Saturday, June 30
This morning, we received word that whales were travelling west bound near Becher Bay so our 9 am trip went out to find the whales off of Sooke. We arrived to find Faith (L57) and a number of other whales foraging in small groups. We watched some spectacular lunges as the whales were after the local chinook salmon. We had an amazing pass from a mother and calf, and concluding our morning whale watching by watching a sports fisherman bring in a large chinook! On our way back to Victoria we stopped at Race Rocks, where we saw a number of harbour seals hauled out in the morning sun and a large number of eagles. It was another great trip in the calm seas and sunny skies.
This afternoon we went west, way west, to catch up with L-pod as they continued their journey westward. Our tour took us past the small community of Jordan River to the waters off of Juan De Fuca Provinicial Park. The afternoon ended up as a round trip journey of over 70 nautical miles but it was well worth it. We encountered the whales as they were travelling at high rate of speed, engaged in what we call porpoising behaviour. Porpoising is when the whales leap clear of the water while travelling and it is spectacular to witness. We saw several breaches, and several spectacular lunges. The tremendous amounts of echolocation sounds indicated that lots of hunting was going on. We had some great visits from a variety of L-pod whales, including Faith (L57) and Mega (L41). It was a fantastic trip, as our passengers got to enjoy not only the whales, but they also got to our beautifully rugged coast line.
For the evening trip, we again headed west. Unfortunately, L-pod was out of range for the evening trip so we set out in search of transient orcas, minke whales, humpbacks and porpoise. For our first stop of the evening, we watched some foraging Dall's porpoise feeding near a tide line. It is always a pleasure to see these speedy cetaceans. We received word that a humpback whale was found offshore of Crescent Bay on the Olympic Peninsula coast and set out to have a look. When we arrived on scene, we found a lone humpback foraging and watched the majestic animal feeding at the surface. We were treated to some spectacular viewing and watched as the animal "fluked" several times. When a humpback dives deep, it often shows its flukes. The pigment pattern on the flukes of each humpback is different, which allows scientists to identify individual whales. After admiring the magnificent whale, we headed east to Race Rocks, where we enjoyed a spectacular sunset amongst the harbour seals before heading for home.
For the evening trip, we again headed west. Unfortunately, L-pod was out of range for the evening trip so we set out in search of transient orcas, minke whales, humpbacks and porpoise. For our first stop of the evening, we watched some foraging Dall's porpoise feeding near a tide line. It is always a pleasure to see these speedy cetaceans. We received word that a humpback whale was found offshore of Crescent Bay on the Olympic Peninsula coast and set out to have a look. When we arrived on scene, we found a lone humpback foraging and watched the majestic animal feeding at the surface. We were treated to some spectacular viewing and watched as the animal "fluked" several times. When a humpback dives deep, it often shows its flukes. The pigment pattern on the flukes of each humpback is different, which allows scientists to identify individual whales. After admiring the magnificent whale, we headed east to Race Rocks, where we enjoyed a spectacular sunset amongst the harbour seals before heading for home.
