Orcas, Humpback and Minke Whales with breathtaking moments in their company!

It turned out to be a long day yet a fabulous one with some close encounters of orcas, humpback and minke whales. When we headed out this morning the orcas ( I15's and A42's), who had been reported milling off Blackney Passage began travelling east and slowly made their way into the Ecological Reserve. When we caught up to them they had still not ventured past the east end of the Reserve, and while many were seen in a resting line close to the Vancouver Island shoreline inside of the Reserve, a group of three were seen across the Strait on the West Cracroft Island side of Johnstone Strait. The orcas, all continued moving east on both sides of the Strait and we enjoyed a magical encounter of two foraging after salmon nearby, turning back and forth lunging after their prey. It was exciting to watch the speed at which they lunged and the momentum of their bodies moving rapidly through the water focused and intent on their prey! We made our way back while enjoying Devonshire Tea and were soon up in Blackney Passage viewing a large herring ball and later dall's porpoises feeding and two humpback whales, one of whom (Argonaut) surfaced nearby! It was brilliant viewing and on we went, heading for Alder Bay when a minke whale surfaced suddenly ahead of us and that too was a fabulous sighting. A second minke whale was seen in the distance and closer to Alert Bay. It was a brilliant ending to a day of some exceptional visual encounters! Today's penned comments: Seasmoke Tour has been beyond our expectations! The tour was very personal and intimate which made this a memorable experience. Our tour guide and Captain were both enthusiastic and passionate about marine mammals which led to the sighting of orcas, humpback and minke whales. We were able to gain a great deal of knowledge from our tour guide about marine wildlife. The warm freshly baked muffins and scones were an added treat! I highly recommend Seasmoke for your whale watching tour!!! Such a lovely day. Sofia and Tanner ~ Toronto, Canada ~ Thanks So Much!!!

Seasmoke went above and beyond finding us some whales to view. But almost as spectacular as the whales was the story telling that Maureen did in between, sharing personal antidotes and whale facts. A day well spent! And the muffins and scones didn't hurt either! Thanks for everything! Jeremy Tankard ~ Vancouver

This tour was incredible. At first it was pretty fun just going on the water(and the muffins and scones were an extra bonus), but then we saw the whales and it was amazing! We saw 3 kinds of whales, and we saw them really close-up too, which was really cool. All in all, this tour was an amazing experience that I highly recommend.

Hermione Tankard (age 12) ~ Vancouver, BC