August 31st

An exciting early morning encounter with the Hermann's gull got the sightings going and set "the bar" for the remainder of the trip. We leisurely cruised into Blackfish Sound where we encountered the A30"s, a family group of 9 northern resident orcas, traveling slowly as they rested together. The scene that unfolded before us was breath taking, the orcas diving and surfacing in unison while three humpback whales foraged for herring just behind them. Every few second the peaceful silence out on the water was dominated by a loud blow as the various whales surfaced to breath before disappearing back beneath the surface, on occasions the humpbacks flashing us quick glimpses of their tail flukes before diving.
Other wildlife seen included, Steller sea lions, harbour seals, great blue herons, the usual plethora of seabirds plus the first ancient murrelet we have seen all season.

August 30th

Both the SV Tuan and the MV Cetacea were out on the water today. The morning tour was spectacular, thin wisps of mist clung to the shoreline well into the early afternoon creating a wonderful atmosphere with the orcas black silhouette standing out in stark contrast. We watched as the I31's, A36's and the I15's, foraged and socializing along Johnstone Strait. This behaviour was punctuated by the occasional breach, spy-hop and tail-slap, while we listened to outstanding vocals via the hydrophone. The orcas vocalizations also attracted the unwanted attention of a small group of Pacific white-side dolphins who charged onto the scene mobbing the orcas for food scraps. On the way home we were also lucky enough to see a group of river otters.
The MV Cetacea had an equally awesome afternoon full of fantastic R-Clan vocals. The passengers on board had a wonderful, intimate encounter as they watched a young juvenile orca perform a number of spectacular breaches. The orcas seemed to escort the MV Cetacea home as they passed by Alert Bay on their way out to Queen Charlotte Strait.

August 29th

A fresh wind blew across the strait as we sailed through Blackfih Sound in search of orcas. The first thing we came across however was a group of atleast 100 Pacific white-sided Dolphins. They charged towards us and once nearby passed along both sides of the SV Tuan before we changed course and cruised with them towards the east. Some of the animals didn't hesitate to breach clear of the water delighting everyone aboard with excellent views of their whole bodies. Once we had left the dolphins we found the largest group of Orcas we have seen this year so far. Whales from 7 different matrilines were present making up 68 animals in total. They were in 3 large groups not too far from each other or us and when we dropped the hydrophone we were lucky enough to hear a few great vocalizations from them. On the trip home we all enjoyed organic tea and fresh baked scones to cap off an excellent morning on the water.
A Heermann's gull was also seen near our departure point at Alder Bay which is unusual as this gull is normally found much further south.

August 27th

The wildlife encounter this morning was amazing! We entered Blackfish Sound pursuing the distant blows of a young humpback whale which lead us directly into the middle of a mass feeding frenzy. We sat with our engines off while four humpback whales foraged and dived around us feeding off the various herring balls. We were also privileged enough to witness two young humpbacks frolicking together showing off their beautiful tail flukes as they cartwheeled and splashed. An incoming flock of Rhinoceros Auklets soon sped into the feeding activity not wanting to miss out on the plentiful fish, bouncing their bodies like skimming stones along the surface of the water as they landed quickly in order to get into the action! The whales and sea birds were not the only ones making the most of the abundant food, on the way home we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a loan harbour seal tearing into the pink meat of a freshly caught salmon.

August 26th

Humpback blows greeted us as we made our way into Blackfish Sound. We watched in awe as a pair of humpback whales lunge-fed through a large herring ball amidst a squalling mass of seabirds. As the herring ball eventually broke-up the humpback pair split to go their separate ways passing along either side of the boat. It was hard to know where to look! We left Blackfish Sound and cruised through a cluster of islands as we entered Johnstone Strait, it was not long before we were joined by an active pair of Dall's porpoises who chased and darted around the bow of the SV Tuan in a display that took us by complete surprise. As we neared Robson Bight (Ecological Reserve) we could see the distant blows of orcas approaching in our direction, I67 (a large male resident orca) was out in the middle of the Strait foraging for Chinook salmon while other members of his family hunted closer to the shoreline, their blows highlighted against the dark backdrop of the forest and surrounding mountains.

