Into the wild with nature ~

Our sightings: Bigg's (Transient) Orca, a Humpback Whale, Dall's Porpoise, Stellar Sea-lion, Harbour Seals, Bald Eagles, Red-Necked Phalaropes and Belted Kingfishers.

The morning started out with viewing several Bald Eagles flying along the shoreline of Vancouver Island, a wonderful beginning to our tour. Once again, with a very low tide we were able to take a good look at the intertidal zone where we saw numerous sea urchins and sea cucumbers.

With a report of orcas in the area we headed in the direction of the sighting and because of the fog we stopped often to listen for blows and for calls via our hydrophone. Breaking through the fog we were thrilled to see the Biggs' (Transient) Orca surfacing slowly to breathe, the orca was very relaxed as it slowly made its way east. Transient Orcas are those who feed mostly on marine mammals and sea birds and while they are frequently passing through our area year round, it is not often that we see them on our tour and so, today's sighting was an exciting one!

On our way home we were fortunate to observe a Humpback Whale surfacing up through the water. It was lunge feeding on a bait ball with its mouth gaping wide open. What a treat to see, the sheer size and momentum at which the whale lunged forth was phenomenal!

The area in which we tour is undeniably beautiful and as the fog began to lift, like a blanket suddenly being removed, we were all amazed at the beauty of the area, made visible.