Wonderful Humpback Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises ~ a brilliant day of viewing!

How beautiful was our day! The fog cleared early and the sun was warm upon us while the sea was calm and the sky a gorgeous blue with barely a cloud to be seen for miles. It was breathtaking to enter Weynton Passage and have the fog clear quickly revealing majestic scenery with islands and waterways close-by and the Coast Range Mountains in the background, their mountain peaks etched against the skyline. We observed our first humpback whale lunge feeding through a herring ball and then watched it working the area in wide circles. How wonderful was that first humpback whale sighting for everyone on board today. No matter how often one sees a humpback whale, its sheer size, grace and beauty is something that cannot be taken for granted. Humpback whales could be seen spread out over a wide area today, the current was flooding and common murres and gulls were seen gathered in large numbers, the gulls hovering above the water awaiting for the herring balls to form, driven to the surface by the common murres who were also feeding on the herring and then would come the humpbacks, racing with momentum to arrive and take the works! It was fantastic watching some 8 or more humpbacks (including 'Slash' and 'Yahtzee') where lunge feeding and pectoral waving was clearly seen. The mixing calls and cries of the gulls and murres and the blows of the humpback whales was constant and acoustically fantastic to listen to. We were fortunate in seeing some 25+ pacific white-sided dolphins nearby and later a small group of dall's porpoises. For the first time this season we observed two large ribbons of birds high up in the sky migrating south. Also seen: stellar sea lions, harbour seals, double crested cormorants, red-necked phalaropes, belted kingfishers, bald eagles and gull species. Today's penned comments: "Thank you. It was a great, fantastic, awesome experience. In one word, the reality was MAGIC! To see the whales and dolphins close and the tea and scones/ with blackberries and raspberries was lovely." ~ Tom, Theo and Diny, Holland

"Great scones, muffins and tea but not least the whales and Dave's and Maureen's enthusiasm. Thank you so much for allowing us to come on the trip at the last-minute!" ~ Chris & Katie, UK

"Thanks for the great day. Seen a lot and Maureen and Dave you're so enthusiastic still after all of these years. Just as if you see whales for the very first time." ~ Jos & Marian, the Netherlands

"A unforgettable experience. Thank you so much. The calm waters, weather, whales ~ your food and enthusiasm." ~ Ian, Marin (UK) & Ewen (Calgary) ex UK