Windy, wet & wonderful with fantastic viewing of Orcas & Humpback Whales while sailing!
What a day we all shared with strong SE winds that enabled us to sail while we were in the presence of orcas and humpback whales and while the rain was heavy at times, we also had shafts of light brightening the grey sea and the sky, that was blanketed with cloud today. A humpback whale was seen surfacing near the Plumper Islands as we neared the area this morning and then suddenly a second humpback whale surfaced close to our boat, we had not even glimpsed its blow previously. Orcas had been reported in Blackfish Sound and as we came closer, we could see some of them were gathered in a tight group, keeping together in the choppy waters. As we looked further, there looked to be several groups spread about, some were resting while the youngsters were spy-hopping++, and playful interactions were observed between them all. The A30's were in the mix along with A23's and A25's and the I15's but because of the choppy sea, it was not easy keeping track of them all. We saw A38 a distance away, foraging near Bold Head yet parallel to his sisters (A50 & A54) and their off-spring at all times, when they moved east in Blackfish Sound, so did he foraging along the Swanson Island shoreline and when they moved back west, so did he. It was exciting and wonderful to be sailing quietly along with the orcas and experiencing nature's elements to the fullest, the wind added greatly to our experience while allowing us to sail and the rain did not dampen our enthusiasm to enjoy the magic around us!
Leaving the orcas we made our way back through Weynton Passage viewing stellar sea lions and then enjoyed some superb viewing of three humpback whales as they foraged through herring balls. The momentum of the whales was awesome to watch and we were all mesmerized, keeping track of herring balls as they were forming due to the feeding activity of the diving birds from below (rhinoceros auklets and common murres) and gulls from above. Guardian was among the three whales who were actively feeding while we watched. Also seen: dall's porpoises, bald eagles, harbour seals, fork-tailed storm petrels and gull species.
Today's penned comments: "Fantastic time, very friendly and helpful crew. 10/10 for value. Thank you!" UK
"Excellent tour despite the weather had a great time. Saw lots of orcas and humpback whales. Loved the muffins and scones as well. Thank you." Hendryk & Lia, Switzerland
"Absolutely FANTASTIC! Enjoyable even in crazy rain. The timing of the coffee and muffins/ tea and scones was perfect. We saw so much:orcas, humpbacks, sea lions, seals, eagles! Worth coming out, rain or shine!!! Thank you so much. Christina