August 2011 Sightings
Wednesday August 31What a dynamic day we had today!! We saw lots of wildlife and it was all spaced out so evenly that there was never a dull moment! It seemed like whenever we tried to continue on our way or when we tried to stop for lunch, there was something new to see! We saw about 20 orcas close to home in Nodales channel! We also saw a small group of about 6 pacific white-sided dolphins feeding and swimming around. Then we had a rare sighting for this year; some Dall's porpoise that had been riding the bow of another boat decided that our boat was more exciting and swam over to play in our bow wave!! We also saw a few eagles and lots of seals!! Also throughout the trip we saw a whole bunch of bears; we saw so many we stopped counting!!
Tuesday August 30
As we headed up Johnstone Straight we travelled close to shore in search for bears and we weren't disappointed... We found 3 different black bears on 3 different beaches within about 5 minutes!! We didn't spend much time with any of the three as we were on a mission to find some whales but our guests had plenty of time to get so great bear photos!! We continued North when we got a report of Transient orcas!! We headed into the Cordero Channel and found the T46's which is a group of 4 orcas, one of which is a brand new calf!! They were heading West and we showed up just in time to watch them catch a delicious seal dinner! After their bellies were full one of them did an impressive spy hop to look around then all four of them changed course and swam straight towards our boat!! They ended up swimming right under us!! After all the excitement we decided to head into a calm area to have some lunch and on our way we found another black bear!!! He was foraging in the kelp and we enjoyed his company for several minutes before pulling away and having a bite to eat! Lunch was perfect, delicious food, beautiful sunshine, and harbour porpoises swimming in the background! After lunch we got to see the same black bear still foraging in the kelp and then headed through Blind Channel towards home. As we came up to Brown's bay we found a Humpback Whale!! Finding humpbacks in these waters is always a pleasant surprise! We were accompanied almost all the way back to the dock by this large whale and our guests were totally thrilled by the sighting!
Monday August 29
As we headed up Johnstone Straight looking for our local Northern Resident Orcas we came across 3 transient orcas!! It was the same group as we saw yesterday; the T10s!! Often when we find transient orcas we don't find any dolphins or porpoises (because they are considered a snack to a transient orca) but today not only did we find some porpoises we also got to see a group of playful pacific white-sided dolphins!! The weather was BEAUTIFUL and the sightings were GREAT!!
Sunday August 28
This has been the picture perfect summer whale watching day! We had a full boat of excited guests full of anticipation, and they were not disappointed. A warm summer breeze and glistening water welcomed us and we found our first transients almost immediately at Whiskey Point, T10B and T10, a big male with a gigantic dorsal fin.
They were on a mission, travelling steadily up the Discovery Passage, feeding and moving along. We followed them up the Narrows for quite some time and left them turning into Nodales Channel and down Stuart Island to catch the beginning of the rapids action and to stop for a relaxed lunch at Big Bay.
Then it was off again, we had gotten word of another group of transients in Calm Channel. A quick scoot to Sonora Island to have a look at the seals lazing in the sun on the rocks and off we went. Before long, we found the group at Raza Island, 4 transients, with the big T101 and T102. We stayed as long as we could and then turned homeward bound and caught the best of the rapids!
What a show, whirl pools creating the impression of waterfalls, so active! What a powerful experience!! Apparently we are having the same conditions in the rapids tomorrow, so that should make for another exiting Whale Watch AND Marine Wildlife Safari. We arrived home a happy, contented boat, our heads full with the adventures we had witnessed.
Saturday August 27
It was a beautiful scenic trip up to Cracroft Point today! Along the way we found some sleepy dolphins (these guys gotta rest too!) and at the top of Johnstone Straight we were rewarded with orcas!! We found the old girl A12 with her two nephews (the A36s)! We love showing this group to our guests because of their unique story that shows just how strong an orca's family bonds are! After spending some time with these guys we continued along our way and met up with the A34's! It was finally time to leave the orcas and head back to Campbell River, and as we travelled South we came across the same group of dolphins that we had seen earlier, only this time they were wide awake!! They were jumping, bow riding and having a great time!! These guys tend to steal the show as was the case again today! All in all it was another FANTASTIC day out on the water!
Friday August 26
What a super super day today was, not only was it a warm sunny 27 degrees out there on the ocean but the wildlife was spectacular! Our trip started off with a BANG!! We found 6 Transient Orcas just south of Quadra Island! These guys were very elusive with deep dives of up to 7-8 minutes at a time, but we did get a few very good sightings before we departed for Sentry Shoals where we had a lovely sighting of 8 huge male steller sealions basking in the summer sun on top of a buoy.
