Tuesday, August 26^th

Superpod right off the waterfront!
That was the news as we arrived on scene at Constance Bank. There we saw whales in resting formation as they made their way across the waterfront towards San Juan Island. It is not often we observe this behaviour, and it is a rarity to see this many whales so close together. It is possible that up to 86 whales were in the area. This morning was a thrill for both passengers and crew. After our encounter with the whales, we travelled the east coast of Discovery Island, where we enjoyed the company of several harbour seals who utilize the rocky outcrops as a haul out area, getting themselves out of the very cold water. What an excellent way to start the morning!

On the afternoon trip, we received word that a group of transient orcas had been located in Beecher Bay. We decided to check out this report, as watching this group would allow us to enjoy Race Rocks and transient orca sightings are often outstanding! This would be another memorable trip as we arrived, we found the group of 3 mammal-hunting orcas known as the T41 group. They consisted of the matriarch T41, her daughter T41A and the large male T44. This is an interesting group of orcas, as their near-shore foraging style often finds them hunting in strange places, even Victoria harbour! We watched the animals as they hunted the waters of Beecher Bay, making their way east through the Bedford Islets and further east through Whirl Bay. For a moment, both passengers and crew were anticipating that National Geographic moment as we spotted a Steller sea lion just a couple of hundred yards ahead of the oncoming predators. A large Steller sea lion would be a little hard to handle without risking significant injury, so the whales left it alone and continued their search for smaller prey. We left for Race Rocks while we could, enjoyed the amazing ecological reserve and got one last look at the mammal-hunting orcas as they made their towards Victoria.

Monday, August 25th

On our morning tour, we headed out into Juan De Fuca Strait in search of orcas and other marine life. Our wide search took us well southeast as we combed the waters looking for whales. Continuing our search, we made our way to Race Rocks, where we watched the antics of both California and Steller sea lions. It is always enjoyable this time of year with the sea lions returning to the area in abundance. Unfortunately, we were not able to see any whales this afternoon, but it was a beautiful trip nonetheless.

On our afternoon trip, we had some more positive news as a large group of transient orcas had been located in Juan De Fuca Strait. They had made their way west during the morning and we found them a few miles west of Race Rocks. We spent time with two groups of transients, approximately 9 animals in all, with reports of a second group further south. This is particularly unusual for transient orcas as they are usually found in groups of about 3 to 5 whales. For most of the tour, we were travelling with the T100's, including the large male T102. We saw evidence of a kill, with a quick lunge from a female and then some circling and most likely feeding dives. As the whales continued their way west, we decided to leave temporarily and travelled to Race Rocks to view the aforementioned amazing marine life. Returning towards Victoria, we concluded our tour with one last quick visit with the transients. This time, we were able to get some really great looks at Pender, T14, who was travelling with an unidentified female. It was great to see this usually lone orca, enjoying some company. We also had a very young harbour seal pop up near our boat, no doubt looking for a place to hide from his nearby predators. Fortunately, for the seal, the whales either did not notice him or were full and continued on their way. It was another great trip!

Here are some OUTSTANDING photos from passengers onboard our zodiac tour on August 22nd - thank you Linda!

The kids had an amazing time riding the wake of a freighter and skimming the waters. It was a great day and very calm and we were awarded a chance to see a humpback whale feeding. He graced us with his presence several time near our boat and it was amazing. An animal so large that can move so quietly and gracefully. Once he was gone, we viewed a harbour seal pup wrapped up in kelp having an afternoon snooze. He was adorable and non plussed by the presence of a boat. What a wonderful day. Big thanks to Cheri who was our captain....she offered many insights to the animals. Thanks so much for a great day!!!!

Regards,
Linda Verishine

Saturday, August 23

Captain John got some beautiful photos on board the Pacific Explorer afternoon tour.

This morning, Captain Brad, naturalists Corey and Kaylin ventured out of the harbour in search of orcas and other wildlife. We had received word of whales on San Juan Island and travelled east, where we located a group of orcas near Pile Point. The whales were travelling tight to shore. It was another peaceful experience, watching mostly J-pod orcas travelling in a large group. We noticed some spyhopping and some distance breaches! It was then that we received word about another group of orcas closer to Victoria. K-pod had been found travelling inbound! We headed back towards Victoria and found K-pod. We had a wonderful pass from the K14 matriline, including the new baby K42, only about 4 months old! With sightings of whales from all 3 pods, it was a great way to start the day!

