Two Very Different Tours

Today the wildlife dictated our every move, as though the Humpbacks and Orca were the ones behind the wheel.

Our morning started off with patchy fog that dissipated much sooner than the previous days. We still had to listen hard to hear the blows and decide which direction to travel.  While watching two Humpbacks forage, diving deep and surface numerous times we realised how much louder their breath sounds when the visibility is limited. It is truly an explosive and dynamic sound which is due to the fact that they are just about emptying their entire lung capacity of air, then filling it up again, just before they descend.

We were utterly speechless when suddenly out of the fog and in to the mist, two Humpbacks breached at the same time, their bodies leaving the water completely. We cannot help but question, what they had communicated prior to this launch. It is phenomenal to witness the displacement of water that occurs when these 30 ton animals land on the ocean surface creating a magnificent splash.

Later in the day, a report from another vessel that had spotted Orca, gave us the inspiration to journey west into Queen Charlotte Strait. At the time of the report a number of Northern Resident pods were mulling around not going in any particular direction. It was speculated that they may indeed head east, towards us. A sighting of Orca is tempting to investigate and so it was decided we would make the trek. We covered numerous miles and finally caught up with the A61, A 25, A64 who by this time were heading west, but the journey was worth it because along the way we also encountered at least three Humpbacks. The Orcas were spread out and heading closer towards the mainland, by this time a ripple had formed on the sea caused by a gentle northwest wind. After spending some time with these family oriented whales, we turned and headed for home.

Two very different tours on a stunning summer day, in the Northern end of Vancouver Island.