August 25th

Our tour today was wonderful, from beginning to end! Shortly after leaving the dock this afternoon a large Black Bear moving boulders in search of food was sighted along the Vancouver Island shoreline, a second bear was sighted shortly after on another beach, it to was busy foraging amongst boulders while the tide was low. It was a great start to the tour. As we neared Cracroft Point in Johnstone Strait, the A30 pod, a family of nine orcas were sighted, they were well spread out, foraging for salmon. As wind conditions were perfect, the main sail was hoisted and passengers enjoyed the blissful experience of sailing with the orcas. It was wonderful being able to listen to the A-Clan calls of the A30's via the hydrophone as it trailed along behind the boat as we sailed. It was later on in the tour at Weynton Passage that we witnessed the parade of incoming pods of orcas re-entering Johnstone Strait, the I31's, I15's and A36's. The first orca that made it into the Strait was A32, his A-Clan vocal could be heard as he entered, he was well ahead of the other groups of orcas who were spread out behind him in Weynton Passage. What a powerfully awesome sight it was to see so many orcas surging forth in various directions. As they moved further east in Johnstone Strait we continued our tour viewing some 25 plus hauled-out Stellar Sea Lions. It was on our way home that we were joined briefly by a small group of bow-riding Dall's Porpoises.

August 24th

A super sunny day out on the water that began with an early morning rendevouz with several Orcas and a Humpback Whale in the vicinity of Blackfish Sound. Numerous orca fins could be seen in the distance in the early morning light; many were resting on the surface while a few youngsters interacted playfully with one another. A Humpback blow appearing out of nowhere was seen as a striking contrast in size to that of the orca blows; the sound distinct and clearly audible above the sounds of orca blows. The A24's and some R pods were heading east in Blackfish Sound ahead of us and numerous others could be sighted at the entrance to Blackney Passage, we seemed to be in two minds of which direction to head for! We chose to linger and take a closer look at the Humpback Whale as it foraged alongside of the A36 brothers, they too were steadily foraging and it was wonderful to see the two species passing. The ocean sparkled, seabirds and marine mammals were feasting, sea lions were hauled out relaxing and amidst it all, the mesmerising A-Clan calls of the A30's and A36's could be heard via the hydrophone. To sum it all up, as one passenger quietly remarked, "it is all so beautiful".

August 23rd

The morning proved to be excellent, blue skies, a gentle cool breeze and transient orcas on the horizon! Both the SV Tuan and the MV Cetacea were out in Blackfish Sound "island hopping" with the transient orcas as they hunted for harbour seals amongst the kelp beds. A successful kill had been made earlier that morning so the orcas (T10 and her son T10B) were in no hurry to move on, but instead patrolled the shoreline providing a fantastic encounter for all on board. The afternoon was spent with a couple of groups of northern resident orcas, the A36's a bachelor group of three brothers, and the I15's a large family of fourteen orcas consisting of four sisters and their offspring. We traveled alongside these two groups as they intermingled, foraged and rested their way towards Johnstone Strait, encountering Dall's porpoises, Steller sea lions and harbour porpoises along the way.

August 22nd

A truly magical morning. We headed out into Johnstone Strait through a thick blanket of fog and switched off our engine as we approached the shore line of Hanson Island. We dropped the hydrophone into the water and waited, within minutes the sound of blows could be clearly heard as an orca materialized out of the fog in front of us. We watched as she foraged close to the shore and was then engulfed back into the fog, leaving us once more to listen to her blow and underwater vocalizations. It felt unreal just sitting and absorbing the limited world around us listening to the distant calls of shore birds mingled in with the sounds of the waves breaking and the blows of the nearby orcas. What seemed like an age passed in just a few minutes as the fog started to thin, slowly revealing more of our surroundings. The rest of the 8 hour tour was just as mystical as we encountered Dall's porpoises and then later a group of Pacific white-sided dolphins as they mobbed the resident orcas for food scraps. The Afternoon was spent surrounded by the A11's, a family of 9 resident orcas (the most famous being Springer who was adopted by this group after being orphaned in 2002). We sat watching transfixed as the orcas foraged, snoozed and socialized then we slowly made our way through the islands into Blackfish Sound were we observed an humpback whale feeding before we headed home.
The MV Cetacea also had an awesome afternoon tour which was spent with the orcas just off Robson Bight as well as encountering bow-riding Dall's porpoises on the way home.

