"We Saw Everything"

The change in weather was apparent this morning for there was a grey overcast sky, cool temperatures and SE winds blowing. Yet even so, magic was at play in the nearby waters of Blackfish Sound and Weynton Passage when MV Seasmoke ventured out on tour this afternoon.

Time passes so quickly when there are many species to observe in a few short hours, and our guests today spent wondrous hours in the vicinity of breathtaking scenic beauty. It was unbelievable for those onboard who saw for the first time ever, the blow of a Humpback whale followed by the sight of its arching back and then its enormous fluke cutting so finely through and then beneath the water!

There were nine Humpback whales in total that we saw: five in Weynton Passage, two at Flower Island and two at Bold Head, all of them were feeding intently on bait balls of juvenile herring that were pushed up to the surface of the water by diving birds.

Orcas, the A30's, were in Blackfish Sound and although we had the hydrophone deployed, we did not hear them calling to one another. It was a fabulous sighting with family groups foraging close together and a great surprise when a mother and her calf passed nearby our boat while we drifted silently in the current with our engines off.

We saw numerous seabirds flying by including Sooty Shearwaters on wings that literally 'shear the water', as well there were Common Murres, Red-necked Phalaropes, Pigeon Guillemots, Rhinoceros Auklets, Bald Eagles, Cormorants and a Great Blue Heron. 

There were moments when Dall's Porpoises swam back and forth and side to side around the boat and for some of our passengers, they were the highlight of the tour. Seeing the hauled out Harbour Seals and Stellar Sea Lions made for a perfect tour ending.

As one guest said when disembarking from the boat today “We saw everything”!  What more can be written or said!