Next stop was Mitlenatch Island where we were treated to up to 150 plus harbour seals, huge flocks of Pelagic cormorants and various other seabirds. Then we headed up towards the Breton Islands where we found more Transient orcas!! This group had 2 huge beautiful mature males with up to 6ft dorsal fins!
We then happened upon a black bear feeding in the inter tidal zone! We were heading home through the Discovery Passage thinking that the trip was over when out of the blue a dozen pacific white sided dolphins appeared! They were super playful and proved that the trip isn't over until the boat is tied up in the marina!! It was the perfect way to end a perfect day!
Thursday August 25
Lots of orcas and lots of dolphins! We found the entire A12 matriline today as they headed East from Tyee Point in Johnstone straight! And, lucky for us they headed into Nodales channel!! A group of pacific white-sided dolphins joined the orcas for over an hour and the whole group was foraging together! It's always amazing to watch how different species can interact and get along so well! Because the whales were nice and close we managed to find them again with our Marine Wildlife Safari and that was a real treat for our guests!
Wednesday August 24
What a FANTASTIC day!!! We headed up Johnstone Straight just beyond Robson Bight where we found about 50-60 orcas!!! They were spread out for the most part but we got to see some very interesting behaviour! These orcas were from a bunch of different related matrilines and it was like a big family reunion! For the most part the groups were resting but some of the younger orcas were quite active! We saw too many spy hops and tail slaps to count and some of them seemed to be "play wrestling" with one another!! To top it off there were Pacific White-Sided Dolphins swimming in-between and around the orcas trying to 'wake' them up! The dolphins sure love our boat; they took a bit of a break from bugging the orcas to come and ride our bow wave! We had a terrific lunch as we floated between the different groups of orcas and everyone was able to watch the beautiful display as they ate! The orcas seemed quite content just floating on the surface so that everyone could get several group photos of them!
Tuesday August 23
Such a beautiful day out on the water! As we headed out on our Whale Watch Safari luck was on our side! Word on the water was that some orcas were nice and close in Nodales Channel and once we got there we found A12 and the A36s!! This small group has been turning up quite a lot this year and although A12 is very old (she is now a great-grandmother at 70 years old!) she is still very curious and likes to come up and check out our tourists on the boat! The A36s always get everyone excited because of there size, they are HUGE males with nice big dorsal fins!! The day was finished with some harbour porpoises, harbour seal, and bald eagle sightings!
Monday August 22
Wow what a day we had today! Although the weather in Campbell River was very windy and a bit choppy we headed northwards into beautiful calm waters and dry skies!! And north was definately the way to go! Just north of Eve River we encountered the first of 2 large groups of Orcas for the day, these were members of the A4 pod, after stopping and enjoying the A4s cruise leisurely past us we rafted up with our sister vessel the eagle 30 and enjoyed a beautiful lunch in very scenic surroundings. After lunch we were about to head back to the A4 orcas when a guest spotted some different Orcas coming towards us! It turned out to be the very large I15 matriline , spread out from one side of Johnstone Strait to the other, we were spoiled for choice but settled in at the point to watch and enjoy as the main group cruised past. We were in a great position just beside a large kelp bed when the orcas stopped and enjoyed a kelp bath, way cool!! The I15s then changed direction and came off the shoreline inbetween our two boats giving each vessel and passengers a superb encounter! As we headed south on the way home we came upon a small group of very playful pacific white side dolphins who treated us to some very fun and nimble bow riding and acrobatic displays. Not long after that we caught up with the first group of orcas again the A4`s and we couldnt drive past without stopping one last time, we stopped at Hickey point as they came by before making the journey south and home again. What a great day for Orcas!
Sunday August 21
Today provided a great mixture of wildlife between all our trips! We saw 15 Resident orcas, Dall & Harbour Porpoises, Harbour seals, Bald eagles, and 2 black bears!! The whales were amazing to watch, as always, and we had a blast with the porpoises as they swam in the boat's wake.
Saturday August 20
We saw 4 transient orcas at Francisco Point today and they sure put on a show for us! They were playing in the kelp and we witnessed 6 consecutive tail slaps right up close to the boat. The whales weren't moving in any set direction; they kept changing directions and coming towards the boat, making it difficult for us to leave once we had spent sufficient time with them. Imagine that...trying to head away from the whales and having them turning into and under the boat!! We also saw some harbour porpoises, stellar sea lions, 10 pacific white-sided dolphins, 8 bald eagles, seals, gulls, and watched birds diving at Mitlenatch Island. Our lunch stop was in Mason Landing on Cortes Island today. Our afternoon trips saw the same wildlife but the transients had moved closer in around Rebecca Spit and Cape Mudge. Always a bonus watching them close to home!!
