Treated by Orcas in the Rain

It was a complete flip from yesterday to today regarding the weather and the nature of our tour. The wind dropped, the blue sky disappeared and along came the gentle rain. We also had no reason to travel far this afternoon since all the wildlife were condensed into an area fairly close to our home in Alert Bay.

Donned in our flotation suits we set out from Alder Bay having just picked up our final passengers. It did not take long for us to be in the company of Orca. At least three pods were foraging back and forth in the area of Blackfish Sound. The whales were identified as A50, I4 and I 65 pods. Thankfully the sea was flat calm, our canopy protected us from the drizzle and the whales put on a marvelous display.

They were remarkably playful as they tail slapped, spyhopped and rolled around eachother, cork screwing just at the surface. Another boat reported that these whales had been resting for most of the morning, so this kind of behaviour is typical for whales when they are waking up. The kids start to liven up and interact with eachother socially and playfully and we would usual experience lively vocalizations, however nothing was heard over our underwater microphone.

A Humpback appeared in the same vicinity and below the eagles nest a large number of Stellar sea lions were both hauled up on land and in the swimming in water. The gathering of sea lions that splashed and swam, dove and porpoised gave the same impression of a busy public pool open on a summers day.

It was fantastic to sea a Bald Eagle in clear view as it perched on a rocky ledge, keeping an eye out for approaching salmon. The rain certainly did not stop us from enjoying such a splendid encounter with all our creatures great and small.