Saturday, June 30

This morning, we received word that whales were travelling west bound near Becher Bay so our 9 am trip went out to find the whales off of Sooke. We arrived to find Faith (L57) and a number of other whales foraging in small groups. We watched some spectacular lunges as the whales were after the local chinook salmon. We had an amazing pass from a mother and calf, and concluding our morning whale watching by watching a sports fisherman bring in a large chinook! On our way back to Victoria we stopped at Race Rocks, where we saw a number of harbour seals hauled out in the morning sun and a large number of eagles. It was another great trip in the calm seas and sunny skies.

This afternoon we went west, way west, to catch up with L-pod as they continued their journey westward. Our tour took us past the small community of Jordan River to the waters off of Juan De Fuca Provinicial Park. The afternoon ended up as a round trip journey of over 70 nautical miles but it was well worth it. We encountered the whales as they were travelling at high rate of speed, engaged in what we call porpoising behaviour. Porpoising is when the whales leap clear of the water while travelling and it is spectacular to witness. We saw several breaches, and several spectacular lunges. The tremendous amounts of echolocation sounds indicated that lots of hunting was going on. We had some great visits from a variety of L-pod whales, including Faith (L57) and Mega (L41). It was a fantastic trip, as our passengers got to enjoy not only the whales, but they also got to our beautifully rugged coast line.

For the evening trip, we again headed west. Unfortunately, L-pod was out of range for the evening trip so we set out in search of transient orcas, minke whales, humpbacks and porpoise. For our first stop of the evening, we watched some foraging Dall's porpoise feeding near a tide line. It is always a pleasure to see these speedy cetaceans. We received word that a humpback whale was found offshore of Crescent Bay on the Olympic Peninsula coast and set out to have a look. When we arrived on scene, we found a lone humpback foraging and watched the majestic animal feeding at the surface. We were treated to some spectacular viewing and watched as the animal "fluked" several times. When a humpback dives deep, it often shows its flukes. The pigment pattern on the flukes of each humpback is different, which allows scientists to identify individual whales. After admiring the magnificent whale, we headed east to Race Rocks, where we enjoyed a spectacular sunset amongst the harbour seals before heading for home.

Friday, June 29

Our morning trips brought us to the shoreline of San Juan Island where we found J-pod completely spread out. At first, the pod seemed to be travelling quite quickly as they porpoised out of the water, but they eventually slowed down and appeared to be feeding. At the end of our trip we observed Mike along with his mother Slick, her new born baby and a few other whales performing tail slaps and other maneuvers as they appeared to be hunting salmon in the area.

This afternoon we went straight back to San Juan, this time we met up with L-pod. The whales were spread out over a few kilometers and we had great sightings from a number of whales. Mega, one of the large male passed by and was easily identified by most passengers because of the distinct nick on his dorsal fin. Before heading back we checked out Mandarte Island to view the Cormorants and even saw a Bald Eagle fly by!

Here are photos from our recent tours

Tuesday, June 26th

Today we spent the morning near the coast of San Juan Island with one of our resident Orca pods, J-pod, which has 25 animals in it. They were near the Lime Kiln Lighthouse, some offshore and some close to the shoreline. The Orcas were travelling north then turned south and were feeding/milling around along the coast. They were also there for the afternoon trip, inshore and offshore, travelling and milling towards the north end of San Juan Island. There were multiple breaches also in the afternoon, and the family groups were tight with the pod slightly spread out.
On the return trips, we stopped at the Chain Islands off Victoria, where we saw Harbour Seals, Cormorant nests and Cormorants, as well as Bald Eagles, both juvenile and adult.

In the evening, the Orcas continued to travel north, and we watched them near Turn Point and up to Pender Island. J-pod was more active, with breaching and rolling around, the new calf was playful with its family also. When we left them they were still travelling northwest towards Active Pass. The return trip was lovely calm waters past Sidney Spit Marine Park, and around the islands.

Sunday, June 24th

The morning we travelled to San Juan Island, where we found the whales just south of Andrew's Bay. We heard rumours that L-pod had headed back out west overnight, but were pleasantly surprised to find Faith and several other L-pod whales reunited with J-pod. It was an astounding trip. The whales were incredibly active - breaches were the theme of the morning trip, as several whales breached while they travelled along the shoreline of San Juan Island and then Henry Island. We watched some great foraging behaviour as several killer whales were undoubtedly in pursuit of their favourite prey, the chinook salmon. This trip was definitely a highlight of the season, and we look forward to more spectacular trips with the expected arrival of K-pod.

Saturday, June 23rd

This morning, the whales had not yet been spotted but we did have word from a few fisherman that morning that some dorsal fins were spotted heading west along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. About 20 minutes out we spotted some members of L-pod, the L12s. We continued along next to four members of the pod which included Mega, a large male. It appeared that the pod was hunting as they were continuously changing directions and doing a number of deep dives.

