Captain’s Blog

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 […]

Humpback Whale & Race Rocks Marine Ecological Reserve

May 18, 2017

This morning we departed the harbour and transited southeast towards Constance Bank on the lovely calm waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. After a ten minute scan of the flat calm waters in search of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), the MV Pacific Explorer transited deeper south in the Strait of Juan de […]

May 17, 2017 – Humpback Whales

May 17, 2017

10am Excursion We departed the harbour and transited slightly southeast towards Constance Bank, scanning the waters for cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises). The MV Pacific Explorer shifted to a southern direction transiting across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Off the waterfront of Port Angles on the Olympic Penisula, we encountered a humpback whale displaying […]

May 15, 2017 – Transient Orcas, Seals & Sea Lions

May 15, 2017

This morning was the perfect example of why Victoria is such a hot spot destination for whale watching. As we exited the harbour travelling south towards the towering Olympic mountains, a blow appeared on the horizon. That blow belonged to a humpback whale feeding not far from Victoria! As we spent time with this majestic […]

May 12, 2017 – Bigg’s Killer Whales & Chain Islet

May 12, 2017

We departed the dock on the MV Pacific Explorer and proceeded east in the Strait of Juan de Fuca towards Haro Strait. Off the west side of San Juan Island, we encountered a group of four Bigg’s killer whales (mammal-hunters) entering the Lime Kiln Park. The T101 group, which consist of the female matriarch T101 […]

May 10, 2017 – Transient Orcas, Seals, Sea Lions

May 10, 2017

We started our morning tour off with thoughts of searching west. The weather wasn’t in our favour so we pushed on east towards San Juan Island. Deep in search with many other vessels in the industry, we got the report of Orca’s spotted from land on Sidney Island. Thanks to the help of Russ in […]

Humpbacks, Transient Orcas, Sea Otter, Seals & Sea Lions

May 8, 2017

Perfect glass water met us as we exited the harbour this morning on our search for wildlife. We didn’t need to go far before encountering a large group of Transient or mammal-eating Killer Whales! This group was made up of a family of 6 whales called the T100s and 3 whales belonging to the T86A […]

May 6, 2017 – Humpback Whales, Sea Lions and Bald Eagle

May 6, 2017

Today’s tour was extended so that we could travel farther north than usual and catch up with some Humpback whales that had been spotted in the area. It was a beautiful day and the water was calm when we came across the two Humpbacks. Initially, they appeared to be behaving normally – surfacing 3-5 times […]

Family Forever: Checking in With 6 Resident Orcas of J-Pod

April 19, 2017

The longer days, the scent of spring in the air, and the gently warming waters of the Pacific Northwest ought to bring a sense of pure joy to the team here at Orca Spirit, but unfortunately a tragedy struck a few months back that’s painting everything with a sombre shade as we head into the […]