Saturday, May 17

With flat calm seas and sunny skies, the Pacific Explorer and its intrepid crew of Captain Brad and naturalists Tim and Corey headed into the Strait of Juan De Fuca with a large group of adventurous passengers. As we passed Trial Island and headed towards Discovery Island, we encountered a large group of harbour porpoise. This normally shy miniature cetaceans were a thrill for our guests and crew alike. The calm seas allowed us some excellent views of these normally shy creatures. After a brief but fantastic visit, we headed east towards San Juan Island in search or orcas.

Not to be disappointed, we found some members of J-pod just off Pile Point. Immediately upon arriving with the whales, we were treated to one of the most exciting behaviours one can have the privilege of seeing - high-speed porpoising! In the porpoising manoeuvre, whales may jump almost clear of the water and can reach maximum speeds that are estimated to over 30 mph. The grace and were of these majestic animals is truly a sight to behold. We also were able to watch whales foraging, it was great to see these amazing predators in action. Satisfied with another astounding adventure, we headed back to the harbour.

While returning from our morning with J-Pod, we received word that a group of transient orcas had been located west of Race Rocks, which meant that our afternoon guests were in for an excellent adventure. By the time we made it out on the 1 pm trip, the transients had swam a few miles east of Race Rocks. When we arrived on scene, we noticed not one but two groups of transients, as many as ten whales in total. Included in the group was T20, a large adult male and a staff favourite! It is always a thrill to see transient orcas as their unpredictable and carnivorous mammal-hunting ways always make for an amazing experience.

After leaving the orcas to see what else we could find, we made our to the picturesque and historic Race Rocks Lighthouse and ecological reserve. It was here we found a plethora of pinnipeds: Steller sea lions, California sea lions, northern elephant seals and harbour seals were all present in large numbers for our viewing pleasure. Soon the male sea lions will be heading to their rookeries, so it was nice to be entertained by their antics.

On our return to Victoria, we received word that another group of transients had been found off the water front. We concluded our fantatstic trip with some amazing views of the T100's with our beautiful city as the backdrop.