A Change in the Weather
Foggy and quiet was our morning tour with Seasmoke Whale Watching. We began our adventure with a beautiful black bear close to the waters edge. This impressive mammal was able to overturn large heavy rocks just with one paw in search for crustaceans and other sea critters to eat. As we drifted silently, the bear barely noticed us. Even though Black bears have an excellent sense of smell perhaps it decided that we were not a threat and continued with its search for food.
We went to the Pearce Islands, in search of Bald Eagles perched on Cedar branches. The fog made it difficult to spot them, however our guests had keen eyes and pointed out numerous Eagles, who stood beautifully camouflaged against the backdrop of mist and forest green.
We continued towards Blackfish Sound where a group of Humpback whales were foraging. We couldn’t help but admire their gentle grace as they surfaced then changed direction at a pace that surprised us, perhaps in pursuit of a bait ball. We were able to hear their powerful blows from a long distance away.
As we journeyed on in search of Orca, a group of Dall’s porpoise surprised us. They dove deep as they traveled in the opposite direction but still giving us a glance of their triangular black and white dorsal fins.
Now in Johnstone Strait, a lone Killer whale was sighted, identified as part of the A25 pod. We were able to see the Orca changing direction as it swam and as we watched we saw this whale slap the surface of the water numerous times with its fluke. We often see this behavior in juvenile Orca, and at times from a mum who is reprimanding a calf.
A group of Pacific White-sided dolphins traveled by and as we watched we could see them jumping out of the water, until they came upon a bait ball. These playful creatures, high in energy, made their way through the school of fish which confused them and gave them an opportunity to feast.
Our tour soon came to an end and our guests were grateful having experiencing our wildlife magic.
