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Transient Orca 2 of 2

January 2, 2016 Lodge Guide

Yesterdays and today’s photo shows that not all days are ideal whale watching days but it is still possible to get some good pictures. On this day we were trying to keep up with a pod of transient orca with three other boats but we had all lost contact so shut off our motors to wait. We were the lucky boat in that they popped up all around our boat. As today’s photo shows they circled the boat and came quite close. The advantage of the rougher waters is that the orcas tend to come out of the water a little more to breathe.

Stellar sea lion at rest

Bob and Helen Everson captured a quite moment in the stellar sea lion rookery. A few sea lions are in our viewing area all year however the prime time is spring and fall. The stellar sea lions that migrate between California and Alaska use the waters off the East Coast of Vancouver Island as feeding and resting area on their migratory route. The rookery is normally a hub of noise and activity as sea lions fight for prime real estate in the rookery and the juveniles thrash about in the water. Although there may be an absence of noise I can assure you the same is not for the smell.