Fabulous viewing of Humpback Whales and a Sea Otter!
How incredible was our day beginning with a rainbow as we were leaving the dock at Alder Bay and a sighting of a sea otter, early on in our tour. It was quite by chance that we even saw the otter as it was swimming in amongst a kelp forest and disappeared from view on a dive, suddenly resurfacing with a sea urchin upon its chest! There were no reports of orcas this morning but numerous sightings of humpback whales and we observed blows off Bold Head and also near Parsons Light in Blackfish Sound. We headed first in the direction of Parsons Light and encountered some five humpback whales circling around, some venturing down towards Blackney Passage, while others were near Parsons Light and White Beach Passage. We also encountered numerous stellar sea lions feeding on salmon along with gulls waiting for scraps to fall. Travelling back via Bold Head we could see some five or more humpback whales feeding on herring/bait balls and it was astonishing to watch the activity of the whales as they lunged through the herring, three together at times while two were seen trap feeding. It was incredible watching the whales feeding nearby and at a distance, their sheer size, beauty and momentum was incredible and so exciting to watch! Guardian and Slash were amongst the whales that we saw today and as the day progressed the SE wind blowing felt warm at times and enabled us to sail. The sun was shinning brightly on our return. We also saw: common murres ++ and some chicks, rhinoceros auklets, red-necked phalaropes, harbour seals, great blue herons, bald eagles and gull species. **While numerous photo's were taken today, we are still unable to download photo's from our camera!
Today's penned comments: "Thanks so much for a day with so much fun and experience, which we will never forget." Heike & Michael, Germany.
"What a wonderful day! The sight of Humpbacks surrounding the boat and trap feeding with their huge mouths gaping will stay with us forever. Thank you!" Penny & Nick, UK
"Never expected to see all that I saw today. It was a terrific experience. Thank you for your work at keeping whales and sea life alive in our minds."
Beautiful tour and superb food! Erik & Diana, Netherlands