The whale extravaganza continued in the afternoon. Both covered vessels travelled south of Discovery Island, where K-pod was making their way towards San Juan Island. There, we encountered some K-pod whales porpoising or high-speed swimming! This is just a truly wondrous behaviour, one in which we can witness the true power of the killer whale. We watched several whales doing this, even the new calf! As we continued our way east, we spent some time with one of my favourite whales, K21 (Cappuccino) and were even treated some spectacular breaching from Skagit (K12). One of the highlights of my now almost four years as a naturalist occurred near the end of our tour, as K-pod met up with the other two pods near San Juan Island. This afternoon was one of the first times I had actually been their when the three pods met up. With breaching, spyhopping, tail slaps and other tremendous social behaviours occurring and lots of vocalizations on our hydrophone, it was a thrilling moment, one that will be remembered by both guests and crew!

Hello my name is Linda Verishine and these are only 2 of the many images I took on our afternoon tour (August 21). There were many killer whales about as we were introduced to the L & J pods. The game of hide & seek took on a whole new meaning. The whales went down for quite some time and surfaced right at the boats. Unfortunately we all missed those amazing shots but the memories will serve us for some time.

Ruffles (J1) and Granny (J2)

My family was aboard on Monday Aug 18 and we had no sightings and were quite surprised of your offer for another tour. We so appreciated it as we had 2 children with us who have never seen the ocean or the whales before. The harbour seal image was taken on Mon. Aug 18 on our 1st tour. We all got a weeee bit wet but the trip was worth it for the experience. We had the treat of a lifetime to see them on Thursday. So, at this time I would like to thank our on board naturalists Sheenah and Corey who was with us both times. They were awesome and full of information about the ocean, whales and the surrounding areas. Thank you so much for a wonderful time. We plan to return another time and will definitely book another tour.

Best regards and happy sailings
Linda Verishine
South Slocan, BC (near Castlegar)

Thursday, August 21

Today’s tour sent us to Constance Bank south east of Victoria. There we met up with 2 traveling Transient (mammal eating) orcas. We watched as they rose from and dived below the amazingly calm ocean water. We enjoyed getting a good look at these large mammals. The beauty of the tour was that we were watching one mature female and her mature son, giving us a nice comparison in the size and social structure of the animals. We also went through the Race Rocks marine park and watched seals and sea lions as they saw through the bull kelp beds looking for food and laid on the rocks trying to stay warm in the chilly summer air.

On our way out of the harbour at 1pm we had word that the Transient orcas we viewed in the morning were west bound and out of our travelling range. But fortunately we also received reports of Resident (fish eating) orcas between Lime Kiln Light House and Kellet Bluffs on the San Juan Islands east of Victoria. We were pleased to see that we had 2 different pods with us. Both J-pod (25 members) and L-pod (42 members) were foraging for salmon north bound. We had a great view as the whales could be seen in all directions. We had passes from mothers and calves, juvenile males and fully mature males with 6 foot dorsal fins. It is had to believe that the crew are fortunate enough to see such sights almost daily.

Wednesday, August 20

The morning’s tour had us heading to San Juan Island, located across the Haro Strait east of Victoria. We were pleased to meet up with some Resident (fish eating) orcas around False Bay. Once on scene for a few minutes we identified the group as members of L-pod. We sat off shore as the animals traveled and forage for salmon. We were fortunate enough to get a close pass from 2 different males. First, we viewed as Flash (L73, 22 yrs old) traveled past our stern after his next meal. Not long after, Saanich (L74, also 22 yrs old) passed by our port side. We were even able to see his white counter shaded patches as he traveled just under the surface! If that was not enough we stopped at the Chain Island to watch Harbour seals bask in the sun and roll into the water in search of their next meal.

