, J1 (Ruffles) who was foraging in an area close to our boat. It was a wonderful, flat calm afternoon and we were able to see many other animals in the ocean, including Lions Mane Jellyfish. Also, to top off our afternoon we came across a small seal pup lounging on a floating log out in the middle of Juan de Fuca strait. Very cute and sat still for some very nice photo shots for our guests!

We had a beautiful evening on the 5PM Orca Spirit trip. The weather was very nice and we had a little bit of chop for the trip home, just enough to have fun in the bumps! We spent our time with members of K and L-Pod and many times during the trip we were surrounded by whales. The acoustics were awesome; sound was traveling far and we could hear the blows from great distances. We also had many opportunities to put the hydrophones down and listen to the whale chatter below the surface. There were many clicks, squeals, and whistles.

A note and some GREAT photos from a passenger:

Hello,

My family and I had a great time on a zodiac tour on August 23rd. Thank you! I have attached a few photos from the 1:00pm tour,

Thanks again,
Kirsten Brown

August 25, 2006

As the fog lifted we began our tour by heading to the west side of San Juan Island. While we approached, we received word from the Spotting Network that the whales had traveled offshore. When continued on to Salmon Bank and immediately enjoyed a beautiful look at Skana (L79)! We carried out the rest of the tour while a subgroup of L-Pod, the L12’s, searched the water for salmon.

Our afternoon tours led us to Eagle Point on the west side of San Juan Island. We enjoyed another great viewing of the feeding L12s’. On this tour we were able to positively identify males Skana (L79) and Mega (L41) as well as female Spirit (L22). On our return home we stopped by Discovery Island where we watched a large group of Harbour seals getting in and out of the water. Our last stop was at the Chain Islands to identify sea birds.

This evening proved to be another beautiful tour. We headed east again, this time past San Juan Island to Iceberg Point on Lopez Island. The L12’s had finished feeding and began their peaceful resting state. We enjoyed watching the whales rise to the water’s surface – a spectacular end to another great day on the water!

August 24, 2006

Here are the staff favourites from the 5pm tour – it was absolutely AMAZING! The whales were very social and we got to witness some mating behaviour.

August 22, 2006
Although we were not able to find whales today we did see an abundance of local wildlife! Have a look at Captain John’s photos.

August 18, 2006

Here is an amazing video from Leslie Waters - one of the passengers onboard our zodiac tour on August 18th. The whales changed their direction of travel and came right over to our zodiac for a close pass!

Here's Leslie's note:
Hi Everyone!
Attached is the video I took of our close encounter with the whales. What an incredible experience! I only wish I had kept the video running a little longer...
Thanks!
Leslie

August 21, 2006

This morning we traveled east to San Juan Island to look for our resident orcas. After a long search, we encountered the whales offshore of Eagle Point heading towards San Juan Island at a high rate of speed. It was a true nature spectacle this morning as we watched several whales breaching, spyhopping and porpoising! It was a thrilling start to the day.

The afternoon found us again in the waters off southern San Juan Island. Arriving on scene, we were greeted by a large number of K-Pod whales and were thrilled to see the new K-Pod baby (K-41) alive and well, traveling with her mother Sekiu (K-22). We were excited to see this very cute young whale spyhop! It was a great trip as we watched representatives from all 3 pods including Faith (L-57), Mike (J-26) and the always spectacular old male Ruffles (J-1)! As often happens when we encounter "superpod", the whales were very social and we saw several breaches, tail slaps and pectoral slaps. It was another fantastic experience for both the passengers and crew aboard the Orca Spirit.

Our evening trip was spent in the waters off False Bay on San Juan Island in the company of our southern residents. We arrived on scene to find the whales doing what they do best - foraging! Southern resident killer whales spend up to 65 % of their time hunting for salmon. We watched patiently as several whales foraged in the strong tidal currents. After a great pass with K-21 (Cappucino), we left the whales and returned to Victoria. We stopped at the Chain Islets to watch the Harbour seals in the slowly setting sun. It was an excellent way to end another wonderful wildlife experience.

August 20, 2006

9 am trip
This morning, we traveled to Salmon Bank where we were greeted by a breaching orca, L-79. The whales were spread out and foraging on salmon. After a brief visit with Skana and a few other whales, we found Mega (L-41) foraging nearby and spent some time viewing the magnificent adult male. It was a spectacular morning.