This afternoon, we did not have to venture far to find whales. Passengers aboard the Orca Spirit were able to see both resident and transient orcas! As we started our tour, we received news that T14 (otherwise known as "Pender") was hunting for seals in the Chain Islets. We travelled to see this magnificent whale and watched in awe at his tremendous size. Pender still shows signs of his capture when he was fixed with a radio transmitter in 1976. After spending time with Pender, we travelled to east to Haro Strait, where we found J-pod. We had a spectacular pass with Ruffles, and a small family group of 4 whales. A highlight of the trip was a fantastic breach. Satisfied with the great resident show, we travelled back towards Victoria. We stopped at Great Chain Island to show our guests the cormorant colony and we were pleased to see a couple of juvenile bald eagles. It was a great way to end another great trip.

This evening we travelled just east of Race Rocks where we met up with part of L-pod that was coming in from out west. When we first encountered L-pod, they were in a resting pattern but they began to wake up and become more active shortly after we arrived on scene. Our guests saw whales breaching, spyhopping and slapping their tails as they continued their journey east. We positively identified L57 (Faith) and L41 (Mega) among the many whales that really seemed to be everywhere tonight. Also spotted was a young calf, most likely the newest member of L-pod (L109). After the excellent whale viewing, we travelled to Great Chain Island where eagles were seen earlier in the day. When we arrived at the island, we found two mature eagles one of whom appeared to feeding on a gull. Shortly thereafter, the eagle took off with the gull firmly gripped in its talons and flew over our boat. It was an amazing sight, one that our crew and passengers will not soon forget. On the way back to Victoria, we stopped briefly with the whales one last time and heading back to the harbour.

Friday, June 22nd

This morning we headed straight out to San Juan Island, with J-pod actively moving north. We met up with the pod near Lime Kiln Lighthouse and followed them along as they headed further north up Haro Strait. After leaving J-pod on our morning trip, the pod continued heading north which made our afternoon trip a nice long cruise. We met up with J-pod at Active Pass. The pod was in close formation and appeared to be resting. The whales kept close to the shoreline and did perform a few tail slaps and breaches during our visit. Our evening trip was welcomed with calm waters. With J-pod very far north, we decided to see what L-pod was up to. We met up with a few individuals of L-pod at False Bay. These individuals were a bit more spread out and we had a very nice pass by Mega, one of the large males in the pod.

Thursday, June 21st

Today we found the L-12 (part of L-pod) Orcas near False Bay (San Juan Island) in the morning, resting in a group slowly traveling south along the shoreline. In the afternoon the Orcas had moved offshore near Cattle Point on San Juan Island heading north towards the island, while feeding and spread out. On the return trip we stopped off at Discovery Island, Chatham Island & Trial Island to look at Harbour Seals, bald Eagles and other inter tidal life including kelp beds.

Wednesday, June 20th

Today we our tours went straight for the west shore of San Juan Island where we met up with an active J-pod. Our day was spent watching J-pod feed on the numerous salmon, which were traveling north to spawn in the Frasier River. They were spread out over several km and slowly heading off shore towards Salmon Bank.
We were able to get a great look at Ruffles (J1) and the matriarchal female Granny (J2) as they past off our stern. We were also pleased to get a close look at the new female calf (J42) as her older brother Mike (J26) played with her. He was even seen letting her ride on his nose while he pushed her along!
On our way back to Victoria we took the opportunity to stop at the Chain Islands where we spotted an immature bald eagle and many harbour seals and their new pups on the rocky seaweed covered rocks.
What a great day to be on the water; whales, sun and calm seas!

Hi Nicole and the team,
Just got home after a wonderful vacation in BC, and wanted to say a big thanks for making my 60th birthday trip on June 7th such a treat. We were with only 6 others (2 Spanish, 2 Dutch, 2 Irish and us 2 English at the back of the picture).
I am attaching the picture you took of us all (and Brad).
Thanks again.
Pete & Jayne Watmore.
Cambridgeshire,
England.

Tuesday, June 19th

This morning we travelled west from Victoria in the Juan de Fuca Strait, and watched the L-12's (sub-family group of L-pod) near Beechy Head/Race Passage areas. The Orcas were heading west, some feeding and travelling at a moderate pace. They were in a tight group early on then began to spread out. We watched the large male of the group, L41 ("Mega") separate from the others, before heading off to Race Rocks. At Race Rocks, we saw many Harbour seals, along with a Bald Eagle on the rocks within the reserve. There are thick kelp forests growing around the rocks and many other sea birds in the area.

The group of L-12's travelled west throughout the morning and we saw them again in the afternoon past Sheringham Point Lighthouse. They were continuing to move west, possibly to meet up with the rest of their pod, L pod, that are believed to still be out west. There was some feeding activity, with lunging behaviours seen, along with porpoising (fast travel).

For the evening tours we travelled east towards San Juan Island, into Haro Strait, and found a Gray whale off Chatam Island. The whale was feeding, doing deep dives and moving in towards the shore of the island while we were watching it. We saw the whale's large blow, it's back and also saw it's tail fluke multiple times, indicating deep diving. After watching the Gray whale, we travelled north around Darcy Island, then headed back towards Victoria. On the way back into Victoria harbour, we stopped at the Chain Islands, looking at Bald Eagles (feeding on a seagull at the Cormorant nests atop one of the islands), Cormorants, and other sea birds at the islands.

