Zodiac Adventure Nov 9

Although skies in November are usually grey, and rain is often the norm for this time of year, there is always an adventure to be found. It was that sense of adventure that took visitors from as far away as Winnipeg, Australia, and the Netherlands out in a yellow ' Prince of Whales ' Zodiac. The 11am Sunday trip took us south into the Strait of Juan de Fuca in search of whales. With glimpses of sun between the clouds, and calm water all around, our visibility for observing whales was very good. Our experienced skipper, James ' Radar ' was at the controls. We scanned the horizon in every direction looking for Humpback whales that had been seen the day before. At one point while searching for the Humpbacks we were surrounded by six Harbour Seals. Unfortunately no Humpbacks were found. Instead, we came across 9 Transient Orca that were very active off Albert Head. These are the stealth hunters of the ocean, the top predators. Every behaviour of these magnificent mammals was observed, including breaching, Fluke waving, porpoising, cartwheeling, pec-slapping, backdiving. They were chasing small sea birds and were uncharacteristically noisy making sqeakes and whistles with their blow-holes. These female orca and their young appeared to be having a great time. This was an AMAZING encounter with Transient Orca. Our visitors really had a memorable experience.
Photos by Marie "Orca-Magic" and Clint "Orcawizard"

Zodiac Adventures Nov 8

Our 11am Zodiac Adventure took us South of Victoria, into the wonders on the Strait Of Juan De Fuca. Capt. James "Radar" was in search of Humpback Whales, the gentle giants of the ocean. Radars keen eyes spotted the blows of the Humpbacks miles in the distance and we were soon viewing these spectacular whales. They were taking deep dives showing tail after their rest at the surface. After our visit with the Humpbacks we took a tour of Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. Here we saw the Steller Sea Lions hauled up on the rocks. These huge guys were growling and competing for the best spot on the rock as waves crashed below them.
The 2pm Zodiac Adventure was a double delight as we quickly found the Humpbacks again. Radar put our zodiac in perfect position as the whales went past slowly rising from the depths to take a breath then slipping back down showing their huge flukes. Our trip then took us south of Beecher Bay. Here there were 9 Transient Orca. These Killer Whales were searching for food tight to the shoreline. We followed their movements as they worked south along the shore, they were a delight to see. Truly a wonderful day on the water in November!
Photos by Clint "Orcawizard"

Zodiac Adventure Oct 29

October continues to be a great month for observing whales. Wednesday, October 29th's Zodiac trip at 1pm was no exception. Skipper Mark, 'Mallard' took us out west along the picturesque shoreline of Metchosin and Sooke, Vancouver Island. We took in the sights and sounds of this beautiful coastline. Our search for local wildlife found different colour morphs of Harbour Seal, Bald Eagles, Great Blue Heron and many Bonaparte's Gull dipping and diving over the water. We turned south at Secretary Rock and headed into the Strait of Juan de Fuca to find the two Humpback whales that had been reported. We soon located them and spent time watching these huge animals move slowly through the water. They were seen dragging bull kelp over their pectoral flippers and dorsal fin. It was interesting to watch these giants, of 35-45ft in length and 40+ tons move so gracefully while foraging. On one ocassion these curious Humpbacks swam toward us, thrilling all our visitors on board. Then they would disappear below after raising their 'flukes' for a deep dive. We spent time admiring these incredible creatures, knowing that they were on their migration to either Hawaii or Mexico. A visit to Race Rocks gave our passengers views of Steller Sea Lion. Although the weather was less than ideal, it was stll an amazing west coast trip once again. Photos by Marie "Orca-Magic"

Zodiac Adventure Oct 28

It was truly to be a '' Magical '' 10am Zodiac trip this Tuesday, Oct 28th. We left the inner harbour, under some what cloudy skies and headed straight south into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. After a short run Mark, our experienced Skipper, stopped to look around with his binocular. Off in the distance south of Race Rocks at Constance Bank , three Humpback whales could be seen. We headed toward these behemoths, huge ballen whales plying the smooth waters of the Strait. We hadn't gone far when suddenly we were surrounded by southern resident whales that were identified as K pod. Even L 87, ' Onyx ' was with this group once again. The baby K 42 , was swimming close to its sibling K 36, while mother, K 14 was busy foraging. Lobo,K 26, a young male surprised us as he swam close by. We had good looks at these illusive whales as they headed south east. We then headed toward the Humpbacks. These giants were actively feeding and ''fluking '' with their huge tails as they made their deep dives looking for small fish and krill. Skipper Mark gave an indepth account of the marine life found in these waters. Our international travellers from as far away as South Africa, Japan, Germany, Sweden, Britain all enjoyed a quick trip to Race Rocks to see the Harbour seals and the two types of sea lion, Steller and California. We even found a Herring Gull enjoying the very calm waters among the kelp beds. With big smiles on our faces, we headed back to the harbour. Truly an amazing encounter with the whales in October. Photos by Marie "Orca-Magic"

Ocean Magic Adventure Oct 26

The Ocean Magic 12.15pm trip on Sunday Oct 26th, headed out of the harbour and turned east past the breakwater. With Captain Tyler, Sean and Mika, our expert Naturalists on board, we were in for a real treat this sunny, Autumn day. Although there was a brisk wind and chop on the water, our international visitors had a beautiful experience encountering whales. We headed across Haro Strait and found K pod, one of our resident, fish eating Orca pods, swimming close in shore off San Juan Island. They were heading north for much of the time and then turned south. They appeared to be foraging at times. Throughout the trip our experienced crew shared a wealth of knowledge with our visitors. Their account of marine life in these nutrient rich waters enhanced what was to be, a most delightful trip. Photos by Marie "Orca-Magic"