Residents and Transients (Biggs) - All in One Day

How delightful to have no fog and seas as flat as a plate all day long. These conditions really give us an advantage to not only find wildlife but to enjoy them tranquilly with our engines turned off and the only sounds are coming from the wildlife themselves.

Every critter we observed today seemed vocal. The oyster catchers were loud and chatty, the resident orca filled our ears with their high-pitched, beautiful calls, and the breaches we saw from Humpback whales created amplified thunder as their 30 ton body landed down on the water.

The orca we sighted were coming from the west and making their way along the Malcolm Island shoreline. At times they were tucked right along the shore which created that magical scene of whale breath against the backdrop of deep forest green. The reflection from the trees creates the same kind of green in the ocean below and as the black and white body of an orca glides through it, the locals believe that this image is the symbol of beautiful BC.

Both pacific white-sided dolphins and dall’s porpoise were all in with the orca, perhaps harassing them as these smaller cetaceans seem to do. Even a lone stellar sea lion was found right in the mix.

As the day drew to a close we were homeward bound, feeling as though we had our cups filled to the brim with such magical experiences. Just as we thought our tour was over we had another encounter with an active stellar sea lion, which showed signs of a successful hunt when it suddenly appeared with a salmon in its jaw. The drama of nature kept our senses alive as we witnessed interesting behavior by so many species, leaving our guests in awe of the rich and vibrant waters of Northern Vancouver Island.