1 pm trip
We traveled to Stuart Island to catch up with the L-pod whales from the morning trip. We arrived on scene to find the J's and K's traveling south. It was a fine afternoon for whale watching and the whales were in a very social mood. Tail slaps, breaches, and spy hops were common. We also had a great pass with one of our favourite young males, K-21!

5 pm trip
Although each trip we do is special, this evening's trip was definitely a highlight of the season. We started our trip this evening just south of Lime Kiln lighthouse visiting with a large group of what appeared to be K-pod whales. After a brief visit with these whales, we set off north in search of more. We encountered a large group of whales foraging and socializing west of Speiden Island. Words cannot express how amazing this trip was! With so many whales nearby, we were at a loss as to which way to look. The vocalizations and social behaviour was astounding, as members of at least two pods treated us to an amazing swim-by. Spyhopping, logging, tail slaps and pectoral slaps were all exhibited by our southern resident whales. We had some amazing views of a few mother and calf pairs, and an amazing pass by Raggedy (K-40), among many others! This evening really highlighted to our passengers why evening trips can be such a special experience, and it is one which the Orca Spirit crew will never forget. Have a look at more photos below.

Here are some fantastic photos taken by Captain John on the 5pm Orca Spirit tour August 20th.

Note from our guests (and some great photos!):

August 18, 2006

We were out on this afternoon's trip where we were able to watch the residents returning and it was amazing. Your biologists (Erin and Matthew) were very knowlegable as was the Captain (Brad). Thank you for allowing us to experience such an awesome sight.
I have included the best whale pic and on of Race Rocks.
Thanks again,
Sara Ritchie

Another note from our guests:

To all,
Thank you so much for an absolutely memorable whale watching trip on 8/12/06, 1:30.
We hope to return in 8/07 or 8/08 to stay a week or so in Victoria.
Please say hi to Erin.
See you then, Keith and Linda Tune

August 17, 2006

This morning found us heading west in search of orcas. After stopping at Race Rocks to watch the seals and sea lions, we stopped in Whirl Bay to see the bald eagle nests. We were thrilled to see a large bald eagle perched on Church Rock. After we received news of transient orcas south of Otter Point, we headed west to find the T10's, a mother and her two offspring, traveling west. Viewing these magnificent predators was a fantastic end to a wonderful morning.

With the transient orcas out of range, we headed to Freshwater Bay to visit with what was most likely the same gray whale we saw yesterday. We had an absolutely spectacular pass with this magnificent animal, as we watched intently as the whale swam through a massive forest of bull kelp east towards Port Angeles. On the return to Victoria we stopped at Race Rocks to visit our pinniped friends.

At the start of our evening trip, we received news of another group of transients near Davidson Rock on the south end of Lopez Island. The unidentified group of 4 transient killer whales was an exhilarating sight when we met up with them a few miles south of Iceberg Point. We watched as the four whales surfaced and dove almost in unison, and waited in nervous anticipation as a Harbour seal surfaced a few hundred meters in front of the whales. Fortunately for the seal, the orcas did not appear to be hungry and the seal most likely lived to see another day. The sighting of a large bull killer whale and his three compatriots with the always spectacular Mount Baker in the background was a fantastic way to end another great summer day aboard the Orca Spirit.

August 16, 2006

With no word of our southern residents, the Orca Spirit tours headed west in the hopes of finding incoming orcas. On the way, we stopped at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. It was an excellent day for pinnipeds, as we watched Stellar and California sea lions and Harbour seals. Although we were unsuccessful in our search for whales, it was a beautiful morning.

On the afternoon tours, we headed to Crescent Bay on the mainland Washington coast where we had an amazing encounter with a foraging Gray whale. To conclude the spectacular trips, we showed our passengers the always fantastic Race Rocks.

On the evening tours, we again visited Crescent Bay. This time, we were able to see more of the spectacular coastline in the evening sun. After a great visit with the Gray whale, we traveled again to Race Rocks to visit the many Stellar and California sea lions. It was a great day aboard the Orca Spirit.

August 15, 2006

Today was a beautiful day on the water … flat seas all day and sunny conditions. Unfortunately this morning we had no reports of the whales so we traveled towards San Juan Island to one of their favourite feeding areas to see if we could find them. We did come across quite a few Harbour seals at Chain Islands as well at the Cormorants.

