We were hearing and seeing whales well ahead of our tour even beginning this morning, with loud blows initially being heard from deep inside the Alert Bay breakwater main dock and then the sighting of two humpback whales, a mother and calf were sighted, matching the blows heard moments earlier, from our kitchen window. The two whales were making their way east in Broughton Strait passing the Nimpkish River but by the time we were departing from Alder Bay the humpbacks had disappeared but a minke whale was sighted, it had been passing by close to the dock prior to our loading of passengers. We made our way over to Weynton Passage where we sighted the first of many humpback whale sightings, with 10 or more being sighted (there were 13 reported in the area) but because there were so many whales moving about in all directions and in various distances away, it was not an easy task to keep track of the number we encountered. The day was an engrossing one as it unfolded, we passed several hundred dolphins intent on feeding as we made our way over to Bold Head, the dolphins while interacting around the boat continued to feed as we went by. The whales were active with several of them tail lobbing simultaneously nearby the boat and waving about their pectoral fins, breaching was also observed by numerous passengers looking in the right direction at the right time! It truly was an amazing day being surrounded by so many whales throughout the tour that even when we headed home we encountered and enjoyed some close viewing of three more whales! Other sightings today included: stellar sea lions, harbour seals, rhinoceros auklets, common murre, red-necked phalaropes, california, mew and glaucous-winged gulls, bald eagles and fork-tailed storm-petrals.