Humpbacks by Day and Orcas by Night

Fog welcomed us with its thick broad arms this morning and it lingered for most of our first tour.  We worked hard to find Humpbacks and once we did, we had to continue working hard keeping track of them. With help from other whale watching boats we identified the individuals as Ripple and her Calf, and Argonaut which we now know is a male.  At least three other unidentified whales were sighted but we were unable to get a good look at the underside of their fluke, so they remain a mystery.  

During our morning we had a lovely encounter with Dall's porpoise which played around our drifting boat. Even though we sat still and steady, the porpoises swam around us and even porpoised out of the water. We often see this behaviour when we are underway and they are bow or wake riding. 

By mid day the sun had warmed the fog away and the bait balls formed creating feeding frenzies in areas we explored. Gulls, Auklets, Common Murres and Humpbacks all feasted on the goodies created by the sea. 

By early evening the Orcas which had spent the day north, had turned on the flood tide. They utilized the current and steadily made their way east and entered in the vicinity where we could reach them. As the sun descended low on the horizon the sea turned to glass. With the pastel colours in the sky reflecting over the mirrored sea, a spectacular sunset was created. All those on board felt privileged to be drifting on the sea having witnessed wildlife at its best, in this Northern Vancouver Island paradise.