August 19th

Thanks to Paul Tixier for this serene shot of the SV Tuan and a bull Orca.

Today was fabulous! Thick fog blanketed the Strait as we made our way towards Robson Bight where we encountered a large group of resident orcas traveling at speed towards us. The morning was spent alongside these whales as they foraged for salmon down Johnstone Strait. After lunch we switched off the SV Tuan's engine and listened to fantastic orca vocals over the hydrophone. We were entranced watching a large group of resident orcas foraging in front of us when all of a sudden a young humpback whale surfaced practically in the middle of them with a loud trumpeting blow followed by a flash of its tail-fluke as it dove! If this was not exciting enough a small group of Dall's porpoises arrived on the scene, darting and diving around the orcas mobbing them for food scraps! Wherever we looked something action-packed and magical was happening! Humpbacks, orcas and porpoises all in the same area. Truly spell-binding.
Other exciting wildlife encounters included spotting a Parasitic Jaeger as well as an Common Tern, both un-common in this area.