T124C, a lone Biggs orca born in 1992, in Saanich Inlet yesterday. He was difficult to track with his unpredictable, zig-zagged surfacing, but the patience was worth it when he out of no where surfaced near the boat! Motors were turned off, and we were able to have an amazing look at him.
Yesterday our boats headed north to spend time with a lone male orca known as T77A. In the morning, he was seen playing with a buoy. There was concern he was entangled, however, he was simply messing around and completely fine!
Our afternoon trip caught up with him entering Active Pass, then traveled alongside him northwest along Galiano Island. We were able to see downtown Vancouver as we watched him surface.
It is common for a male Biggs orca to travel alone once their mother has passed away. However, T77A is a less usual case of a solitary orca. His mother is alive and well with his 4 younger siblings! Female Biggs orcas often separate from their mothers to raise their own families, while males stay with them for life. T77A is one of the few who has a living mother yet does not stay with her!
Yesterday morning, our boats BC Orca and BC Luna were out near Race Rocks with the T77s. This family consists of mom T77 and her 4 living offspring. They were heading east towards Victoria when they suddenly started traveling south towards Port Angeles.
On the way home, we stopped by Race Rocks, where we spotted 3 elephant seals, a California sea lion, and the lone sea otter Ollie.
It has been a great start to the season so far!
We had a great start to our week, as we have seen numerous Humpbacks and Orcas. We had the outmost pleasure of seeing the newly born albino calf T46B1B and family on Captain Gordons tour. The boat was positioned perfectly and the engines off, the whales popped up right by BC NOVA making all on board jump! The white colour is thought to be due to a genetic condition. It is suspected to be leucism or Chediak-Higashi syndrome, both cause a loss of pigmentation, resulting in the greyish-white colour. It was a beautiful day watching the family of females travelling together along the gorgeous BC coastline.
With super calm waters and sunny skies on the horizon today and going forward, BC TIKA left the dock at 10:15am today to track down some T49s and Captain Jimmy was successful within the first hour and a half of their tour! With so many sightings over the past couple of weeks, we are excited to have our guests go out this afternoon on BC LUNA and BC ORCA.
Yesterday was quite the adventure out on the water viewing a Minke whale as well as Grey whales. After leaving the scene of a Grey whale our incredible skipper, Gordon, on BC ORCA was one of the first on scene to come to the rescue of another local whale watching company that had began to take on water. Captain Gordon was able to safely shuttle 12 of their passengers back into Victoria.
Everyone was safe with no major injuries! This is a great example of camaraderie on the water!
Great job, Captain Gordon!
Hola and Happy Cinco de Mayo!
We are beginning to gear up for the peak season, and the last week has gone by quickly! With a mix bag of weather from high winds to recently several days of sun and favorable wind conditions, BC Luna and BC Orca have spent a lot of time on the water. We have seen a few Grey and Humpback whales as they are slowly making their way into the Salish Sea and of course plenty of seals and sea lions, especially around Race Rocks!
Today we were with Bigg's Orca (mammal eaters) they were encountered near Salmon Bank, as they scanned the area for prey. They were sighted early in the afternoon heading south and soon we acquired and were enjoying these Killer Whales in less than 30 minutes after departing from the harbour. Captain Jeevan hung out with them on the afternoon tour, on the way home he picked up a Dall’s Porpoise. Way to go Captain!
Don’t forget to take advantage of our Spring Whale Sale and save 20% until the end of May!
~ Stay tuned for what we encounter next! ~
Whale hello! We have had the absolute pleasure of viewing both transient and resident killer whales for the past few weeks now. While the season is just underway, we have been viewing some great action out on the water! Recently our guests encountered transient killer whales feasting on harbour seals!
We are looking forward to making your whale watching dreams come true for the 2019 season! Stay tuned for a lot more incredible sightings and make sure to come out with us to see the beauty for yourself.
-BC Whale Tours Crew
We are back!! After what felt like a long cold winter, it is great to be on the water again. According to various news outlets Victoria experienced more snow than any other Canadian city in February. But with the sun shining and cherry blossom trees blooming we are optimistic that spring is coming!
After the first week on the Salish Sea, we cannot wait for what peak season will bring! Since running the first trip last Monday we have encountered seals, sea lions, playful Dall’s porpoise, orcas and even sheep!
So far all the action has been taking place in the San Juan Archipelago, where the islands create high currents through narrow channels and great hunting opportunities for orcas! On March 6th a large pod of Dall’s porpoise played with BC Luna right before they saw Mouflon Sheep on Spieden Island. Even though they did not encounter whales, everyone had a great time and received 20% money back along with a return stand by tour! Over the weekend several groups of orca combed the area for prey, often splitting up then coming together to share their meal.
Bring on the season!!
