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September 15, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Victoria, Whale Watching
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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.
September 5, 2009 | Tips from Us > Telegraph Cove, Whale Watching
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The area off Northern Vancouver Island is well-known for it's whale population, and recently I visited the area for the first time to find out for myself.
Telegraph Cove is a picturesque village south of Port McNeill and this was our base for activities. In the morning we were meant to go kayaking, but with choppy waters we decided to forgo the paddle trip: instead, we soaked up the sun on the wooden boardwalk at Telegraph Cove waiting for our afternoon whalewatching tour with
Stubbs Island Whale Watching. Midmorning, our reverie was broken with the call of 'WHALE!' from the opposite deck. And just like that, three orca swam right past the opening of the tiny cove, as we stood watching from land. Later that afternoon onboard the boat, we spotted four more fin whales, second in size only to the blue whale.
I'd say that's a successful day of whale spotting.
September 2, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Campbell River, Whale Watching
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We went on the greatest whale watching voyage. We saw orcas, eagles, salmon jumping right out of the water to be photographed and a dall's porpoise playing. I would highly recommend the Discovery Marine Safaris. The staff is friendly and informative. They care about the whales and are very cautious when boating near them. The boat is stopped and a hydrophone is lowered so you can hear these great creatures talking as they swim by. Lunch is served and the sandwich, veggies, fruit and dessert are delicious. It is well worth the driving time to take the scenic route from Victoria to this quaint little town. There are great little restaurants for dinner and if you are lucky you will see seals and orcas right there in the harbour. We are definitely coming back for the grizzley tour!
May 18, 2009 | Tips from Us > Richmond, Whale Watching
I am an absolute sucker for whales and marine animals, and knowing that the ocean playground near my home in Vancouver is teeming with life makes it that much more interesting. So when I had the chance to go with a local company, Vancouver Whale Watch, on a four-hour whalewatching tour, I had to jump at the chance. Their shuttle bus collected me from downtown Vancouver, and took us to the historic fishing village of Steveston, in Richmond, BC, where we jumped on covered boat and headed out to sea.
It being late April when I made my trip, it was still a bit early in the whale season, but I learned that all the whalewatching companies who share the waterspace around Vancouver Island, San Juan Islands in the US and around the Vancouver Islands "talk" to each other over their radios, to alert others if they've spotted a pod. So the likelihood of seeing whales is actually really high between late April and October.
And even if you don't, there was no shortage of other water life! We saw dozens of eagles pearching, California sea lions, a Dall's porpoise, and literally tons (of fun) Stellar Sea Lions, who we got up close to (keeping a safe distance, of course!) and got to hear them grumble and belch at us.
But so far, the whales had eluded us. Until... success! Two enormous Grey Whales, who the naturalist said hadn't been in these waters for two years, were spotted by another boat crew. So we headed over to find these shallow-water feeders munching happily and loping around us.
Alas, we didn't see any whale tails, or the typical Orcas that one sees at the height of the season. But we did see lots of spouting off - and Orcas or not, it's pretty incredible to see these things in their natural habitat.
It was an absolutely fabulous way to spend a sunny day!
April 23, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Port McNeill, Whale Watching
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Last September we visited Vancouver Island and spent a few days in Port
McNeill where we went on a kayak day trip, a whale watching tour and
visited the first nations cultural centre in Alert Bay.
We went kayaking with Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures and from their
shop they drove us to Telegraph Cove where we launched our kayaks. Our
guide was very honest saying that while orcas were in the area we can
only go so far in a day and we may or may not see them but that there
would be plenty to see no matter what. He wasn't kidding. Before lunch
we saw seals, sea lions, porpoises and lots of bald eagles. After lunch
we explored some nearby islands, the guide had us all stop and listen
and we could all hear the blow of a whale. I though we are about to see
orcas but he said no it was a humpback whale. We paddled a little
further and we soon saw it's back as it surfaced, it was huge! As we
were watching the whale the guide said to get our cameras ready as it
would soon dive and probably shows it tail. And on cue it did just that
but unfortunately was turned sideways to us so I did not get a good
photo. As we were waiting for it to surface again the guide told us
there was a pod of orcas heading our way (he had a little radio to talk
to other whale watchers). Within 10 minutes the orcas came into view
with a couple of other boats following behind. The guide had us all
come together and wait, he said we are not allowed to get too close so
as not to disturb them. They were going pretty fast but a few surfaced
right in front of us and I got a photo of it! I could not imagine how
seeing them on the larger boat could beat this.
Turned out that the large boat tour was good as well, just different.
We went with Mackay Whale Watching. After leaving Port McNeill we
headed back to the are were were kayaking the day before but kept on
going to the Robson Bight area - an area closed to boats where the orca
go to rub on the pebble beaches. We waited outside this area and could
see the blows of the orcas in the distance. They did not seem to be in
any hurry to leave the area so we then headed off and saw humpback
whales. We saw 5 different humpbacks that day and even heard one
trumpet - at least thats what I think the captain said - apparently
they do it when annoyed and this guy was being mobbed by a group of
dolphins. We ended up going back toward Robson Bight and got to see the
orcas as they came out and started swimming back to where we saw them
the day before in our kayaks.
Our kayak guide had suggested we visit Alert Bay. So on the last day
before driving back towards Nanaimo we took the morning ferry from Port
McNeill to Alert Bay. The cultural centre is a 20 minute walk from the
ferry and it had great displays of masks, artworks and tools and many
displays describing the banning of the potlatch. Before getting back on
the ferry we also visited at the native cemetery and it's memorial
poles right on the waterfront. It was well worth the extra time to
visit.
December 12, 2008 | Field Reports > Victoria, Whale Watching
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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...
May 3, 2008 | Tips from Travellers > Tofino, Whale Watching
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I've been doing research for a recent trip to Vancouver Island and Prince Rupert Area. It seems every area boasts about the best fishing, the best whale watching, the best kayaking. Help!! How can I vary my experiences in the island? We're starting in Nanaimo, going to Tofino, Campbell River, Port Hardy, inside passage to Prince Rupert and then back to the island and on to Vancouver. Any great ideas or recommendations? Any help would be appreciated.
June 23, 2007 | Tips from Travellers > Victoria, Whale Watching
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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/
April 12, 2007 | Tips from Travellers > Ucluelet, Whale Watching
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Thinking of going gray whale watching in Tofino? Head to Ucluelet instead.
There the whales feed in nearby sheltered bays, while in Tofino they
merely pass by. Moreover, in Tofino you have to go out into the open
sea, which can be very rough during the spring migration (March). In Ucluelet, you
stay in calmer waters. Besides, Ucluelet is smaller and more authentic.
February 21, 2007 | Tips from Travellers > Telegraph Cove, Whale Watching
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Whale Watching Boat: Telegraph Cove
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