It was a beautiful fall day on the water, the assembly of large numbers of common murres having arrived into the area and the sound of their calls across the water was familiar and signified that fall had indeed arrived. The A12’s were sighted at Big Bay early on in the tour this morning and passengers on the SV Tuan enjoyed observing them as they foraged, traveling east along Hanson Island when they turned into Blakney Passage making their way into Blackfish Sound. A humpback whale was also sighted and some wonderful viewings were enjoyed. It was an action packed afternoon for passengers on the motor cruise. A humpback whale fluke was seen disappearing out of sight out in the Queen Charlotte Strait at the same time that numerous stellar sea lions were swimming close by, exuberant and splashing about. While scanning for the humpback whale, waiting for it to surface again, it was surprising to suddenly see orcas, the A12’s who were also near by in the Queen Charlotte Strait. A33 was well out in the Strait heading west when A12 turned towards Weynton Passage; the A34’s following. A33 circled around and was soon parallel to his mother and entering into Johnstone Strait on the flood current with the A34’s following. A12 and A33 commenced foraging on the VI shore while the A34’s rested, moving slowly down the Hanson Island side of the Strait. The viewing of the humpback whale was superb, meanwhile, stellar sea lions were everywhere it seemed! It was extremely interesting to observe them swimming and feeding in the water and also hauled out. Other sightings today: Humpback whales, harbour seals hauled out, common murres+++, fork-tailed storm petrels, red-necked phalaropes, red-necked grebes, cassin’s auklets, rhinoceros auklets, bald eagles, and california gulls.