Saturday, August 18

This morning, we headed into Juan De Fuca Strait in search of orcas and humpback whales. Early in the trip, we encountered a humpback whale and watched as it swam in circles around our vessel. After a great pass from the large cetacean, we ventured further into the strait to see what we could find. Our captain noticed a small group of energetic Dall's porpoise southeast of Race Rocks and we were excited to watch the playful animals frolic in our wake. The next stop in our tour was a journey through Beecher Bay, a favourite hunting ground of transient orcas and a beautiful place in its own right. We noticed a great blue heron perched on some kelp and watched a couple of turkey vultures soaring overhead. The last stop of the tour was Race Rocks ecological reserve where we saw 4 different species of pinnipeds: California and Steller sea lions, as well as harbour seals and even an elephant seal.

On the afternoon trip, we travelled just off Albert Head where an encounter with a humpback whale thrilled both passengers and crew. Humpback whales have been sighted consistently in July and August, and it is great to see this majestic whales making an apparent comeback after being hunted to the brink of extinction. After the humpback whale sighting, we headed into Juan De Fuca Strait, where we found both harbour and Dall's porpoise. We searched Whirl Bay for eagles and showed our passengers a large eagle nest. To finish the trip, we travelled to Race Rocks where the sea lions put on an amazing show!