Sunshine with wonderful sightings of Humpback whales, Orcas and Porpoises
A tour is always successful when you have great wildlife spotters. The guests that joined us today had eagle eyes and spotted many different species of marine mammals. They sighted our first of many Humpback whales, as the three-metre blow filled the air with what looked like steam or smoke rising from the sea. It was impressive to see a synchronised dive by three Humpback whales close to each other. One fluke rose up then descended into the sea; another fluke rose up, followed by the third whale that also arched its back and dove deep.
There was a curious sighting of a salmon, not quite porpoising, but dragging its body forward quite dynamically. It is wonderful to see that the food for so many species has arrived into the area. Harbour seal pups were seen swimming alongside their mother’s and side by side their heads glimmered in the sunlight as they cruised amongst the kelp forests. We saw numerous Dall’s porpoises and Bald Eagles that soared above the beautiful waterways and Islands we visited. A Stellar sea lion, Harlequin ducks, Red-necked Phalaropes, Belted Kingfishers, Rhinoceros Auklets and Gull species were also seen.
On our afternoon tour, the Orcas that had spent the morning inside the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve began travelling west in Johnstone Strait away from the Reserve area. They were spread out foraging with one large male observed on the Hanson Island side of Johnstone Strait. It was a marvel to watch their deep black dorsal fins shimmering in the sunlight when they surfaced to breathe.
It was another splendid day on the water!
All photos were taken using a telephoto lens and have been cropped.