Sightings Report for October 20th 2018

Its officially the last day of our 2018 season!! The weather is foretasted to change in the upcoming week, so we are lucky to have the sun for our last day!!

We encountered humpback whales west of Victoria just outside of the blanket of fog. They were in a loose aggregation feeding at the surface and approached the boat to check us out several times, very cool!!

Seals and Sea Lions have been plentiful at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve as they soak up the sun and compete for space on the rocks.

Thank you to everyone for another amazing season, cant wait to see what next year brings :)

~ Whale see you in the Spring!!

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BCWT
Sightings Report for October 19th 2018

Its officially the last weekend of the season!! The weather continues to be sunny and calm, perfect for whale watching!

We encountered several friendly humpback whales West of Victoria. They were seen lunge feeding over and over! These gentle giants need to put on a thick blubber layer for their long migration south for the winter.

Race Rocks is full of barking seals and sea lions, as they sun themselves and compete for space a lot the shoreline of the islands.

Only 2 days left!!

~ Stay tuned!!

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BCWT
Sightings Report for October 14th 2018 - 1 week left!

There is only 6 days left our 2018 season!!! Sunny skies and calm seas continue into the week, and we couldn’t have asked for better weather!

The Humpbacks have been stealing the show lately with a lot of cool surface behaviour. The fleet encountered several lunge feeding, cartwheeling and breaching individuals and we love to see happy whales! They are scattered throughout the area feeding on the bounty of zooplankton and bait fish in the water column. Soon most of them will migrate to their tropical breeding grounds for the winter. These whales will travel thousands of kilometres to Hawaii and Mexico!

~ Stay tuned!

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BCWT
Sightings Report for October 13th 2018

Time flies when everyday on the Salish Sea is a blast! We cannot believe our 2018 season is coming to an end. Yesterdays skies were clear and sunny with low winds, making the conditions ideal for whale watching, once again!

The mammal eating Biggs orca have been frequenting the area all month, often seen in groups travelling through or hunting. This ecotype of orca remain quiet and work together to heard their prey items and always share their catch.

Humpback whales are still here feeding before leaving to tropical waters for breeding and calving. There has been a loose aggregation of them in the Juan de Fuca Strait following the tides as it pushes the zooplankton.

~ Stay tuned!

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BCWT
Sightings Report for October 12th 2018

The sun was shining and the waters were calm as the fleet headed out. Reports of orca and humpback whales came in early so we were excited to get out there!

Our fleet spent the day out West with humpback and orca whales. Biggs Orca groups were picked up along the coastline of Sooke. One of our vessels had a close encounter as the whale took down a harbor seals right next to the boat, everybody’s got to eat!

There have been juvenile humpbacks feeding near Race Rocks Ecological Reserve! Often seen with their mouth gaping open as they break the surface to trap their lunch.

Lots of seals and sea lions can be seen (and smelt) relaxing along the shoreline of Race Rocks. Often heard barking at one another as they compete for space with the other males.

~ Stay tuned!

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BCWT
Sightings Report for October 11th 2018

Another wonderful day on the water! The clear skies and hot sun has us thinking its summer again.

Before our vessels left the harbour there was reports of the mammal eating Biggs orca near the San Juan Islands. The group was scanning the channels for potential prey, like a delicious seal or porpoise.

Humpback sightings have been unreal lately, with lots of surface behaviors. They have been seen lunge feeding, pectoral fin slapping, and cartwheeling. Although our season is almost over, there is plenty of action taking place in the Salish Sea!

~ Stay tuned!

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BCWT
Sightings Report for October 10th 2018

What a beautiful day on the water, the sun was shining and the waters were calm! Although there is only eleven days left of our season, the whale encounters have not slowed down!

Throughout the day we encountered several groups of Biggs Orca. These mammal eaters were spotted west of Victoria in the Juan de Fuca Strait. Both groups were seen searching for and taking down their morning snacks. As a group the pod works together to corral and trap their prey, before sharing it as a family.

The humpback whales have been stealing the show lately! They have been seen lunging out of the water to trap small bait fish at the surface and into their mouths. Its incredible to see a large animal propel itself out of the water with ease!

~ Stay tuned!

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BCWT
Sightings Report for October 7th 2018

A dreary day in the capital city, with rain and grey skies we are lucky most of our vessels include a heated cabin!

In the morning BC Luna headed out with no reports yet, so the captain headed east to scan the area for whale blows. It didn’t take long before a group was picked up in the San Juan Islands, so we went for it and became the only vessel on scene with orcas yesterday morning!

On the way back Captain Gordon spotted another Biggs Orca (mammal eaters) group a lot closer to Victoria, good eye Gordon!!! In the afternoon BC Orca set out to reacquired the pod and encounter them as they scan the area for potential prey. They ended up right off the waterfront of Oak Bay!

~ Stay tuned!

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BCWT