Humpback whales and beautiful island waterways ~

Our tour out yesterday~ June 28, 2016 A calm grey sea under a marine layer of sky welcomed us on the water. Our first stop was the picturesque channel through the Pearce Islands where we watched a Belted King Fisher, clacking away as it foraged along the shoreline. Our resident Harbour Seals and Bald Eagles were present at the Stephensen Islands and once we were out in Weynton Passage, already we could see whale blows in the distance. As we ventured closer towards the blows, a call came over the radio from local researchers who kindly announced that the two Humpbacks we were viewing were Ripple and Guardian. Their behaviour was just like the other day,  they were once again together, synchronizing their breaths and deep dives and surfacing side by side. They were in traveling mode, rather than foraging and this was the same with the three other humpbacks we encountered deeper into Blackfish Sound. On our return we cruised in silence through the beautiful Plumper Islands allowing the flooding current to float us along peacefully. It was there that we came across a Black-tailed deer foraging at the waters edge on the rockweed that clung to the rocky shoreline. The deer instinctively stopped still and froze, it's gaze upon us gave everyone a chance to take it's photo before it meandered up into the forest.

By the end of our tour the sun was bright, having burned off the marine layer and the blue sky and warmth invited us home.