If the morning start great, the afternoon was fantastic. This tour had us traveling south west of Victoria's Habour to the marine park known as Race Rocks. We had word that 20+ Transient Orcas (marine mammal eaters) had gathered along the shore line. This tour was particularly special to myself, Sheenah Marine Naturalist, in the 3 years I have been a naturalist at Orca Spirit I have never seen more that 8 transients together. We viewed as they made a few kills on Harbour seals and California sea lions and socialized. Normally these orcas are focused on the hunt, but today’s tour got to see such things as spy hoping and logging. If this wasn't enough we went through Race Rocks and watched the nervous Stellar and California sea lions and the Harbour and Elephant seals.

August 15th Photos

Here are a few of Captain John's photos taken on August 15th tours.

Tuesday, August 19

A little wind and rain never stops us from having a great time on the water. We traveled west out of the Victoria Harbour into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, just off shore near the Sheringham Light House. Once there we watched as 4 transient orcas traveled and foraged for food. After just a few minutes with the whales we were able to identify them as the T30's, the same whales we were with the day before. This particular group of whales were very nice to see because it includes 1 mature male, 2 mature females and a calf, giving our passengers a great sense of the different size and roles within the family group. Although the morning and afternoon tours both offered other animals, they were very different. The morning tour enjoyed other toothed whale such as Dall's and harbour porpoises and a lone foraging harbour seal. While the afternoon tour stopped by Race Rocks Marine Park and viewed Harbour and Elephant seals and California and Stellar sea lions. I look forward to seeing what tomorrow offers!

Monday, August 18

This morning, the Orca Spirit headed out into Juan De Fuca Strait in search of whales. The transient orca sightings have been heating up in recent days and we were hoping to show our guests these amazing predators. Our tour took us first near Constance Bank then out to Discovery Island where we saw some seabirds feasting on a baitball. Often this is a sign that something larger, such as a minke whale, is nearby. Unfortunately, it was not to be and we continued our tour up the east coast of Chatham and Discovery Island, where we saw harbour seals as well as both mature and juvenile bald eagles. A wide northern arc took us north to Kelp Reef and eventually back through Baynes Channel to Trial Island, where we watched more harbour seals and enjoyed the scenic vista of the Trial Island lighthouse with the Olympic mountain range as a backdrop. Although we did not see any whales this trip, it was another wonderful adventure on the Salish Sea.

Just before leaving for the afternoon trip, we received word that a group of transient orcas, the T30's, had been located near Race Rocks. We ventured out into Juan De Fuca Strait in some fairly choppy seas and were thrilled when we located the group of 4 mammal-hunting orcas - not an easy thing to do in today's sea conditions! It was another wonderful encounter with these whales, who surprised us with an excellent pass. After our exciting transient encounter, we travelled to Race Rocks. Today's pinniped count included two elephant seals, several Steller sea lions and approximately fifteen California sea lions. With the large number of pinnipeds, including lots of cute young harbour seal pups, it is definitely no wonder that more transients are showing up. We stopped one more time in Parry Bay where we watched harbour seals at the Haystack Islets and checked out a bald eagle nest nearby. It was another superb wildlife experience!

Sunday, August 17

This morning, we ventured deep into Juan De Fuca Strait in search of humpback whales, gray whales, orcas and other marine wildlife. Our journey took us right across the strait where we travelled along the coastline from Freshwater Bay, west to Crescent Bay in search of gray whales. Unfortunately, the whales were elusive this morning, but that did not stop our guests from enjoying the other marine life. Race Rocks this morning was spectacular, with lots of California sea lions, Steller sea lions, harbour seals and even an elephant seal. Despite the absence of whale sightings this morning, it was another wonderful adventure on the Salish Sea.

On our afternoon trip aboard the Orca Spirit, we travelled into Juan De Fuca Strait a few miles south of Beechey Head where a group of transient orcas had been located. The group of 4 transient orcas were identified as the T30's that included a mature male known as T30A. It is always a pleasure to view transient orcas as you never really know what they will do. Transient orcas in full hunting mode are truly a sight to behold. Last year, T30A thrilled (or mortified some of) our guests with an amazing encounter with a harbour seal. He was carrying the poor animal in his mouth right behind our boat for several minutes. It was an amazing encounter, one that I will not soon forget. Today, we witnessed resting behaviour and we were able to watch as all for of the animals, the mother T30 and her offspring T30A, T30B and young calf T30C surfaced and dove in unison. A stop by Race Rocks on the way in to view harbour seals, elephant seals and both Steller and California sea lions completed a wondrous experience in the Salish Sea.

