FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2010, J POD RETURNS!

FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2010, J POD RETURNS!

After over 50 days during which we saw Transient (Marine-Mammal-Eating) Killer Whales, Five Star Whale Watching's "Supercat" encountered Southern Resident (Fish-Eating) Killer Whales.

In reasonably "lumpy" sea conditions of about 1.0m to 1.5m (3 to 5 feet), our passengers saw many of the 23 members of J pod.

Our crew can hardly wait for tomorrow!

Great News! The Southern Resident Orcas are back, J-pod has been sighted just off Victoria:)

We have confirmed reports that J-pod returned to the Salish Sea today after almost 2 months away! This bodes well for today's tours as well as our upcoming tours over the weekend:)

Wildlife Adventure! April 28th, 2010.

Northern Elephant Seals are the second largest of the Pinnipeds (Seals & Sealions). A full grown male can reach 13' long and almost 4500lbs! At this time of year they are molting as can be seen in the pictures here.

First cruise ship tour of the 2010 season!

A rare sight, two Swans near Witty's Lagoon.

A full moon brought blustery conditions to the Salish Sea!

Here are a few images from today's adventure on the Salish Sea. Despite the blustery conditions we still managed to find plenty of exciting wildlife to show our passengers!

The conditions were spectacular at Race Rocks with the strong tide and winds combining for a very impressive display of the oceans strength.

T88 & T87 Transient Orcas! April 28th, 2010.

Here are a few images by Ron Bates, MMRG, from today's encounter with T87 & T88 Transient Orcas near Oak Bay.

These Transient (Marine Mammal Eater) Orcas are a regular visitor to the local shores around Victoria and the San Juan Islands and are here in search of the many Harbor Seals founds around our local shoreline.

Transient Orcas are very stealthy hunters and are often found in pairs or even sometimes a single animal, mostly males, such as T14 "Pender".

It was a real thrill for our passengers to watch these Apex Predators in action!

Wildlife Extravaganza in the Salish Sea! April 25th, 2010.

A guest visiting from Toronto marvels at the wonders of the Salish Sea!

Race Rocks Lighthouse, first lit on Boxing Day 1860.

What a wonderful day to be on the water, sunshine, calm seas and an amazing mix of Marine Life! We had hardly left the Harbour when our first exciting encounter occurred, with a Bald Eagle flying overhead!

Next we headed to Race Rocks where we saw the most Sealions, both Steller & California, so far this season. We also saw a large number of Harbor Seals and Northern Elephant Seals.

Our next stop was the Chain Islets to show our guests more Harbor Seals plus Cormorants, Harlequin Ducks and another Bald Eagle.

We then ventured into Haro Strait towards Beaumont Shoals and there we encountered over a hundred Harbor Porpoise, by far the largest number seen this season!

As one of our guests commented, what a job:)

Spring Wildlife Adventure! April 23rd, 2010.

Here are just a few images from today's spring Wildlife Adventure in the Salish Sea!

We saw lots of Seals, Bald Eagles, Steller & California Sealions, Northern Elephant Seals and Harbor Porpoise during today's tour.

April continues to be a wonderful month for seeing a wide diversity of Marine Mammals.