Friday, July 3rd

Today's tours were spent in the company of L-pod, the largest pod of southern resident orcas. We had an exceedingly pleasant afternoon, which we spent with L86 (Surprise) and her new calf L112 (not yet nicknamed). It was a great experience in which our guests observed the orcas doing what they do best - foraging. Both mother and calf appeared to be in hot pursuit of a salmon - not surprising as these magnificent predators have to eat about 3 to 5 percent of their body weight per day. We also spent some time with L82 (Kasatka) with her two young siblings Lapis (L103) and Takoda (L109). We concluded our trip with a stop at the Trial Islands where we saw a mature bald eagle and several harbour seals. All in all, it was another excellent adventure on the Salish Sea.

This evening turned out to be a remarkable natural event as L-pod made their way west across the waterfront. We encountered them near Constance Bank. Although we didn't know it at the time, we were in for an incredible whale experience. While stopped and waiting for the large cetaceans to arrive, we noticed a couple of breaches - foreshadowing for what was to come. As they got closer, the action continued to heat up. We had an absolutely incredible show with breaches, spyhops, and cartwheels.