Brilliant humpback whale watching!
In the words of one passenger as she left the boat today "I am speechless"! It truly was an amazing day to be out on the water let alone watching whales. While en route to Alder Bay this morning two minke whales 
traveling together were sighted by our passengers on board who watched them as they made their way towards Yellow Bluff off Cormorant Island; it was a surprise sighting and very lucky for them. Blows of humpback 
whales were sighted as we neared the Stephenson Islands and in Weynton Passage a humpback whale was sighted foraging along the Plumper Island shoreline while another was seen closer to the Pearse Islands
and as we headed in its direction it surprised us with a fabulous full breach. Another whale was sighted further out towards Stubbs Island and one was down off Flower Island. Up until 
this point there could have been as many as 5-6 whales in the vicinity and later three more were reported off the White Cliff Islands! Keeping in mind that the A36 brothers (A37 & A46) from yesterday had been reported heading
west in Blackfish Sound at 7.00 a.m. this morning we began moving out further into the Queen Charlotte Strait scanning back and forth. It was absolutely gorgeous out there, the sea was flat calm with beautiful blue tones upon it and the Coast Range Mountains in the background made a striking contrast. There were 100's of birds gathered with flocks of rhinoceros auklets, common murres and gulls among them all resting on the calm water, it was a beautiful sight! With a heavy fog bank looming ahead of us and without any sight or sound of the A36's we turned back to enjoy more humpback whale viewing in the sunshine, allowing everyone to soak up the spectacular scenery as it unfolded around us. Heading back, we passed three humpback whales, dall's porpoises, harbour seals and two eaglets high up in their nest, all adding to the remarkable images seen on the scenic route that we cruised through on our way home. Other species also seen today not yet mentioned: black oyster catchers, belted kingfishers and ruddy turnstones. At 3.00 p.m. this afternoon a humpback whale was sighted swimming west and parallel to the main road of Alert Bay but when passing out in front of the bay and our accommodation 'On the Beach,' and a fair distance away, two whales surfaced and it appeared to be a mother and her calf. Guests staying at 'On the Beach' were able to view and photograph from the patio which made for some exciting viewing for them!