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.
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.
