Beauty abounds!

Sightings today were: Orcas, Humpback whales, Dall's porpoises, Harbour Seals, Great Blue Herons, Red -necked Phalaropes, Rhinoceros Auklets, Common Murres, Black Oystercatchers, Belted Kingfishers and Bald Eagles.

There are two words that described our day of touring – Beauty Abounds.

Not only were we gifted by numerous sightings of a variety of wildlife, the weather made for comfortable conditions to be at sea, as we admired the abundance of wildlife that nature generously revealed.

In addition to the family groups we have been seeing over the last couple of days: the A30's, A23's/A25's,I15's and I31's, there is the possibility of new pods having arrived  today and joining with the other orcas who had travelled far out into the Queen Charlotte Strait early in the morning. There were at least forty individuals who displayed both foraging and social behaviour, as they tail-slapped and rolled on the surface of the sea, interacting with each other as though they were literally having family time. The vocalizations heard via our hydrophone were superb!

We were stunned by the many blows we could see on the horizon, including the larger Humpback whale breath that can reach up to 3 meters high, all backed by rich blue skies and the forest green of our mountain ranges. The two Humpback whales we observed at a close range today, handsomely lifted their tail flukes high to the sky. The sea water that dripped from their fluke glistened like diamonds in the sun.

Our guests enjoyed the exploration of the islands and islets, as we hopped from one to another. Curious seal heads, camouflaged by the floating bull kelp, followed our boat as it drifted by, inquisitive like young pups.

Numerous birds foraged and flew, flapped and vocalized adding to the symphony of sound that echoed throughout this region, due to the stillness of the air.

Once our morning tour was complete, our guests stepped off the boat overwhelmed by all they had experienced and some even chose to join us on the afternoon tour. I think we will take that as a compliment. Thank you Mother Nature for once again providing us with such beauty, we are so honoured to share with our visitors.

Seasmoke Whale Watching photo's have been cropped and taken with a telephoto lens.