Shortly after leaving the dock at Alder Bay this afternoon we were taken by surprise when a Minke Whale surfaced nearby. The angle at which we observed the dorsal fin we thought that it was an orca however when it surfaced again it was most definitely a Minke Whale and it was a great sighting to start our tour on. The A36’s with A12 and the A30’s were inside the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve when we neared the western Reserve boundary but as we watched a male orca was making his way back to the west and it looked as though a female was as well. We watched from the distance of the boundary and sailed with our main sail hoisted and while trailing the hydrophone we listened to their A-Clan calls. The male orca when outside of the western boundary began moving across Johnstone Strait and was identified as A38 while the single female orca who had been sighted earlier was not alone and was identified as A54 with her three calves and they were foraging steadily along the Vancouver Island shoreline, westbound as well. A39 was sighted a distance out from the shore, A50 and her calves were further behind while the A36’s and A12 were further across on the West Cracroft Island side of Johnstone Strait.The viewing was wonderful and as we watched, the calves were playful and interacting together. With the hydrophone deployed again, ecolocation could be heard and their A-Clan calls were clearly audible and wonderful to listen to. As we headed back it was time to partake of the hot freshly baked scones served with tea all the while drinking in the beautiful seascape that stretched before and around us.