Resident Orcas ~A30's & A42's, Pacific White-sided Dolphins++ & Humpback Whales ~ a fabulous day of viewing!

As our days begin to shorten and the mornings are somewhat chilly, we recognize that summer has almost reached its end and yet we relish still the golden warmth of the afternoon's sun and feel grateful for this wonderful extended interlude of sunshine before fall and rain arrives! Today was an example of our 'golden day's' with the return of fog early in the morning, a chill on the water and sunshine all day long! How wonderful was our day and busy at that with several groups of pacific white-sided dolphins arriving suddenly to cruise alongside for a while and then departing as we travelled east in Johnstone Strait towards resident orcas, the two matrilines, A30's and A42's who had arrived at Cracroft Point just as we did and just as the fog dispersed. It was amazing to see the orcas with numerous dolphins charging around them and a humpback whale, all of them were in Blackney Passage! The viewing was superb as we observed this meeting of cetaceans,  tolerant of one another and comfortable in each others space! A number of stellar sea-lions were also nearby in the mix! The orcas made their way into Blackfish Sound and towards Bold Head, they were foraging as they went and we so enjoyed watching as the dolphins and humpback whale also travelled in their same direction. We travelled back via the scenic waterways of the Plumper Islands, enjoying the visual beauty which looked magnificent today in every direction that we looked! Also seen: harbour seals, common murres, cassin's and rhinoceros auklets, marbled murrelets, double crested cormorants, belted kingfishers, white-winged scoters, bald eagles, great blue herons and gull species. Today's penned comments: "Maureen and Dave thank you for a wonderful trip. We enjoyed every minute of it. We also loved the scones and organic tea. Maureen you are a very enthusiastic person, nice."                                       ~ Ron & Marianne, Holland

M & D, Thanks for a great voyage and especially your hospitality and informative contributions that helped us understand more of the wonders of sea life and connectedness of the creatures. You ordered a beautiful day and the Good Lord apparently answered your prayer! Blessings for the future." ~ Bill & Gloria, Colorado

"Thank you for a wonderful trip. We had a very nice time." ~ Trevor & Marie, BC