Friday August 19
Humpback whales have been popping up all over the place this summer, and today we found one just North of Kelsey Bay!! He was making some pretty deep dives so we continued North a little ways just past Hickey Point and we found the A8 group of orcas!! They were spread out in two groups. After watching them for a little while we were joined by a group of 30-40 Pacific White-Sided Dolphins who harassed and played with/ around the orcas! Our guests wanted to see what the dolphins could really do so we headed out into the middle of the channel nice and quick making a large wake and sure enough the dolphins followed! They were very acrobatic, doing flips and playing in the bow wave and in the wake! After the excitement settled down we headed back to the orcas for one last look and then continued towards home!
Thursday August 18
Today we headed all the way up to Telegraph Cove and we weren't disappointed! We saw 50+ orcas and they were all over the place! On both sides, behind us, EVERYWHERE! It was very exciting and our guests also enjoyed their view of the picturesque town of Telegraph Cove!!
Wednesday August 17
Nodales Channel was the place to be today!! It was FULL of orcas!! we saw about 20 and they sure were being playful! We had several come right up to the boat and check us out while we were stopped for lunch!! and they were tail slapping, spy hopping, breaching and rolling on the surface!!! They seemed to be posing for the cameras! One of the new babies even went up to a fishing boat and gave it a whack with its tail! It was a beautiful day and everyone left with smiles on there faces!
Tuesday August 16
We caught up the whales in the exact same place as we left them yesterday, only today it was A12 and her nephews (the A36's) instead of the A8's. We were lucky enough to watch them rub on the rubbing beach while we listened to some great vocalizations and A12 decided that she'd like to get a better look at us and did a full circle of our boat as she checked us out!! We also found some Dall's porpoises feeding and they were all over the place and so fast it was hard to keep track of them! We then headed to the tidal rapids where we saw a couple eagles and seals before heading back to Campbell River!
Monday August 15
We headed North once again up Johnstone Straight and just North of Kelsey Bay we found a group of 6 orcas (the A8's)!! The were mid channel when we found them and going against the tide which is very unusual and interesting behaviour. They were travelling very close together and went in front of our boats, behind our boat, and on both sides of our boat which gave our guests the perfect opportunities for taking great pictures. After spending time with the whales we headed over to Stuart Island and some of the incredible tidal rapids that can be found in the waters there. There were sea birds (including bald eagles) diving around the boat for fish and lots of seals. We also found a group of Dall's porpoise in that area who decided to have some fun riding the bow wave of our boat!! On our way back home we also managed to spot a few shy harbour porpoises! What a perfect day; sunshine, calm waters, and WILDLIFE!!
Sunday August 14
We started our day off by finding a very young black bear who got a little nervous at the sight of us and headed off into the bushes. Then we spotted a Humpback Whale with a HUGE tail feeding along the shoreline. He was moving quite fast so after a short while we continued our journey North. We were interrupted once again by a small group of Dall's Porpoises! We then continued into Sunderland and tucked ourselves into a closed off bay to enjoy our picnic lunch. After lunch we found another black bear! He was mush larger than the first bear we had seen, but still seemed quite young. We spent a bit of time watching him as he moved rocks on the beach and climbed on top of logs. He did not seem afraid of us in the slightest and put on a great performance for our guests! Then we headed towards Blind Channel and managed to find a small group of about 15 or so Pacific White-Sided dolphins! These guys stole the show! We spent quite a bit of time watching them jump and play in our wake and ride our bow wave!! Everyone on board got amazing pictures! On our way back to Campbell River we once again ran into the Humpback that we had seen earlier which was the perfect way to finish off the trip!!
Saturday August 13
Was it ever an amazing day out on the water!! We had barely left the docks and we came across 3 transient orcas swimming by. We watched them for a little while before heading out in search of more wildlife. A little later, we found 6 residents hanging around Howe Island, followed by a pod of at least 12 residents up Frederick Arm. The residents were spread out all over the place with some serious vocalization going on!! We turned off the engines and watched as they swam in front of us, behind the boat, and on both sides. Our guests got some great photo opportunities! We then took a tour through the tidal rapids and caught up with some bald eagles and seals. Overall it was a fantastic day and everyone left with smiles on their faces.
Friday August 12
It was another gorgeous summer day as our whale watch left the marina this morning. We came across A12 and her 2 nephews, the A36s, off Cracroft Island, opposite Naka Creek. As we were watching them, all of a sudden half a dozen whales (the A24s) came up behind us!! They were well hidden as we were traveling north but made an exciting appearance to join the first group of whales. We were the only boat with the whales and spent some wonderful time under blue skies and glass-calm water, just watching these magnificent creatures. At one point we were following them when they made an abrupt turn towards us so we turned off the engines and they dove right under the bow!! It was a great day for all and we even got wind of a few transient orcas down around Twin Islands. The orcas are definitely here and hanging around!! Wonder what tomorrow will bring?
