The whale / orca watching safari day from Grizzly Bear Lodge start with a fifty minute boat ride from the lodge to the area of Johnstone Strait. Along the way we search the shore for black bears, eagles and anything else that moves. Once we are in the Strait’s area or eyes turn to the water for marine wildlife such as seals, sea lions, dall’s porpoise, white-sided dolphins, minkie whales, humpback whales and of course killer whales or orca. The resident or salmon eating orca we normally see in this area travel in family pods of ten to twenty members. The pods are dominated by the “mother” (oldest female) making them matriarchal however it is older males (sons stay with their mother all their life) that tend to attract most of the picture taking.
Some day as much as I try I cannot avoid being in a photo. There is a reason for showing this, as we do not have many photos taken in Telegraph Cove on Vancouver Island. I was with the Edouard family from France when we stopped for our “bathroom break”. Eight or so hours on the water during a whale watching days does call for a break and that normally means Telegraph Cove. One can leave the boat and stretch your legs, use the facilities, purchase a coffee or hot chocolate (we have a good picnic lunch and soda pop on board), visit the shop or the whale museum. The amount of time spent ashore is up to the guest someday’s it is an hour or two other days enough time to use the bathroom then we are off again to have lunch with the whales. As long as you remember I have been here before and would rather be on the water so the amount of time is your decision.