August 21st

Today was fantastic out on the water. We spent both the morning and the afternoon tours with the A30's, a family of 9 northern resident orcas, as they foraged along Johnstone Strait and up into Blackfish Sound. When conditions were right we hoisted the main sail and cruised silently beside the orcas, dropping the hydrophone to listen to their calls which were amazing (possibly the best I've heard yet this summer). At one point the SV Tuan and MV Cetacea were surrounded by foraging orcas trying to avoid the constant harassment of Pacific white-sided dolphins mobbing them for food scraps!
Other wildlife sightings today included a large group of Steller sea lions hauled out on sunny rocks, a Dall's porpoise and young calf as well as a small group of black oyster catchers, Harbour seals, a Cassin's auklet, and the usual array of gulls, sandpipers, alcids, Bald Eagles, a Kingfisher or 2, and the odd Great Blue Heron. Unfortunately many of these species have been seen coming into contact with the diesel spill from yesterday! We will be continuing efforts to making sure that this eco-system and it's inhabitants are looked after during this rough time.

August 20th

Disaster struck Robson Bight this morning as a large barge transporting heavy machinery capsized in the reserve emptying its cargo into the depths resulting in a fuel spill over 8 km long! Robson Bight was established as an ecological reserve back in the 198o's when it was discovered to be a hub of activity for the resident orcas during the summer months. The scale of this disaster has yet to be gauged, but can perhaps be best illustrated by the diverse wealth of wildlife living in these waters. Today alone we were privileged to encounter eight different types of marine mammal, this included the resident orcas, transient orcas, a humpback whale, a minke whale, harbour porpoise, Dall's porpoise, Steller sea lion and harbour seal. A fuel spill like this can take months to clean up and have a huge effect for the environment and the wildlife in it. A clean-up mission is currently underway which will hopefully minimise the damage already done and set in place procedures to make sure this never happens again.

August 19th

Thanks to Paul Tixier for this serene shot of the SV Tuan and a bull Orca.


Today was fabulous! Thick fog blanketed the Strait as we made our way towards Robson Bight where we encountered a large group of resident orcas traveling at speed towards us. The morning was spent alongside these whales as they foraged for salmon down Johnstone Strait. After lunch we switched off the SV Tuan's engine and listened to fantastic orca vocals over the hydrophone. We were entranced watching a large group of resident orcas foraging in front of us when all of a sudden a young humpback whale surfaced practically in the middle of them with a loud trumpeting blow followed by a flash of its tail-fluke as it dove! If this was not exciting enough a small group of Dall's porpoises arrived on the scene, darting and diving around the orcas mobbing them for food scraps! Wherever we looked something action-packed and magical was happening! Humpbacks, orcas and porpoises all in the same area. Truly spell-binding.
Other exciting wildlife encounters included spotting a Parasitic Jaeger as well as an Common Tern, both un-common in this area.

August 18th

The morning started off calm and gentle with a light breeze and warming sun. The SV Tuan made its way down Johnstone Strait where we caught up with a large family group of resident orcas known as the I15's (14 individuals in total). The orcas were resting as they slowly made their way towards Robson Bight Ecological Reserve. Resting behaviour is evident when a group comes close together surfacing and diving simultaneously. We later encountered the A12's, (8 individuals in total) in Blackfish Sound and followed them as they traveled through the archipelago, exploring through kelpbeds along the way. Once back in Johnstone Strait we could see orcas in every direction as there were at least 5 different families (over 40+ individuals) all foraging and socializing in the one area, the hydrophone picked up amazing vocals. Other wildlife encounters included a large group of Dall's porpoises bow-riding the SV Tuan, as well as a huge haul-out of Steller sea lion sun bathing on the rocks

August 17th

Spray broke over the bow of the SV Tuan as we cruised through the islands towards Blackfish Sound accompanied by a small group of Dall's porpoises riding in our wake. We had not gone far when we saw a big splash ahead in the distance, and just in case we had missed it the first time it was followed by a couple more! We hoisted the sails and as we got closer we were able to see a young humpback calf frolicking in the chop, rolling on its back waving pectoral fins in the air, tail-slapping, cart-wheeling and most impressive of all performing a number of spectacular breaches - the calf was obviously enjoying the windy weather! The encounter was made even more exciting as a third humpback joined the mother and calf, all foraging stopped as the trio of whales socialised, diving and surfacing meters from each other an interaction this intimate rarely seen considering humpback are usually solitary.

August 16th

An early morning thunderstorm passing Alert Bay provided an element of freshness to the outward journey! As the SV Tuan made its way into Blackfish Sound we encountered a large group of resident orcas (consisting of the family groups the I15's, A24's and A12's) traveling in our direction as they foraged, rested and socialized their way towards Johnstone Strait. We traveled with them, listening to their unique calls and vocalizations via the hydrophone, watching various members of the group spy-hoping, tail-slapping and generally rolling around waving pectoral fins in the air for all to see - it was a fabulous sight! Other highlights of the tour included watching humpback whales foraging and the rare sighting of a peregrine falcon hunting red-necked phalaropes.