This afternoon’s trip we were in better luck as we found some transient killer whales making their way down to Seattle. As we came on scene we noticed there were about a dozen whales in their resting mode. It was wonderful to see all the whales surfacing at the same time – wonderful photo opportunities! (Resting is a whale’s version of sleep where they shut down ½ of their brain at a time to rest it, keeping the other ½ awake.)

This evening’s trip the transient killer whales were too far our of our range so we decided to go west. Again the whales weren’t seen, but we did get a great look at Race Rocks and all the pinnipeds there.

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.

Here is a note from our guests:

These are the pictures we have of the Orca Spirit and an Orca Whale from our recent trip to BC. Erin, from the Orca Spirit recognized this whale as the 87 year old Matriarch of the pod of whales we were following on August 1, 2006, out of the harbour in Victoria BC.
Absolutely awesome tour, and Erin is the best, most enthusiastic tour guide we could hope for.
The MacKinnons,
Don, Carol and Ian

August 13, 2006

What an amazing day on the water! This morning we headed to Andrew's Bay on San Juan Island, where we met up with a group of whales that were heading north along the west coast of the island. We had a spectacular visit with several different whales, including Faith (L57). It was a calm morning, and we were in awe as we listened to the blows and spectacular vocal displays over the hydrophone. The whales were in a playful mood, and we saw many breaches and spyhops. It was a fantastic trip.

In the afternoon we journeyed north of Turn Point to Boundary Pass where we met up with the same whales from this morning, who had traveled several miles further north. We arrived on scene to find the animals breaching and very active! It was a great trip spent in the company of truly incredible animals.

The evening trip, always a staff favourite, found us again on the west coast of San Juan Island with a large group of K and L-Pod whales. We spent some time with many different whales and were fortunate to see Spock (K20) and her young calf! We watched as several whales foraged in a tide rip, and listened intently to the tremendous vocalizations. Returning to Victoria, we had an excellent trip through the Chain Islets, where we saw several Harbour seals hauled out looking very relaxed. It was a great way to end another spectacular day aboard the Orca Spirit.

August 10, 2006

All day today the sea conditions were perfect for whale watching. On our morning’s tours we were able to got o Race Rocks to get a nice close look at the Stellar and California sea lions, Harbour seals and Elephant seals soaking up the sunshine while hauled out on the rocks. Passengers were able to get great photos as the animals were almost posing for them!

This afternoon’s tours were amazing! After being out west for a few days the whales all came back together as SUPERPOD to our passengers delight! Wonderful passes as many were able to get up close views of the dorsal fins and saddle patches (understanding how we identify the whales). When the hydrophone was dropped in the water we were immersed in the music created by the whales. Today they were very vocal with one another as they quite often are when the pods are together. AS the whales passed by Victoria’s waterfront they were extremely active with many spy hops and breaches being seen.

August 9, 2006

Today was a beautiful day on the water with the sun shining and wonderful calm waters. Unfortunately the 3 Resident Orca pods were no sighted today; however there were sightings of a Minke whale. Nicknamed the “stinky minke” the whale can quite often been smelled before seen! An amazing as it is it really has nothing to do with all the fish it eats!

There were reports of transient killer whales out west in the Straight of Juan de Fuca so we went on in search of them, however we were unsuccessful in our findings. On our way home we did have a good look at Race Rocks with all its resident pinnipeds. Many different species call the area home including Harbour and Elephant seals, California and Stellar sea lions.

August 7, 2006

This morning, 3 of our vessels fanned out across the Salish Sea in search of our southern resident orcas. Although we were unsuccessful in our search, it was an outstanding morning on the water. One of our zodiacs, the Aquatic Dancer, headed north towards Turn Point on Stuart Island. On the way, we stopped to visit a Bald Eagle perched on a tree at Bellevue Point, and were amazed as the majestic bird of prey flew over our boat. At Turn Point, one of the most picturesque lighthouses on the coast was even more beautiful with Mount Baker looming in the background. Returning south, we stopped at Mandarte Island, a spectacular seabird colony located east of Sidney Island. There we watched Pelagic Cormorants that nest on the steep cliffs of the western side of the island, and noticed many purple sea stars in the water below. While still on the lookout for orcas, our wildlife tour stopped next at Zero Rock, an amazing reef in west Haro Strait. Today we watched the many Harbour seals sprawled lazily on the rocks. The life of a Harbour seal does not seem too bad! Finally, we finished the morning with a tour of the west coast of Chatham Island, on the lookout for more Harbour seals and other wildlife. Although we did not see any orcas this morning, it was another fantastic trip!

