A lovely Saturday in Victoria! The sun was shining and the wind was calm throughout the day.

We caught up with a Biggs orca (mammal eaters) pod heading south as they calmly swam together. This is indicative of sleep as they need to stay conscious to breathe, and will only shut half their brain down at a time.

Lots of humpback around feeding! They will stay in the area until late fall, when they will begin their long migration to the southern hemisphere. 

~ Stay tuned!

What a great way to end the month of August, whales were everywhere and close to home all day!! The winds were up but that is nothing our zodiacs cant handle!

There were several hunting Biggs orca pods in the Juan de Fuca Strait scanning the area for potential prey! This ecotype of orca target other marine mammal such as Harbor seals and porpoise! They have high energy requirements and so they will actively hunt about 80% of the time. Our fleet had the privilege of witnessing several predation events throughout the day, as these whales chowed down!!

By the afternoon the Southern Resident orcas (salmon eaters) were heading in from the open ocean to see if there is any Salmon in the area! Its great to sea them and always a wonderful teaching moment about the effects fishinf practices have on the survival of these iconic creatures!

Humpback whales are still around feeding on the large amount of zooplankton in the water column! In a few months they will begin to leave and migrate south to their breeding grounds.

Race Rocks Ecological Park is a popular haul out site for local pinnipeds and can often be seen relaxing along the rocky shorelines. The Stellar Sea Lions are quite load as they bark at one another and compete for space to sun themselves. 

~ Stay tuned!!!

What a wonderful Tuesday! The wind was calm with sunny skies and the water was as flat as a pancake.

Biggs orca pods are still patrolling the area, consistently scanning the Salish Sea in search of their next meal. In the morning our fleet encountered a group heading west through the Juan de Fuca Strait. In the afternoon BC Orca caught up with two different groups right off of Victoria!!! We love it when they are close to home. 

Humpbacks continue to feed throughout the area, and were encountered off of Constance Bank. These gentle giants migrate here from warmer waters to feed on the many zooplankton abundant in the water column.

~ Stay tuned!!

The sun is back!! The skies were blue and the water was calm to begin the last week of August. It was whale soup out there and we had the pleasure of encountering Orca and Humpback whales throughout the day.

Several pods of Biggs orca were within our range and lucky for us a large group was close. The T65As and T30s were picked up near Race Rocks Ecological Park, the two families were traveling west through the Strait. By afternoon they were scanning the coast line for potential prey, such as, seals and harbour porpoise! 

Its always a pleasure to encounter the many feeding humpbacks in the Salish Sea! Here to build a thick blubber layer before they migrate back to their breeding grounds in Mexico and Hawaii. 

Race Rocks Ecological park is still full of barking Stellar Sea Lions, and small harbour Seals. Olie the Sea Otter is sometimes seen wrapped up in the kelp beds taking a nap.

~ Stay tuned for whats next!

Happy Sunday! The wind has been gusting all weekend, blowing more smoke through the area. The waterfront was bumpy, but around the corner. through Haro Strait waters were calm. 

Reports of Biggs killer whales came in before our fleet left the dock! There were several groups spotted in different directions, so we had our pick. The captains headed North were a pod was seen right off Sydney Pier. Once on scene the whales were spy hopping and breaching!! Because these whales work together to forage they will often celebrate their catch afterwards.  The pod was identified as the T99s, a group of 4 individuals. In the afternoon BC TIKA headed back out to catch up with them, as they continued to hunt in the Saanich Inlet!

~ Stay tuned!

Its almost September and we cannot believe how time flies when everyday is full of adventure! The area is finally getting some much needed rain, and the wind has successfully pushed out most of the smoke. 

Our fleet headed out to see who was in the area for the day, it didn't take long before humpback whales were spotted feeding off a bank in the Juan de Fuca Strait. These large giants eat microscopic zooplankton that hang out deeper in the water column during the day. 

In the afternoon the winds picked up, good thing BC TIKA's long and slender build handles bumpy conditions well. A group of Biggs orca (mammal eaters) were picked up south east of Race Rocks Ecological park during the afternoon tour! Whales that do not often frequent the area, cool!

~ Stay tuned 

Another smoky day in the Victoria area, the wind is supposed to pick up in the next few days and blow it out.

Biggs orca were picked up moving east through the Juan de Fuca Strait during the morning tour! They were identified as the T65A's, and have been in the area for a few days now. The pod consists of 6 whales, and they are often quite social with other Biggs orca pods that inhabit the area. 

Humpback whales can often be spotted near Hein Bank, feeding on the bountiful populations of zooplankton and small fish under the surface. They are often friendly and curious and will come in close to say hello.

~ Stay tuned!

The smoke has hit an all time high, and the local air quality is being compared to that of Beijing! Despite the haze over the area, there was plenty of adventure to be had on the Salish Sea!

Biggs Orca were in the area all day scanning the sea for potential prey! This ecotype of orcas eat other marine mammals and often target seals and porpoise. These whales need to eat a lot to sustain a thick layer of blubber, so they are often foraging. It is awesome to witness these powerful predators teamwork and skill!

Humpback whales are also in the Salish Sea to feed, only their prey are small microscopic zooplankton. These gentle giants are often friendly and will come often come and say 'hi' to our passengers!

~ Stay tuned!!