August 15th

Glorious sunshine and a cool breeze greeted us as we left the dock and made our way into Johnstone Strait. The A30's, a large family group of resident orcas, were foraging towards us spread out across the strait in search of salmon. A fantastic encounter soon followed as they passed the SV Tuan on ether side. We followed the orcas as they made their way into Blackfish Sound where we then joined by the MV Cetacea (who had also had some spectacular viewings of Steller sea lions and a bald eagle chick on the verge of fledging). The afternoon was spent listening to orca vocals via the hydrophone while observing them forage and socialize, as well as watching a couple of humpback whales (mother and calf) lunge feed through a herring ball.

August 14th

Todays tours were fantastic! The morning was spent in the glorious sunshine watching the resident orca group the A36's (consisting of three notorious brothers) foraging in Queen Charlotte Strait accompanied by A34 and her offspring. The afternoon got off to a spectacular start when we encountered a mother black bear with her two cubs searching for lunch on the beach! We soon caught up with a large group of resident orcas (the I15's), as they snoozed in the afternoon sun, it was amazing to watch the whole group raise and dive simultaneously as they made their way up the Strait towards Robson Bight Ecological Reserve. The homeward journey was capped off by a sighting of Pacific white-sided dolphins as they raced passed us, and a small group of very energetic Dall's porpoises as they darted and dived around the front of the SV Tuan.
Other wildlife seen included Common Murres, Rinocerous Auklets, Marbled Murrelets, Red-necked Phalaropes, Kingfishers, Great Blue Herons, Bald Eagles, Pigeon Guillemots, Cormorants, Black Oystercatchers, Glaucous Winged Gulls, California Gulls, Harbour Seals, and Steller Sea lions.

August 13th

The fog parted as we made our way into Blackfish Sound, unveiling the beautiful surrounding islands and distant mountain tops. Silence was broken as a large humpback whale performed dramatic cartwheels and flamboyant tail-slaps as we passed by on our pursuit of orcas, closely followed by a bombardment of Dall's porpoises racing and darting in front of the bow of the SV Tuan, delighting everyone onboard. As the fog cleared we got our first sighting of the orcas, a large male foraging along the shore while his mother (matriarch A12) chased salmon in the deeper water of the Strait. The remainder of the voyage was spent traveling alongside the pair of resident orcas as they made their way along the coast in search of fish, providing fantastic photo opportunities for those onboard!

August 12th

This afternoon we ventured down Johnstone Strait and met up with two groups of resident orcas, the A24's and A11's. We could view orca blow as far as the eye could see, spread out across the strait foraging on both sides around us. We switched off the engine, hoisted the sail and dropped the hydrophone into the water enabling as to listened to the stunning vocals as the orcas searched for salmon. We then cruised through the islands looking at bald eagle nests and foraging sea lions where once out the other side of we caught up with 2 Humpback whales foraging in Blackfish Sound. We watched as mother and calf made spectacular dives, flaunting their beautiful tail flukes for all to see.

August 11th

Today was pretty amazing! While pondering which of two resident orca groups we should meet up with (both being a suitably long distance away from the SV Tuan), a small group of transient orcas materialised in front of us. We followed the transients as they foraged close to the shoreline hunting amongst the bull kelp forests for harbour seals. The Dall's porpoises that we had been watching only minutes before had quickly disappeared from the scene (for they are also predated by transient orcas). The passengers on the afternoon tour were lucky enough to view both the transient and resident orcas, seeing firsthand the different foraging techniques used and the behavioural variation between the two groups. Where the transients were unpredictable, changing direction and speed frequently, the residents seemed to be much more relaxed and methodical in their foraging, vocalizing freely and often. These unique encounters were too much for one visitor who was overwhelmed and reduced to tears by the shear beauty of these animals.

August 10th

The morning voyage started off in johnstone Strait watching Houdini, a well known female humpback whale and her 7 month old calf Poke (named for the "poke" shaped indent on it's back) foraging through the Bull-kelp beds close to shore. After leaving mother and calf the SV Tuan made its way through the island into Blackfish Sound were we encountered a huge ensemble of resident orcas. There were over 40 individuals from 7 different matrilines (families groups) all foraging for the newly arrived salmon. During the max flood the SV Tuan and the MV Cetacea watched as numerous groups of orca took advantage of the strong currents and funneled themselves through the island channels to emerge out the other-side in Johnstone Strait. Both the SV Tuan and the MV Cetacea followed the resident orcas as they made there way towards Robson Bight (Ecological Reserve) listening to stunning vocals along the way as well as viewing other spectacular wildlife such as bald eagle fledglings preparing to leave the nest and Steller sea lions foraging fish through the strong currents.

