Wind, Waves and Wildlife

A brisk breeze and choppy waters made us thankful for the warm layers we wore aboard the MV Seasmoke. One of the great things about the Seasmoke boat is that it is an open boat, which really gives you the sense that you are immersed in nature that surrounds us. It also means that along with the fabulous viewing opportunities in every direction, you also get to feel the elements aswell. The Northwest wind that blew the entire day, did stir up the inside waters and salt spray from the occasional wave kept us lively.

Even in these challenging ocean conditions, we got to see both humpbacks and northern resident orca. Throughout the day the orca’s gave us a look into a day in the life of an orca. They traveled in their family groups, the younger members porpoised in order to clear the lumpy seas as they surfaced to breath. They foraged for salmon in a riptide and even took an orca nap. When they sleep they form a resting line. The whales are lined up, side by side, moving slowly and surfacing gently. The large males are typically on the outside of this family oriented display, while the younger whales are protected on the inside. There were times when we saw the belly of a calf as it turned turtle on its back as well as the occasional spyhop as they poked their head up and out of the water to assess their surroundings from a different perspective.

Over ten Humpbacks were seen in the area, their blows harder to detect as the wind carried their breath away as quick as it was released. A large baitball formed causing the excitement on the boat to be turned up a notch. This feeding frenzy creates a fabulous opportunity for us to witness Humpback behavior at its best. With a wide open jaw, they lunge out of the water scooping all the ocean goodies that are near to the surface, directly in to their massive mouth. How grateful we are to be able to witness this behaviour at a respectful distance. Of course there were numerous birds that joined in this oceanic buffet, therefore the sound was tremendously chaotic and lively.

Signs of change occurred today as a large group of Stellar sea lions were seen. It appeared to us that they were on a human watching trip. Ten or more individuals were all lined up with their heads sticking up and out of the water, all looking in our direction. They start to congregate during late August and September to settle preparing to settle here for the winter months.

It was a drama filled day on the water with wind, waves and wildlife. How little wind we have had this summer so it created yet another kind of energetic mood of this Northern Van Isle region.