July 08, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Victoria, Whale Watching
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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!