Sunday, August 12

What an exceptional way to start the day! This morning, we encountered a large group of transient orcas right outside the harbour. There were at least 5 or 6 transients, including one large male. Before we arrived on scene, the transients had apparently just made a kill and we saw one whale do an amazing spyhop. We travelled with the whales for awhile and saw the male do another great spyhop before we headed towards Race Rocks where a humpback whale had been located by our spotter. After viewing the whale, we toured Race Rocks Ecological Reserve before spending some time with both the orcas and the humpback whale on the way back to the harbour. Sea lions were abundant and playful at Race Rocks. It was another fantastic tour aboard the Orca Spirit!

This afternoon was another extraordinary tour in which our passengers were able to see both transient orcas and a humpback whale on the same tour. We started our tour by visiting with a group of transients that were east of Trial Island. We travelled with the group as they swam slowly westward in the strong current, and got many good looks at these extraordinary animals. Our next stop took us near Albert Head, where we visited with a young humpback whale. Our final stop of the tour was Race Rocks, where we watched Steller and California sea lions, a large elephant seal and many harbour seals. It was another great day!