A Feast for the "I's"

Today we had both a morning and afternoon tour, that left from both Alert Bay and Adler Bay Resort with calm waters and blue, but cloudy skies.

Weynton Passage was the gathering place for many sea mammals including the entertaining Dall’s porpoise that didn’t seem to want to stop playing with our boat, the MV Seasmoke. In the afternoon, they were observed throughout the Passage, chasing food and keeping company to the whales in the vicinity. Both mammals and birds were attracted to the huge bait ball of tiny fish that make for such a great meal.

Humpback whales were out in numbers during the morning hours - at least five of them near Orcalab and at Craycroft Point, as well as in Weynton Passage. Also in front of Orcalab our group saw a variety of waterfowl: the Pigeon Guillemot, Red Necked Phalarope, Rhinoceros Auklet and Common Murre.

In the afternoon, our skipper returned to Weynton Passage, and a Humpback was there once more, and we had the privilege of watching it ‘trap feeding’ with its mouth wide open to catch little krill and small fish. Then came the Orca! The “I” pod of Northern Residents that had been appearing out in local waters all week turned up and we watched as they swam, fed and dived - some together and some apart. Fantastic! And all around, the little Dall’s porpoise flitted in and out of sight. And the Stellar sea lions, those large golden brown swimmers were also on the move in Weynton, clearly the popular spot for our wildlife on this sunny afternoon.

We spotted a Bald eagle in the Stephanson Islands - up high in a tree and out on a log, along with numerous spotted Harbour seals in a range of colours from almost white to dappled grey and black.

The threat of wind was staved off for most of the day and we travelled under clear skies and calm water until later in the afternoon. Two wonderful trips in an amazing part of the world!