September 8th

Today got off to a exciting start with the rare sighting of a elephant seal! All that was seen from the close encounter was a huge body, dark in colour with a few bristles and skin folds. As the animal dove a huge amount of water was displaced, then it vanished without a trace. The rest of the morning was spent with a pair of beautiful adult humpback whales, following them as they foraged in Blackfish Sound. We sat transfixed as the whales dived deep showing off their spectacular tail flukes. The homeward journey was just as exhilarating for we encountered a large group of Pacific white-sided dolphins hunting for herring. The acrobatic display of the dolphins was fantastic, lots of high diving and the occasional back flip along with incredible vocaliztions from the hydrophone.
Other wildlife encountered today included Fork-tailed storm petrels, 6 Cassin's aucklets, a rare light phase Rhinoceros Auklet, over 50 Steller sea lions and Dall's porpoises.