Unbelievable day with Cetacean sightings - Orcas, Humpback and Minke Whales!
It was a fabulous day on the water with glassy calm blue waters and a clear blue sky as well and perfect for seeing marine mammals! We entered into Weynton Passage after viewing numerous juvenile bald eagles and hauled out harbour seals, black oyster catchers and black turnstones. It seemed that humpback whales were everywhere in Weynton Passage and out into Blackfish Sound as well off Bold Head. We enjoyed our time with some 5-6 individuals, 'Argonaut' was among them and then we headed towards Lizard Point where orcas had been sighted. We caught up to them just west of Lizard Point, they were well spread out and travelling to the east at a leisurely pace. With our hydrophone deployed there were no calls, they were silent. At one point a small group of orcas surfaced near our boat and we saw an orca with two notches in her fin, we believe was I104 from the I35's. The orcas were well spread out, two large males were also seen travelling together near to the Malcolm Island shoreline, they were too far away to ID, as were the other orcas, likely they were the I15's. On the way home in Pearse Passage we had a good sighting of the minke whale 'Bolt', it was a fabulous ending to a fabulous day! Also seen today: dall's porpoises, stellar sea lions, common murres, rhinoceros auklets, red-necked phalaropes, fork-tailed storm petrels, a black-tailed deer on an island, herring, glaucous-winged and california gulls. Todays penned comments: Today (August 3) we went with Seasmoke Whale Watching. This is our second time and we just love it. The weather was just beautiful. We saw seals, bald eagles, humpback whales, sea lions and orcas. It took some time for the orcas to show up but then it was awesome!The hospitality on board is great. Maureen told us a lot about the wildlife. The muffins, scones, tea, hot chocolate was nice too, because the wind was a little cold. It's so nice to talk to other people and hear about their stories on Vancouver Island. I recommend this. It's great! ~ Family Smeele, Holland
Dear Crew, I really enjoyed this whale watching tour! It was a great pleasure to meet you and I thank you for having me on this trip. Coming from so far away, I have gained my knowledge by seeing one of the - if not the - most beautiful places on our planet. Please take my greatest thanks for today , you have showed us the whales so carefully. I hope that this place on earth will be unaffected by human activities. ~ Mathias, Dresden, Germany
What beautiful morning light. Every confidence in the crew, their ethics and their ability to host. The ship is comfortable and quiet - thank you for the trip, the whales and whale education! ~ Marilee, BC