Saturday, August 16

The morning trip started off great as our sharp-eyed Captain Brad was able to pull off quite the find - he found Pender travelling east near Constance Bank. It is always a thrill to see this remarkable whale, who since the passing of his mother several years ago is almost always travelling by himself. We had some great looks at the big male orca (T14 - as the scientists call him), who still bears the scars of a tagging procedure 32 years ago! Pender came very close to being another of the 45+ whales that ended up (and died) in captivity. What a privilege it is for us to have him still travelling around, although many harbour seals may disagree with me. After bidding Pender adieu, we travelled to Race Rocks, where approximately 9 Steller sea lions, over 15 California sea lions and a couple of elephant seals were admired by our guests.

For the afternoon trip, we travelled to Discovery Island, where we once again found Pender near the Discovery Island Lighthouse. We travelled along with Pender, watching him play and most likely forage in the kelp forest, looking for harbour seals. Some splashing indicated that he may have made a kill before moving on. We left him shortly after to travel to Beaumont Shoals, where we found several of the areas smallest cetacean, the harbour porpoise. Despite their normally shy behaviour, we had some great looks at these wonderful little whales. A stop at Trial Island capped another great tour.

On the evening trip, we travelled near Moresby Island, where Pender was continuing his trek along his usual travel pattern. Pender seems to like circumnavigate Vancouver Island every three weeks, and when he returns to the area, he usually follows a very similar travel pattern. A harbour seal popped up at one point near our bow, but it would live to see another day as Pender chose to ignore and continued his journey northwest. Despite the absence of that National Geographic moment, it was a great trip, We travelled back through the many islands near the Swartz Bay ferry terminal and enjoyed another spectacular sunset on the way back.

Friday, August 15

This morning, the Orca Spirit headed west near Sheringham Point, where we caught up with some members of L-pod heading outbound. On this highly enjoyable tour, we spent some time with the large male Flash (L73) and some of his podmates. I always enjoy venturing west as we get to see some truly rugged and spectacular coastline.

On the afternoon trip, we received word that some more L-pod whales had been located on San Juan Island, so we travelled to False Bay where we caught up with the L12's. Most of our time was spent with Mega (L41), an easily identifiable whale with the large notch on his dorsal fin. It was a wonderful trip, made even more enjoyable with the calm seas.

Our evening trip was a truly memorable and absolutely fantastic whale watching event. Members of all three pods had met up near Hein Bank and were definitely in a social mood. It was another one of those trips where we were privileged to see some most, if not all, of the amazing behaviours the southern resident whales are known for. Breaches, spyhops, porpoising, cute young orca calves (including L111), these were just some of the things we saw on this trip. It was definitely a highlight for our crew and passengers this evening!

Thursday, August 14

Here are some beautiful sunset photos from our evening cruise ship tour.

Tuesday, August 12th

Wow, what a wonderful day on the water!! Today’s tours were spent on the west side of San Juan Island with L-Pod, a group of fish eating resident orcas. We enjoyed them as they traveled and foraged for salmon along the shoreline. But the real highlight of the day was the arrival of the newest member to the pod. Marina (L47, 35yr old female) was seen with her two teenage daughters, Moonlight (18 yrs) and Muncher (14 yrs) and her 24 hour old calf (L111, not yet named or sexed). All on the boat were pleased to see orcas in their natural habitat but the trip was amplified with the sight of a new beautiful calf. We sat back and watched as mom and older sisters played with the calf as it rolled around at the surface, spyhopped to get a look around and laid across the rostrum of Marina. It was truly incredible to see such a new member enjoying life to the fullest. I was happy to have such great passengers aboard to share it with, thanks again.

Onboard biologist Corey got some beautiful photos below on the afternoon tour Monday, August 11th.