August 9th

Today was amazing. It's hard to know where to begin! No more than 10 minutes into an 8 hour tour we came across a beautiful black bear foraging along the beach looking for tasty snacks under the rocks, then 40 minutes later we saw are fist signs of orcas. We were heading down Johnstone Strait towards Robson Bight (the ecological reserve) when we caught up with the A30's, a large family group of resident orcas who were making in the most of the calm sunny weather by sleeping their way down the strait. Things started to get exciting within minutes (as if it wasn't exciting enough already) for we had spotted at least three other groups of orcas heading up the strait toward us and the A30's! What followed can only be described as breathtaking, the SV Tuan's engine was switched off and we drifted with the currents with our hydrophone in the water listening to a symphony of calls as the four individual groups of orcas socialised and frolicked around us. It was truly amazing. Thinking it was hard to beat an encounter that was as "one-off" as this mornings, the SV Tuan cruised through the islands into Blackfish Sound were we spent the afternoon viewing humpback whales foraging and lunge-feeding though balls of herring, an event that in itself would have been truly rememberable was the perfect finale to an action packed day on the water

August 8th

This morning was beautiful and sunny with fluffy white clouds speckling the sky as we made our way down Johnstone Strait. The majority of the day was spent in the company of the A30’s and I11’s, two large family groups of resident orcas consisting of 18 individuals in total! We followed the two groups as they slept, foraged and socialised their way to Robson Bight (Ecological Reserve) where we were also able to observe a mother humpback whale and calf foraging close to the shore line. After lunch the SV Tuan was joined by the MV Cetacea as we waited outside the reserve for the orcas to emerge from the rubbing beach while we listened to their underwater vocalisations. Highlights of the trip included watching a young juvenile orca breach 150 meters from the boat, and cruising all the way home with the orcas foraging for salmon along side us.

August 7th

The SV Tuan was cloaked in mist as we left Alert Bay in search of orcas. We made our way through Queen Charlotte Strait listening for the sound of blows until the eerie sight of a large male dorsal fin materialised out of the fog in front of us. The large male orca was A33 a northern resident killer whale accompanied by a smaller female A12 (his 66 year old mother
and the family's matriarch). The SV Tuan followed this group, which was also ing the company of the A24’s (a small family group of only four orcas), as they slept and socialised. The fog had dissipated by the afternoon unveiling a breath taking view of the surrounding mountains and islands. With the sails up we followed the orcas through Johnstone Strait listening to their vocalisations as they foraged. We were not alone as we cruised by the shoreline where we spotted 3 black bears who were searching for crabs and other tasty snacks, one mother was shadowed by a very young cub who seemed more interested in scrambling over the large rocks than searching under them.

August 6th

Today was an incredible day for seeing the stunning variety of nature North Vancouver Island has to offer. The SV Tuan set of down the Johnstone Strait and met a resident orca family known as the A30's as they were foraging for salmon. On the return journey we were lucky enough to see a minke whale. The MV Cetacea followed the A30's before they entered Robson Bight listening to their eerie vocalizations via the boat’s hydrophone. This afternoon the MV Cetacea and the SV Tuan headed out to Blackfish Sound and the surrounding islands and saw four humpback whales foraging. A mother humpback and her calf,
famous in the area, put on a breathtaking display leaping out of the water and crashing back with an almighty splash! We also observed Steller sea-lions catching dogfish amongst dozens of mobbing gulls. On the way home we also saw a pacific white-sided dolphin with her very young calf close to her side. This final sighting capped off a wonderful day of seven species of marine mammal seen complimented, as ever, by high tea on the high sea.

August 5th

A fresh clear morning greeted the SV Tuan as we left harbor. Today's first sighting was the three brothers of the A36's, a resident pod of orca. Their synchronized porpoising suggested they were currently asleep, three abreast and heading straight for us. After some careful maneuvering we watch them gracefully cut through the water and head away across the strait. We didn’t have to wait long for our next excitement. Now we were watching nine members of the A12 matriline, another resident orca pod, as they all came to the surface to breath between deep dives. We observed several juveniles, an adult female and an adult male in one group and a little way ahead was another adult male and his mother, the group's matriarch - a riveting sight to be sure. Having watched for several minutes we left them to their feeding and set of to catch up with the A36's who seemed to have woken up and had also started foraging for food. We travelled in parallel with them as we headed towards home. MV Cetacea spotted 3 humpbacks and also saw the same groups of orca and listened to their vocalizations over the hydrophone, capping of another great day of whale watching around the archipelago.