Thursday August 11
We left the dock this morning and headed across the Discovery Passage into Q-Cove and found 4 Transient orcas (T18's) hunting seals! They were jumping out of the water and were very active! We watched them for nearly an hour and they managed to make a kill (we do feel bad for the seal, but the orcas need to eat too!). Then we got a report of a larger group of Transients South near Miracle Beach and manage to run into them near Salmon Point!! They were the same 'Mystery Orcas' that we had been seeing around the area lately, and there is still no positive ID for the group! We spent about an hour with these guys before moving on to check out the Tidal Rapids which were spectacular!! There were so many gulls at the Arran Rapids that it looked like it was snowing!!! The birds sure do love the extreme tides! Everyone on the boat seemed really happy and we look forward to another day on the water tomorrow!
Wednesday August 10
8 Transient Orcas at Camp Point heading East (closer to Campbell River) in two seperate groups! We sure do love having those whales nice and close to Campbell River, especially on beautiful days such as today! The tidal rapids were also fantastic today which brought out a large number of sea birds, including a whole bunch of Eagles, and we just love watch them dive for fish just in front of our boats! In the afternoon we went out again for a Marine Wildlife Safari and managed to find the whales again!!
Tuesday August 9
The Day started of absolutely perfect with a large group of 11 mystery Transient Orcas. These whales have been spotted in the area a few times now but as of yet no one has been able to ID them!! One of them is a huge male with the largest dorsal fin anyone here at our company has ever seen! After leaving the Transients we headed into Nodales channel where we got to watch a bald eagle chow down on a huge salmon that it held between its talons! The eagle wasn't the only one munching on salmon in Nodales, we also found 3 Resident Orcas know as A12 and her nephews the A36's! After all the excitement in Nodales we got to sit in the rapids and watch the impressive display of sea birds (eagles, gulls, cormorants, and even some rhinoceros auklets) as they dove for the hake fish that got pushed up by the moving water! A lunch near the Aaron Rapids was a good way for the guests to relax a bit and put their cameras down, but not for long because soon after lunch we found a black bear eating elder berries on the beach! We rounded out the trip by checking out some harbour seal hangouts and our guests were all very pleased!
Monday August 8
Today was full of wildlife! We saw a group of Pacific white-sided dolphins Heading East past Ripple Point, 3 Resident orcas (A12 and her 2 nephews; the A36s) resting west of Eve River, a couple Dall's porpoises at Rock Bay, a whole bunch of seals at Mitlenatch, some juvenile Steller sea lions at Sentry Shoals, and lots of eagles!!
Sunday August 7
Blue waters, blue sky and the sun made for another unforgettable whale watching experience! We saw 8 Resident orcas, and they showed us 2 tail slaps and a spectacular breach, as they were actively foraging for salmon. On the way we were accompanied by cheerful Pacific white-sided dolphins and Harbour porpoises and admired soaring bald eagles and watched Harbour seals sunning on the rocks. Our guests had a great time enjoying a summer day on the water in BC!
Friday August 5
Today we headed North-West towards Robson Bight to find the whales, and we were rewarded!! We were greated by 10 resident orcas! It was a beautiful day on the water all around, and our guests loved the whales as well as the eagles and seals that we managed to come across!!
Thursday August 4
We left at 4pm for our afternoon wildlife trip and decided to head south towards Mitlenatch Island. Mitlenatch is such a beautiful and unique island, nestled between Vancouver Island and the Mainland at the top of the Strait of Georgia. It sits in a rain shadow and has one third of the rainfall of Campbell River! It is also home to large Glaucous Gull, Pelagic Cormorant and Pigeon Guillemot colonies. You will also find Bald Eagles, a whole host of Harbour seals and juvenile Steller sea lions. What a beautiful place and great way to start our wildlife tour. The water was calm as a lake, the sky azure blue and the sun nice and hot - perfect weather to enjoy our surroundings.
Then we headed north looking for Black Bears and we were rewarded with 2 sightings, both on the mainland side near the old Homalco First Nations village of Church House. Then is was off to exciting Arran Rapids, what fun flying through one of the fastest tidal rapids in the world! The water here is a beautiful emerald green, and as we went past through the fast flowing rapids, boiling whirlpools on both sides, there were hundreds upon hundreds of Bonaparte and California gulls swooping down feeding on the fish, it looked like it was snowing!