September 30:

What a wonderful day we had for our last tour of the season! We could not have asked for anything more. There was an abundance of sightings it seemed in every direction we looked, beginning with a large blow being sighted off into the distance and well ahead of viewing the humpback whale that eventually showed itself. As we drew near, two breaches were observed. At the same time a second humpback whale was sighted and then a third, followed simultaneously by a glimpse of a single dorsal fin. What excitement and joy! The first orca that we sighted at a distance was later identified as A39 and suddenly a second smaller fin was seen, followed by several more dorsal fins. Until our sighting there had not been any reports of orcas in the area and yet there they were; the A30 matriline, foraging steadily in Blackfish Sound. The weather was glorious with wind conditions perfect for hoisting both the stay sail and the main. It was pure magic, moving quietly along, sailing with the whales as they foraged. Stellar sea lions were in the water swimming, one was viewed catching a salmon while others, with much splashing, were seen to be interacting with one of the humpback whales, rolling all over and around it. Where to look and in which direction to head after our wonderful encounter with the orcas! The humpback whales were magnificent, their dive sequence a graceful sight to behold. Traveling home via the island waterways with its sparkling kelp forests, numerous stellar sea lions and some harbour seals were observed hauled out, the sight and sound of the sea lions, their bodies glistening in the sunshine was an interesting sight to see. The final day in September: a season still showing great change and transition for all species, from high above the water to far below it. Throughout the tour, numerous flocks of birds were sighted high in the sky heading south east on their migratory journey. Mindful of the distance they travel, their flight formations ever changing and creating dramatic ribbons in the sky, they were a wonderful sight to see.

With gratitude and thankfulness for the powerfully inspiring and unforgettable images of the day, our final tour of the season had come to an end and our guests departed, all of them, acknowledging the spectacular beauty and wonder of this very special place on planet earth, that like all other natural habitats, must be respected and cared for by “we humans” who live here now.

Some wonderful days of viewing!

September 29: The A30 matriline were sighted again out in the Queen Charlotte Strait, they were foraging near to the Foster Islands, moving slowly eastbound. There was barely a breathe of wind and glassy calm waters that made the viewing superb!
The orcas were mostly silent although some A-Clan calls were heard via the hydrophone.

September 28: Another beautiful and spectacular day of marine mammal sightings! What a wonderful day this turned out to be! Just when we thought there were no orcas in the area and we were focusing on the humpback whales who seemed to be every which way we looked, as blow after blow was sighted with some very good viewing close by, an orca fin was sighted off into the distance. How wonderful that sighting was and soon, the A30 matriline were identified. Everyone on board had a beautiful day of sunshine and marine mammal sightings.

September 26: There were no orcas in the area but the sightings of three humpback whales close by were wonderful. Everywhere passengers looked, humpback whale blows could be seen. There were seven humback whales in the near vicinity in total. A myriad of bird species, stellar sea lions and harbour seals were also seen.