Its really feeling like Fall around here! The day began with sunny skies but by the afternoon rain clouds moved over Victoria. Go thing our fully enclosed zodiac, BC Luna was scheduled to go out, and our passengers stayed warm and dry in the heated cabin!

We had the chance to encounter Biggs orca foraging throughout the Salish Sea! This ecotype eats marine mammals, so they live in small pods of roughly 3-4 individuals and work together to hunt. An incredible sight to see these top predators at work!

There are so many humpback whales feeding west of Sooke, in the mouth of the Juan de Fuca Strait. Over 50 individuals have been hanging out in loose aggregations as they feed before leaving on their long migratory journey to southern waters.

~ Stay tuned!

Things are beginning to cool down as we move through September, the air is crisp and rainfall is more frequent. Rain triggers salmon populations to make their way into the Salish Sea before moving into the freshwater rivers to spawn, which means the whales will follow!

The Residents are back in the area, and with heavy hearts we are sad to say that there are only 74 individuals left. J50, the small calf of J pod was last seen on Friday the 7th, and although her family has been seen in the area since, sadly she is no longer there and has been declared dead. Members from all 3 southern resident orca pods were seen throughout the day fishing for their favorite salmon, Chinook!! We hope they are finding the food they need to survive.

Passengers on our afternoon tour got the opportunity to witness a sea lion snacking on a fish at the surface. They often whip their head back and forth to subdue and eat their prey, super cool!

~ Stay tuned!

A lovely Monday with a mix of sun, clouds, and rain. There are still plenty of whales around feeding and we couldnt wait to see who was in the area for the day!

The endangered Southern Resident orcas (salmon eaters) are still in the Salish Sea fishing! We are glad to see them here and hope that they are able to find the salmon they need to build a healthy blubber layer and thrive. We try to give them space and encounter the Biggs orca as much as we can in order to reduce our impact on this endangered ecotype. The southern residents use echolocation to navigate their environment/hunt and boat noise means they have to expend more energy. Good thing there were many Biggs orca (mammal eaters) around scanning the area for harbour porpoise and seals!

Humpback whales are feeding throughout the area, with a lot of juveniles popping up right now! They will only be around for about another month before returning to their southern breeding grounds.

~ Stay tuned!

Despite the rainy conditions, it was a great day for whale watching! BC Luna, our fully enclosed zodiac was perfect for keeping everyone warm and dry. As the rains become more frequent the salmon begin their journey into the fresh water rivers to spawn, making their way back to the Salish Sea. This means the Resident salmon eating orcas are here (yay)! 

Biggs orca are also kicking around, so we went to check out them out. A mother and son duo, identified as the T11's, were scanning the shoreline for potential prey. There are a lot of seals and sea lions in the area right now, so there are many opportunities. Members of J and L pod are currently fishing throughout the San Juan Islands. It is great see them in the area, and we hope they are able to find the amount of food they need.

Humpback whales are feeding and being very playful lately, hey can some times be seen fin slapping and tail lobbing. After gorging themselves all summer they will head to southern waters to calf and breed in the winter. 

~ Stay tuned!

A very foggy morning in the Victoria area, with periods so dense we couldn't see the Provincial Parliament building across the harbour. It began to lift as our fleet set out for a morning tour, lucky us!

We are still buzzing from the large group of orcas off Sooke on Friday. There were over 30 whales and 9 different sub pods present, super cool! By yesterday they had dispersed throughout the area, and continued their never-ending patrol for prey. BC Nova and Luna encountered a group moving through the San Juan Islands, likely hoping to find a harbour seal or two. It began to rain in the afternoon so we decided to take BC Luna, the fully enclosed zodiac with a heated cabin. The whales are already wet so they don't care, but humans are terrestrial so we wanted to keep them warm and dry!

~ Stay tuned for whats next!! 

Happy Friday! Morning conditions were great with sunny skies, but by afternoon the clouds moved in and the rain began to poor. Our afternoon tour was originally booked on BC Tika but to keep everyone warm and dry we switched to BC Luna!

Lots and lots of whales in the area lately!! Our tours encountered Biggs Orca all day west of Victoria. By the afternoon there was a group of approximately 50 killer whales socializing off of Sooke!!! What an incredible and rare encounter!!

Humpback whales are always a pleasure to see as these large baleen whales feed in the Salish Sea. Soon they will begin to migrate back to their breeding grounds in tropical waters.

~ Stay tuned!

September is off to a great start! The weather has been perfect for whale watching, with sunny skies and calm winds. Although we are near the end of tourist peak season, we still have about a month left of peak whale watching season!

In the morning BC Orca caught up with a pod of Biggs Orca (mammal eaters) just south of Victoria. The group was identified as the T109A's and consists of a matriarch with her 3 calves. They were first spotted playing in the kelp beds just off the coast before moving east into the afternoon. They were spotted again during our afternoon tour right near Race Rocks Ecological Reserve! This is a great hunting opportunity for them because this small chain of islands is full of seals and sea lions.

Humpback whales are still around feeding on the many microscopic zooplankton in the water column. They often show a pattern of surfacing for 3-4 breathes before showing their iconic fluke as they dive to feed! In the afternoon passengers on BC Tika were lucky to witness breaching and lunge feeding humpbacks, a rare sight!!!

~ Stay tuned!!

A wonderfully calm sunny Sunday! Sightings of whales came in before our fleet left the dock! 

Orcas are everywhere!!! Biggs orca groups were spotted throughout the Salish Sea, so our fleet headed East to catch up with them. They were traveling north near the Schwartz Bay ferry terminal when we got on scene, sticking close together. These animals are often on the hunt and work together to catch their prey. 

A large California Seal Lion was spotted off Discovery Island where it was sunning itself on the shoreline. We always keep an eye out for the lone wolf that lives there too!

~ Stay tuned!