Finally, another sunny day in Victoria! Today I went out with Captain Dave as we took out a nearly full load of 25 passengers.. including 3 children and our youngest passenger ever.. a 7 month old baby. That goes to show you can never be too young to be introduced to our marine wildlife! And what a great passenger he was.. not a single weep as the Captain got everyone in for an adventurous ride by making a few swift twists and turns coming out of the harbour. Passing by Trial Island, we made a brief stop to check up with everyone as I handed out a few extra toques (hats) to cover up some bare heads against the bright shining sun.

Another stop was made at the Chain Islands, where Captain Dave had spotted a Bald Eagle from afar. With the tide coming in.. the few seals left up on their rocks looked like they were floating on the surface. The kids loved it! Lots of photos were made while Captain Dave turned our 60 foot scarab a few rounds to get a good view from all parts of the boat. Then it was time to get an up-close and personal look at our marine environment. I managed to pull up a strand of Bull Kelp off the stern and passengers were invited to have a bite of the fresh seaweed. I was surprised to find most of them eager to give it a try. What a great group of passengers this afternoon!

Just as we were about to head onwards, we received reports of killer whales heading further up from their original spot north of San Juan Island.. heading towards Pender Bluffs! The wind had picked up by now and passengers were happy to be ‘served’ with several mittens and toques as well as blankets. Here at Eagle Wing, we treat everyone as our family and it is my job to make sure everyone is comfortable and happy while touring with us.. something I see as a privilige.

As we came on scene just a bit north off Pender Island, the whales were identified as Jpod and part of Lpod. By now, all other boats had left the scene and we were enjoying out own private whale show with only the few ferries running in between the Gulf Islands. The pods were spread out in their usual matrilineal groupings as Captain Dave shared with us the history of these magnificent marine mammals. After the trailers passed us, we repositioned ourselves again for a second pass. This time the whales had gotten into a more playful mood as we witnessed multiple breaches, spyhops, tail slapping, pectoral slaps and even some whales rolling over each other showing off their white bellies. Killer whales are highly social and sensitive animals.. they love the touch of water splashing against their skin as they breach and often times we also see them rubbing against each other.

Then for our third and final pass, we reached the entrance of Active Pass, where BC Ferries runs through on their way to and from Vancouver. This time the whales seemed to be doing longer dives as we only saw an occasional whale come up for air. Then, out of the blue depths or the water several whales came up one by one only feet away from the boat.. off the stern.. off the the port side.. under the boat.. starboard side.. off the bow. What a wonderful surprise for all!! Meanwhile, baby had woken up and was lifted into the air by his parents while the whales passed our boat.. something I believe he will unknowingly cherish in his little heart forever.

What an amazing experience. I enjoyed every single minute of the trip and am happy to be able to share my passion with people of all ages from all over the world. Thank you to our passengers who shared a breathtaking afternoon with us at Eagle Wing Tours.

Ly Ngo
Crew/Marine Naturalist
Eagle Wing Whale Watching Tours
Beautiful British Columbia,
Vancouver Island, Victoria
Rated #1 whale watching adventure tour company in Victoria on Trip Advisor!

Take a whale watching tour with Eagle Wing Tours!

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