Determined to find some killer whales this afternoon, the Aquatic Dancer headed southwest to Race Rocks on the lookout for transient orcas and hopefully the residents as well. We stopped at Race Rocks first in the fast moving current and noticed a few huge Stellar sea lions basking lazily in the afternoon sun. The many Harbour seals did not seem at all stressed by the presence of the much larger sea lions who have apparently been known to prey on the occasional seal. Continuing southwest we traveled across Juan De Fuca Strait hoping to spy a Humpback whale. Our journey continued as we traveled east off of the southern shoreline of Juan De Fuca strait. Unfortunately this was not to be our day in the whale department, and we concluded our travels with a stop in Chain Islets in Oak Bay. This is an excellent time of year to view Harbour seals and their pups, as we watched one very pregnant female soaking up the rays, looking very much like labour was imminent. Even with the absence of orcas, it was another beautiful day on the water!

More photos taken by Captain John on the afternoon and evening tours on August 6th.

August 6, 2006

Today was another great day spent in the company of a small group of L-Pod whales that were foraging along the southwest coast of San Juan Island. The 9 am tours found us near False Bay in the early morning fog. It was a surreal experience, and we were fortunate to have some great views of a nice group of whales, including Skana (L79). The whales were definitely intent on finding their breakfast, as we watched and listened to the orcas foraging in the fog.

By our afternoon tours, the fog had burnt off as we traveled east toward San Juan Island. On the way to the whales, we had front row seats as the Snowbirds flew by! We found the L12's foraging again on the south end of San Juan Island, and were also treated to a spectacular breach from an unidentified orca. It was another great afternoon.

Our evening tours, always a staff favourite, found us again on the south end of San Juan Island with a foraging group of L12's. However, this evening the whales were a little more active, as we saw several breaches and an amazing display of acrobatics from Skana! It was another great day on the Salish Sea!

August 5, 2006

This morning's trip found us at the south end of San Juan Island visiting with a group of whales that included Ruffles (J1)! It was a spectacular, intimate visit with our Southern Residents this morning, and our passengers were able to get some excellent video and photographs. We watched the whales foraging and socializing, and were witness to some amazing behaviour, including tail slaps, spyhops and pectoral slaps. On the return to Victoria, we stopped off at the Chain Islets to view some Harbour seals, including some very cute young Harbour seals. It was another great morning aboard the Orca Spirit.

For the afternoon trip we traveled north of Lime Kiln Lighthouse on San Juan Island to find the L-12 subpod porpoising south at a high rate of speed. It is truly awe-inspiring to see this behaviour, when the orcas can move at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. After a brief but exhilarating visit with the large bull Mega (L41) and his family, we traveled a few miles north to find the J's, K's, and some L's both foraging and playing. Our customers were treated to some spectacular social behaviour that included breaches, tail slaps, pec slaps and spyhops. It was yet another amazing afternoon spent in the company of whales!

Have a look at some of Captain John's photos.

Recent Photos Taken By Captain John

August 2, 2006

Today we were out on the water with K-Pod. We joined the whales as they were foraging off False Bay at San Juan Island. We had a great look at Raggedy (K40) as she was foraging near the boat. Throughout the day the waters did get a little rough however the sightings of K-Pod were still great. Good sightings of the whales resting and a few tail slaps made our passengers extremely happy!

July 31, 2006

For this morning’s tours we were out near False Bay watching L12’s.We had a couple of wonderful sightings of Mega (L41). Wonderful weather and sea conditions made the morning tours extremely peaceful. It was so quite you could hear the whales before you saw them!

This afternoon we were with the L12’s observing the whales as they foraged just off Salmon Bank.

As we headed out for out our evening tours we discovered that J, K and L-Pod had met up just off Hannah Heights. What an amazing treat to see all 3 of our resident Orcas together! Passengers were extremely excited to see the whales swim by underwater, do countless spy hops and breaches, and amazing interaction between the whales. Dropping the hydrophone in the water allowed us to experience the excitement and chit chat that goes on in the world of the dolphins. Then, to our surprise, a whale surfaced with a salmon on its snout! Pushing and playing with it before swallowing the fish allowed some passengers excellent opportunities for photos. Luckily our Captain John had his camera onboard and get some great photos (see below). It was an unforgettable trip!