This is the look you get from a grizzly bear when the current pushes you within their comfort zone. The happened this past September on the way down Knight Inlet coming back from the day’s grizzly watching tour. We were looking for black bear when one of my guests spotted this grizzly eating kelp on the shore. We turned off the motor and let the tide do the rest and unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your viewpoint) we drifted closer than we should have but in deep water. With tide and wind it is impossible to paddle the larger boat and we did not want to start the motor and scare the bear. We eventually moved past the grizzly which remained on the beach eating.
Sea Otter Sightings

The last 3 years we have been starting to view sea otters in our area more regularly. They are still often a distance away, but the sightings are increasing with some “rafts” of them developing in areas near the western portion of our whale watching trips. These animals were hunted heavily for their fur and were completely wiped out of British Columbia waters. Re-introduction occurred from Alaskan otters in the 1960’s. They have long been protected and their numbers have been steadily increasing along the exposed BC coast and are now moving back into inside waters. They are unique in that they don’t have the insulating blubber that other marine mammals use to keep warm. As a result they have dense (over 1 million hairs per square inch) fur and feed heavily. They are important in balancing the eco-system. They eat a lot of sea urchins, which eat a lot of kelp. Kelp is extremely important as it provides cover for juvenile fish and is where the herring spawn in the early spring. With the increase in these otters we are seeing a greater abundance and healthier kelp forests.
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