September 12th

It was a beautiful sunshine day as we headed out on our afternoon tour and as surprising as it seemed, we were suddenly engulfed by a dense mass of fog that cleared as quickly as it arrived. Shortly after, we encountered a fairly large group of Pacific White sided Dolphins who were feeding, several were seen leaping clear of the water much to everyone's delight. Meanwhile, a pod of 9 Orcas, the A30's who had been sighted far east in Johnstone Strait earlier in the day were making their way back to the west. We first sighted the orcas, their dorsal fins glistening in the afternoon light, prior to their entering the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve, a small group of Pacific White-sided Dolphins were traveling with them. Not stopping to rub at the beaches, the orcas were traveling at a brisk pace and were soon crossing the estuary of the Tsitika River, stopping briefly to forage before continuing their westward journey. It was a beautiful sighting, A39 was in the lead followed by his two sisters and their calves and his mother A30; his brother A38 was further behind foraging. With the engine off we were still and quiet while listening to the A-Clan calls of the orcas via the hydrophone. The afternoon sunlight was glorious and accentuated for all to see the exceptional beauty that forms the backdrop of the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve; the lush greenness of forest along the shoreline seemed even more green, it was a spectacular sight to see! On the homeward journey, small groups of Dall's Porpoises were seen feeding nearby and towards the very end of the tour, a single Humpback Whale was sighted, a perfect ending to a perfect day of viewing.