Only 45 minutes from Port McNeill lies the Broughton Archipelago, BC's largest marine park. It is a realm of bald eagles, jumping salmon, sea lions and bears, but best of all, Orca, minke and humpback whales. Celebrated oceanographer Jacques Cousteau singled out Telegraph Cove as one of the best places in the world to view and enjoy Orcas (killer whales) in their natural environment.
Northern resident Orcas, minkes and humpback whales return each year. In summer, about 200 whales visit Southern Queen Charlotte Sound and Johnstone Strait. The Orca is king, and at roughly 9m/30ft long, it is powerful, graceful, majestic, awe-inspiring. Resident Orcas are fish eaters, Transient Orcas are carnivorous and have a taste for seals. Whales travel in pods, each pod with its own language. Eavesdrop with hydrophones, underwater microphones.
Whale-Watching Tours
Telegraph Cove has only one whale watching outfit, but what an outfit. When Stubbs Island Whale Watching launched in 1980, it was the first whale watching company in BC and on Canada's west coast.
Cruises ply the nearby waters of the Blackfish Archipelago. Whale-watchers travel in heated, covered 18m/60ft vessels with washroom facilities. Cruises are about 3.5 hours in duration and run daily from mid-May until early October.
Listen to Whales
Certified captains and naturalists/ biologists preside over tours, answering questions about the marine mammals encountered. Hydrophones allow passengers to listen in on "whale music" The company boasts a 90% success rate.
Orcella Expeditions
Orcella Expeditions, with hosts Jim and Mary Borrowman from Stubbs Island Whale Watching, offer 5-day all-inclusive expeditions in pursuit of the "magnificent seven" marine mammals. The boat is the 17m/56ft MV Gikumi, a refurbished former coastal pilot boat and cargo vessel. The "seven" are Orcas, Pacific white-sided dolphins, Dall's porpoises, humpback whales, minke whales, Steller sea lions, harbour seals and harbour porpoises. Bring a checklist.
The Whale Interpretive Centre
The Whale Interpretive Centre was founded as a non-profit in 2002, to promote awareness about these marine mammals and the threats facing their populations. The museum brings another dimension to the great BC whale adventure. Suspended overhead is the skeleton of a giant Fin whale – the second largest animal species ever to live – killed when it was struck by a cruise ship.
Marine Mammal Skeletons
There are also skeletons of a killer whale, Pacific white-sided dolphin, Dall's porpoise, Steller sea lion and more. The bones speak of wondrous creatures, still endangered.
Ocean Kayaking with Whales
Telegraph Cove's North Island Kayak Rental & Tours offers kayaking adventures from 2-hour family spins to 6-day wilderness expeditions exploring the whales, wildlife, scenery and Aboriginal history of the vast Archipelago. Its popular Half-Day Orca Opportunity tour focuses on the incredible seascapes, whales and wildlife in the Telegraph Cove area, with guides carrying hydrophones to listen to the whales.
The 5-day Orca Adventure tour transports paddlers out into the vast and islanded Johnstone Strait and Broughton Archipelago with Orcas in mind.
For more information on whale watching, drop by the Visitor Centre at the Telegraph Cove Resort.
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