Saturday, June 7

Evening Trip

I am running out of superlatives to describe the whale watching this season. Our evening trip took us to the waters of Boundary Pass, where we were treated to another stupendous show by the whales of J-pod. As we arrived on scene near Monarch Head on Saturna Island, we were greeted with a couple of huge breaches in the distance, which was only a taste of what was to come! We had whales playing and foraging in the strong tidal currents near our vessel, including Mike (J26), an almost mature male. Customers and crew watched the west coast icon Ruffles (J1) foraging. We witnessed lots of percussive behaviour. We saw several spyhops and some exciting chase maneuvers. A highlight for our passengers was the awesome vocalizations picked up through our hydrophone. The whales were definitely chatty this evening. This trip was truly a gem, one that are customers and crew will remember for a long time!. Other wildlife sightings included both Dall's and harbour porpoise, and a mature bald eagle which soared over us as we passed the beautiful Turn Point lighthouse.

Afternoon Trip

On the afternoon trip the crew of Captain Brad and naturalists Sean and Corey travelled with our passengers aboard the Orca Spirit to San Juan Island where we watched J-pod travelling slowly northbound against a strong ebb tide. It was another thrilling adventure as we watched all 25 of the resident orcas pass by, but we were especially fortunate to spend some time watching Ruffles (J1), undoubtedly the most photographed and well known orca in the southern resident community. We witnessed some amazing behaviours this afternoon, included spyhops and tail slapping. We had an amazing pass from a large group of orcas, including Mike (J26) that thrilled both crew and passengers alike. It was a fantastic afternoon, one that I hope will inspire our guests.

On the return to Victoria, we had another treat in store, as we stopped at Trial Island where our keen-eyed Captain Brad noticed an eagle perched on a rock. Below the large raptor, seemingly without a care in the world were several harbour seals. We look forward to seeing these cute marine mammals giving birth with the next few weeks. After an adventurous ride across the choppy Vicoria waterfront, we arrived our orca enthusiasts arrived safely back at the dock after another wonderful adventure.

Morning Trip

This morning, the Orca Spirit travelled towards San Juan Island with news of J-pod in the area. The crew of Captain Brad and this naturalist, Corey, were eagerly looking forward to showing our group of international passengers the magnificent animal that is the killer whale. We arrived on scene west of Henry Island where we found the large group of salmon-hunting mammals travelling slowly northbound. Shortly aftter arriving, we were greeted with a tremendous breach from a large sprouter male. We were treated to a thrilling visit from Granny (J2) and Ruffles (J1) and watched as Granny did the "backstroke", as she swam upside down behind our boat. The hour we spent with these lovely animals was wonderful, but it was time to see what else we could find.

A short stop near Chatham Island allowed our guests to discover the wonders of another marine mammal, the harbour seal. These cute little pinnipeds were hauled out on the rocks during the low tide. Our final stop was Great Chain Island, where our guests learned about the massive double-crested cormorants and the bald eagles that have been harassing the nests. Shortly after we left, with Great Chain Island in the distance, we noticed that the cormoreants, gulls and other seabirds took off and caught glimpses of an eagle that was readying for another attack. It was a fantastic way to start the day.