Monday, June 18th

As we left the harbour this morning we got word from the spotting network that a group of orcas had been sighted off the west shore of San Juan Island. Once on scene, we identified the orcas to be a sub-grouping of L-Pod, the L-12’s. As the whales moved along the shoreline feeding on the salmon, we were able to identify several different individuals. We got a great look at Ocean Sun (L-25) as she passed our port side (Ocean Sun is a 79 year old female that has out lived her daughter and 2 grandchildren). Because of his size, we were able to see Mega (L-41, 30 years old) several hundred meters away. After viewing the whales, on our way back to Victoria, we made sure to stop at the Chain Island and got a great look at the dozens of Harbour Seals hauled out on the rocks.

After leaving the whales just hours earlier, the crew and guests were ready to go for our afternoon departures. We met up with the L12’s on the west shore of San Juan Island again and had fantastic sightings.

After a great day with the L-12’s, we decided to go it a little different for the evening tours. We got word that J-Pod had traveled north up the west shore of San Juan Island. We spent our tour watching as members of J-Pod (Ruffles- J1, Granny – J2, Slick – J16 and her calf J42) passed by in the setting sun. We were able to stay with them until Turn Point on Stuart Island were in sight. Then we headed back, enjoying the calm night to Victoria.

Sunday, June 17th

This afternoon we headed to San Juan Island to meet up with the whales of J pod who were travelling northward up the west coast of the island. The whales put on a great show for Father's Day! We had an excellent pass from Ruffles (J1) and Mike (J26), and were also pleased to see J41 the youngest calf in the pod. A highlight of the trip were a few spectacular half-breaches and some fantastic tail slapping behaviour. To finish the trup with a wonderful tour of the Chain Islets.



This evening we headed north towards Active Pass to catch up with J-pod as they travelled northeast towards the Fraser River. The calm waters of Swanson Channel made for an amazing trip as we caught up with a resting pod of 25 whales. When whales are resting they surface almost in unison, and it is not unusual for the whole pod to line up in one big row. Trips like these are great for photographers as guests came away with some nice photographs and spectacular video. With sightings of the large bull Ruffles (J1), sprouter males Mike (J26) and Blackberry (J27), along with Slick (J16) and her new calf, our guests and crew had a wonderful experience. The aproximately 65 mile round trip was definitely worth it!

Saturday, June 16th

This morning we met up very quickly with a few whales from L-pod. We managed to observe the whales for a good period of time as they continuously came up for air. On our way back to Victoria, we had word that J-pod was not far away and decided to check out the situation. It was very fortunate that we did check out J-pod because they put on a beautiful show. All 25 whales were traveling at high speed, porpoising as they exited the water and doing a number of breaches. A very exciting morning.

We returned to San Juan Island in the afternoon to view J-pod near False Bay. Although the waters were quite rough, our guests persevered and we did managed to get some nice views of J-pod as they stayed in close formation. We then headed North along San Juan Island where the waters were calmer and where we were able to view a Bald Eagle and nest and also see a number of Cormorants at their nest site.

We left on our evening trip at approximately 5:30pm. We had word that J-pod was located quite far North and we decided to see if we could catch up with them. After a long drive out and a very patient group we were rewarded with J-pod near Active Pass. The pod was swimming in a number of small groups and we had some good views of all 25 whales. Our group rode home with smiles on their faces and the brave few who stayed on top deck had a great time as we drove over some bumps and got a little wet from the spray.

Friday, June 15th

Today was a very exciting day with two orca pods spotted and a number of bird species identified. We first observed J-pod moving north along the northern tip of San Juan Island. The pod was moving in close formation which led us to believe they were resting. We then left J-pod and went south where we observed a few members of L-pod. We had some really nice passes and because of the calm weather were able to hear the orcas blows when they came up to breathe. On our way back to Victoria, we stopped between Chatham and Discovery Island where, because the tides were so low, we were able to see large amounts of Bull Kelp. We then observed a Bald Eagle perched on top of a tree. Once through these two islands we stopped at Chain Island. There, we saw some Harbour Seals and thanks to an avid birder on board, we were able to identify Double Crested Cormorants, Pelagic Cormorants, Harlequin Ducks, Black Oystercatchers and Pigeon Guillemots. What a great day!

Thursday, June 14th

On our evening tours a small group enjoyed a trip west from Victoria, on very calm waters. At Race Rocks, there were California Sea Lions relaxing on the rocks, along with many Harbour Seals doing the same. The Olympic mountains cleared and we could see Mt. Baker nicely in the distance while on the water. In Whirl Bay, there were two bald eagle nests to view, along with a bald eagle that was perched on a rock just past that area. We collected some bull kelp to look at and taste, and had a lovely trip back with the sun setting along the way.

Thursday, June 14th - Photos from the morning tours