Our passengers on the Ocean Magic experienced J & K pod heading north from San Juan Island, as well as several Bald Eagles, dozens of Turkey Vultures and Harbour Seals on the morning trip to Victoria. By the afternoon the whales had already gone through Active Pass, so we hoped to meet up with them in the Strait of Georgia on our way to Vancouver.
Everyone was excited with anticipation, as Captain Gord spotted the first dorsal fin just south of Sandheads. The whales were still moving North, some were foraging, others travelling leisurely. Js and Ks were both present, Ruffles was travelling on the "outskirts" as usual, with probably Granny and a couple of others nearby. The absolute highlight of our trip was watching K26 Lobo, who was leisurely lounging in the flat calm waters, rolling over, waving his pectoral fins, doing lazy taillobs, spyhopping - all in all the picture of a very content orca with a belly full of salmon. It took me a while to id him, because whales are pretty hard to id when they are upside down most of the time. This seemed to be his preferred method of moving about. He was a delight to watch and the group of 52 passengers will probably never forget this experience in their lifetime.
We left the whales still heading north just by the Iona Jetty and headed "home" for the Vancouver Harbour.
Ellen - Naturalist Ocean Magic Van-Vic-Van
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