Captain’s Blog

Port Renfrew Tour, A Whale Extravaganza

September 14, 2017

The last tour of the season brought us more whales than we could count! Cruising up to Carmanah lighthouse. Taking in the epic beauty of the ocean carved shorelines we soon spotted a few blows in the distance. A group of killer whales appeared. Quickly ID as members of J-pod of the southern resident. After […]

Here’s Who You’ll Meet Lounging at Race Rocks Lighthouse

August 23, 2017

For some reason my first experience at Race Rocks Lighthouse brought me back in time a hundred years. I’ve always had an unexplained fascination with pre-industrial marine traffic, and I’ve probably listened to one too many podcasts about infamous shipwrecks caused by a combination of total darkness and destructive rocks. That’s not to say I […]

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 […]

Tagging Along for a Newcomer’s First Whale Watching Experience

July 26, 2017

“I don’t know what to expect.” It’s a common phrase from a lot of newcomers embarking on their very first whale watching experience with Orca Spirit. Sure, they know to expect a ride out into the Victoria harbour and beyond into the Strait of Juan De Fuca. They know there will be animals. But they […]

The 3 Main Differences Between Cruiser & Zodiac Whale Watching Tours

June 28, 2017

For the past few weeks we’ve been unrolling an interview I did with Mick Miller, one of our most popular zodiac whale watching tour captains. Mick is a captivating guy – I was hanging off his every word and came away from our talk wondering why anyone on Earth would ever choose a cruiser adventure over […]

Popular for all the Wrong Reasons: 6 Infamous Orcas of J-Pod

June 14, 2017

Let’s have a little fun, shall we? We’ve stopped counting how many times our naturalists have had to defend the childish behaviour of the orca whales of British Columbia’s Georgia Strait and Salish Sea. Just like kids above the surface of the water, adolescent orca whales often find themselves in some sort of mischief. Whether […]