Humpback Whales with Dall's Porpoise feeding alongside and a surprise viewing of a Sea Otter!

What a gorgeous morning it was! The sea was calm, the sun was out, and we left the Bay with no idea what creatures that we would see today. As we neared the Stephenson Islands we could see and hear Black Turnstones on the rocky shoreline and Black Oystercatchers with their long orange beaks. There were Pacific Harbour Seals, their skin shimmering in the sunlight, it is remarkable how camouflaged they are. They were mostly hauled out but we saw quite a few in the water and fishing as well.

There were Bald Eagles bountiful and soaring, at one time we counted 14 in the sky. We also had our first sighting of female Red-necked Phalaropes for the season and flying in their beautiful patterns while skimming over the surface of the water. Once again Common Murres and Rhinoceros Auklets led us to the Humpback Whales. We had wonderful sightings of "Conger" and "Ripple,", the latter having been coming here to feed for the last ten summers! The blue and pinky tinged colour of the water today and the blue sky was absolutely beautiful and at one point we had some viewing of Dalls Porpoise feeding alongside one of the Humpback Whales, they were superb and precious viewing moments!

On our way back through the calm waters of the Sound we encountered a small Sea Otter, it is quite possibly the same one that we have seen once before several weeks ago, and has been sighted often by others in recent weeks.  It is still very rare to see Sea Otters in our area of 'inside waters', but they are slowly making their way back in from the West Coast. What a sweet sight for all of us to observe and quite different from the seals and Stellar Sea Lions of the area. It was a nice little surprise to add to our beautiful morning on the water.

"Awesome - whales, birds, great crew and divine people and tea. Thank you!" Linda James, full time RVer

"This was great! Loved the narration. Thanks for having us." Mary Nebel, full time RVer

"Wonderful views, whales, and birds. A great day, thank you." Sandra & Mark, Scotland

"What an authentic crew of people. Full of true enthusiasm for nature and vast knowledge to back it up. We very much enjoyed the intimate experience and will be encouraging other tourists to join a day with SeaSmoke." Jen & Giacamo, Ottawa & Italy