Captain’s Blog

What Do Killer Whales Symbolize in First Nations Culture?

June 20, 2018

The killer whales living off the coast of British Columbia hold a strong home in the hearts of the First Nations people living in the Pacific Northwest. Just seeing an orca whale breach the surface of the water from land evokes raw emotions that tie generations of Canada’s First Nations together. In fact, it ties […]

Reincarnation, Orca Whales, & the First Nations People of the West Coast

September 7, 2017

Last month as I was happily cruising through the water in a zodiac tour boat out of Victoria’s harbour, I had myself a moment. Perfectly content and excited for the adventure upon which I was embarking with ten or so other nature enthusiasts, I was nonetheless overcome with a sudden sensation that I didn’t belong. […]

September 6, 2017 – Transient & Resident Orca Pods

September 6, 2017

Today was the perfect example of the amazing differences between Transient and Resident Orca. This morning we spent the tour with two groups of Transients travelling together – the T10s and T109As. These orca were hunting harbour seals close to the shoreline, and we got some looks at the big male swimming sideways along a […]

Orcas, Humpbacks, & All Marine Wildlife: How Long Should We Linger?

August 9, 2017

High school was a weird time for me. You too? One particular memory involved our huge open air cafeteria. My high school was originally intended to be a prison, ironically enough. Nowhere in the building was this more evident than in the cafeteria. Well, that’s not totally true – it felt like a prison everywhere […]

July 4, 2017 – Bigg’s Killer Whales

July 4, 2017

10am Excursion We departed the dock on the MV Pacific Explorer and proceeded east in the Strait of Juan de Fuca in search of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) towards Haro Strait and the San Juan Island groups. Off of the north side of Spiden Island, we encountered a group of Bigg’s killer whales (marine […]

May 22, 2017 – Transient Orcas & Minke Whale

May 22, 2017

We could not believe the weather as we headed out of the harbour this afternoon on the hottest day of the year so far. Flat calm seas and bright sun provided the perfect spotting conditions as we headed up Haro Strait in search of our favorite black and white animals. The word on the water […]

Resident Orcas and Amazing Humpback Encounter

August 24, 2016

Today was a beautiful sunny day spent searching for whales on glassy calm waters out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Our morning trip journeyed west along the shoreline of Sooke to catch up with a group of our resident killer whales who were on their way out to the open Pacific in search […]

Rachael Merrett – “We Can Learn So Much From Them (Orcas)”

December 21, 2015

“Everything they do in the wild is by choice.” That’s Rachael Merrett, one of the friendly faces you’ll see leading the way on Orca Spirit’s Whale Watching adventures. Rachael lives and breathes orca whales, it’s an obsession she’s held ever since she saw these magnificent creatures in the wild as a child. I caught up […]

Orca Spirit’s Sheenah Duclos: A Lifetime With the Whales

July 22, 2015

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Do you remember where you were the first time you heard that question? Not many of us do, the memory just isn’t that strong. That’s not the case for Sheenah Duclos. Sheenah’s enjoying her sixth season as the head naturalist at Orca Spirit. “The first […]