July 08, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Victoria, Whale Watching
Find more information about Victoria - Whale Watching
View a larger image on flickr.com
Take a walk around Victoria, you never know what you'll see...
Whale watching and wildlife tours departing from Victoria's Inner Harbour can be great fun, but here's a cool tip: head out on the trails and paths around Victoria and you might be surprised by what you find!
The Coast Trail in East Sooke Regional Park is an absolute beauty of a hike - a true "west coast" experience. Well, on a recent hike there, the west coast experience just got a little wilder!
Right below the trail, a killer whale (Orca) had herded a seal into a tiny cove. The seal had thrown itself onto the rocky shoreline, and the killer whale was trying its best to dislodge it - and almost beaching itself in the process. The whale would reach its tail onto the rocks and try to "flip" the seal into the water. Of course, it couldn't see exactly where the seal was, so this cat-and-mouse (or whale-and-seal) game went on for about half and hour...
In the end, the whale gave up and and the seal lived to swim another day. It was a crazy, unbelievable thing to watch - nature at its awe-inspiring, glorious best.
So when you're in Victoria or Sooke, take a walk or go for a hike; head off the beaten path and you never know what you might see!
March 10, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Victoria, Whale Watching
Find more information about Victoria - Whale Watching
I can still not say enough about the whale watching experience, with Wild Cat Adventure Tours, we had several years ago.
If you want to go whale watching, this company launches right from the inner harbour, and guarantees whale sightings (if there are no whales in the area, the boats don't go out and you are not charged).
I have had various friends who have gone whale watching in various other parts of North America only to be dissapointed.
We used this company and saw many whales and porpoises, not to mention the friendly, no hassle service from the tour staff.
September 15, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Victoria, Whale Watching
Find more information about Victoria - Whale Watching
Nearing the mouth of Active Pass, on our way to Schwartz Bay, our ferry passed a pod of 20-30 Orca whales.
They were swimming pretty fast- I think they might have been trying to escape forming a lifelong connection with Jason James Richter.
Definitley a very surreal, and cool moment. Especially, after just commenting about how I'd "Never seen a whale in the wild before". Give that phrase a try when you're leaving Tsawwassen.
December 12, 2008 | Field Reports >
Victoria, Whale Watching
Find more information about Victoria - Whale Watching
Just off the coast of Victoria British Columbia, come see the Orca whales in their natural habitat.
As well, we come across a local rugby game as Victoria locals recommend some new and exciting adventures to come...
June 23, 2007 | Tips from Travellers >
Victoria, Whale Watching
Find more information about Victoria - Whale Watching
View a larger image on flickr.com
On June 15th, we headed to Victoria for the last stop of my BC book tour promoting
Whale Song, my new bestselling novel. We spent the day settling in and enjoying the sunshine--the ONLY full day of sun we had on our entire trip. And thank God, because that was the day we planned to go whale watching.
So we sped off the ferry in order to get to the hotel, check in and then find the whale watching office. We reached Five Star Whale Watching Expeditions and sped around the block looking for parking. Not a fun thing to do when you're already 5 minutes late! Finally, Marc let me out while he went to park the car.
When I reached Five Star's office, the man behind the counter said we were scheduled for the NEXT trip out...in 2 hours. Yikes! Somehow I was sure the gal had said 2 pm on the phone. And I had that terrible sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach--the kind that says 'oh boy, did you screw up...and Marc is going to be sooo happy.'
Then the very nice fellow behind the desk said he could get us on the 2 o'clock tour! YES!!! Marc showed up after finally finding a parking spot and off we went down to the boat dock to board a 45-passenger catamaran. On the way to the dock I let it slip that we had luckily been squeezed onto the 2 pm tour. I think it's a good thing they did squeeze us in. I have a feeling I would have been swimming in the bay.
The cruise was breath-taking. We sat outside at the bow, the wind whipping at my hair, the sun on my face, the smell of the ocean all around us, while glistening diamonds covered the surface. We hit a few choppy patches and the boat bucked, slapping the ocean and sending huge sprays over the stern. In some areas the currents clashed and swirled and it looked like we were speeding over mini-whirlpools.
For three hours we looked for whales. We saw sea lions, seals, porpoises, many different species of birds (seagulls, bald eagle, cormorants and more), lots of seaweed...uh, driftwood...a couple of buoys...but no whales.
I was disappointed, as were many of the people on the trip. In the end, the only whales we saw were the photographs that one of the gals showed us and the whales on my bookmarks. However, I did enjoy the trip and the time 'off', so it wasn't a complete waste, but it was the whales--in particular, the killer whales--that I wanted so dearly to see.
Although I completely understand that Five Star and the other whale watching tours can't really guarantee we'll see whales, I was surprised that with technology these days there wasn't a more reliable way to know where they were hiding. And yes, there was a part of me that thought those darned whales should have stayed where they were that morning and waited for me! :)
Oh, well. Now I have an excuse to come back. (Not that I ever really need an excuse to come to Victoria.)
To read the second part, look for my blog post in the dining blogs.
~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention
http://www.cherylktardif.com/
http://www.whalesongbook.com/
February 20, 2007 | Tips from Travellers >
Victoria, Whale Watching
Find more information about Victoria - Whale Watching
If you are in Victoria and don't go on a Whale Watching tour, you don't know what you are missing.
Every time we go to Victoria, we go on a Prince of Wales Whale Watching tour and have never been let down-we see whales every time.
The last time we were out there, the guide took us to the east side of Vancouver Island as that is where the recent sightings had been. Our zodiac was pointed east towards the island when I looked to my right and saw a HUGE dorsal fin coming towards us. I motioned to our guide who requested that we hang on the hand rails as the whale was coming in our direction-from the side! He then requested we hang on with both hands as the whale got closer to us. Just then the whale submerged and went right underneath us!!!! It was the most exhilerating feeling in the world knowing this massive mammal was right beneath us. The whale surfaced not more than 15 feet from the left side of the boat where I was sitting! He was so close I felt like I could reach out and touch him-what a magnificent sight! I have never been that close to a whale before but look forward to going there again to see these magnificent mammals!