Mystic Magic in Fog and Sun

It was a mixed bag of weather and a mixed bag of wildlife sightings that kept us on high alert on both of our tours today. Our passengers this morning toured mostly in a heavy fog-like mist that fell at times like rain and yet, even so, there was so much wildlife to view. 

We stopped frequently to look and listen while making our way slowly along the shorelines and were thrilled to see a large Black bear feeding at the water's edge amongst the rocks and kelp. That we were lucky to see a bear so close we have the fog to thank for that!  And while the fog hung low at the waterline for quite some time, we could listen to and also see in total six Humpback whales, all of them were unperturbed by the fog while they foraged back and forth. It was quite surreal, to find ourselves intimate 'inside the fog' and sharing together the lovely visuals of seabirds, Dall's porpoises, Stellar sea lions and Harbour seals.

By the afternoon the fog had lifted and the day had begun to brighten. Again, there was so much to see but in a different way. We encountered lots of Dall's porpoises, Stellar sealions, a Humpback whale and numerous birds that included Belted Kingfishers, Black Oyster catchers, Rhinoceros and Cassin's auklets, Common Murres, Bald Eagles and Red-necked Phalaropes.  But it did not end there, we also had a surprise viewing of a Sea Otter and stayed watching for a while, entranced. Sea Otters are still an uncommon sighting for us. 

As we were nearing the end of our tour, it was reported by another vessel that Orcas had been sighted travelling near Haddington Island. And so it was that we were very fortunate in seeing 4 Transient Orcas. T036 and T036B’s were travelling initially but their actions quickly turned to hunting mode while we watched and we could not help but feel the energy of the frightened seals in the water. The orcas had arrived on scene so quickly, the seals were powerless to the orcas immense size, strength and speed.

It was quite the day for our passengers who before they ventured out, had absolutely no idea as to what they just might see.