August 4th

The sky threatened rain as we set out from Alert Bay this morning, but the dull sky gradually cleared into a glorious blue clear afternoon. We hadn't gone far before coming across Houdini, a local humpback, and her calf. The calf, barely 7 months old, put on a great display leaping out of the water before crashing back with an almighty splash. Later we sighted several magnificent resident orca (from the matriline A12) , we tracked them for a while as they foraged for salmon. After admiring the incredible B.C. scenery whilst cruising around various islands we struck orca gold again - the three brothers from the matriline A36! We watched whilst these formidable animals glided back and forth feeding on the salmon returning to spawn. This capped a memorable tour for both the SV Tuan and MV Cetacea

August 3rd

This morning we headed out and found the A30 matriline of Orcas. The group consists of the matriarch A30 (a grandmother at the ripe age of 60 years old), her two sons (aged 37 and 32) and two daughters, as well as four grandchildren! The day was spectacular, we had the sails up and cruised alongside the orcas as they slept, foraged, and socialized while we listened to their vocalization via the hydrophone. The SV Tuan and the MV Cetacea also sighted humpbacks, Dall's porpoises, Steller sea lions and lots of harbour seals.
Other wildlife sighted throughout the day included three bald eagle chicks, harlequin ducks, cassin's auklet, marbled murrelets and leach's storm-petrels.

August 2nd

The morning got off to a fantastic start for we had not gone far before we were the center of attention for a group of very frisky Pacific white-sided dolphins who delighted everyone on board with their bow riding and acrobatic skills. The SV Tuan and the MV Cetacea also encountered a young humpback foraging in Blackfish Sound as well as a group of resident orcas in Queen Charlotte Strait. The orcas consisted of the familiar A36's (a bachelor group of three brother), and the A24's (a well known matriarch and her three offspring) as well a surprise visit from the R7's (three orcas that are rarely spotted in this area). The day was glorious, we switched off the engine and watched the orcas foraging and socializing in the sun, punctuated by the occasional vocalization over the hydrophone. Truly spectacular.

August 1st

The morning began amongst bow riding Dall's porpoises and the trend continued throughout the day delighting everyone aboard on both morning and afternoon tours. The seas remained calm and the skies fluctuated between mist and clear blue making for some excellent scenery as we cruised through the archipelago. The highlight of both trips was our encounters with mother and calf humpback whale as the calf has proved itself to be very surface active showing off its pectoral fins and tail flukes altered by the odd full breach!
Other wildlife sighted throughout the day included harbour seals, Steller sea lions, harbour porpoise, bald eagles, black oyster catchers, 2 wandering tattlers, rhinoceros auklets, 3 Cassin's auklets, common murres, california gulls and a ring-billed gull.

July 31st

The water was calm and sparkling with sunlight as we headed out this morning. Houdini ( a well known female humpback) foraged for small fish while her 7 month old calf goofed around. It was comical to watch. The calf rolled on to its back waving its pectoral fins high in the air, followed by a couple of tail slaps, a breach, and some more fin waggling, this lasted for most of the morning! The afternoon was spent near Robson Bight Ecological Reserve watching a group of resident orcas foraging and chasing salmon. One particular high speed chase ended in a kill which was shared between the group; dropping the hydrophone into the water we were able to listen in on their vocalization as the fish was consumed.
Other wildlife sighted throughout the day included harbour seals, Steller sea lions, Dall's porpoises, Pacific white-sided dolphins, bald eagles, rhinoceros auklets and common murres.

July 30th

The sun shone brightly as we headed out towards Blackfish Sound. We hadn't gone far when we found a female humpback and her calf foraging through the calm waters. As we watched the calf arch its back to make a dive, flashing us a view of its tail-fluke, we were taken by surprise as moments later it was launching out of the water in a spectacular breach clearing the surface and twisting in mid-air to land on its back, then performing the same feat another three times. Truly magnificent! As if this was not enough we later caught-up with a small group of resident orcas (A34 and her offspring) and watched transfixed as they lunged out of the water chasing salmon, we were even lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the three year old calf breaching.
Other wildlife sighted throughout the day included harbour seals, bald eagles, red-necked
phalaropes, Leach's storm-petrels, rhinoceros auklets and common murres.