Tuesday, July 24th

This morning, we searched the waters of Juan de Fuca Strait in search of the humpback whales that have thrilled our passengers over the last couple of weeks. Unfortunately, this morning we were unsuccessful but we were able to show our passengers some of the other wonderful wildlife in the area. We stopped in Whirl Bay to show our passengers a huge bald eagle nest. We travelled next to Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, admiring the scenic beauty of the historic lighthouse. Steller sea lions were resting in the morning sun and several harbour seal pups were also seen. We also noticed a mature bald eagle perched just a short distance away from the sea lions. It did not seem the least bit bothered by the large predators around it. It was a great way to end a nice morning tour.

In the afternoon, we spent time with two humpback whales that were found north of Port Angeles. It was a pleasure to spend time with these enormous cetaceans that were thrilling our passengers with some spectacular fluking behaviour. The humpback whales met up about half way through our time with them. A highlight of the trip was near the end of the trip when both whales dove in unison raising their massive flukes together. It was a thrilling experience.

For the evening trip, we travelled across Juan De Fuca Strait to Freshwater Bay where we found two different humpback whales about a mile offshore. As we arrived on scene, we were greeted with two enormous tail slaps! We watched the humpback whales as they made their west. It is absolutely amazing to see humpback whales as at one time, they were not seen in nearshore waters of BC, having been extirpated from the area during the days of whaling. It is great to see them returning to the area and the numbers seem to be increasing! As a conclusion to our evening tour, we stopped at Race Rocks where we watched some Steller sea lions jousting for position on their favourite rock. It was a great way to end another wonderful day on the water.