July 1st – Resident Orcas for Canada Day!

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Andrew

L87 “Oynx”

Resident Orcas off Victoria for Canada Day

Today we had amazing encounters with Resident Orcas who came to help us celebrate Canada Day  In the morning the Orcas were west of Race Rocks heading East past Victoria. We had a lovely encounter with J28 “Polaris” and her daughter “Star”. We also got to see the babies in Jpod and they were being very playful  Our morning also included a wonderful encounter with a Mother & Calf Humpback Whale.

In the afternoon the Orcas had traveled further East and were near Middle Bank. We got to see some tail slaps, breaches and spyhops as well as a number of Orcas Porpoising (high speed swimming). We also got a lovely encounter with L87 “Oynx” who thriled our guests!

What a way to celebrate Canada’s birthday 

You can see more pictures from today’s incredible encounters at the following link;

July 1st – Resident Orcas for Canada Day

June 28th - Humpback Whales!

June 28th – Humpback Whales encountered!

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Andrew

Here are some beautiful pictures from June 28th by our passengers Jane & Bill Swint.

June 26th - Killer Whales & Humpbacks!

June 26th – Killer Whales & Humpback Whales today!

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Andrew

Resident Killer Whales

Transient Killer Whales

Humpback Whale

It was a Whale Triple header today as we encountered three different types of whales with Resident Orcas in the morning and a Humpback & Transient Orcas in the afternoon  In the morning we encountered Resident Killer Whales spread out near Middle Bank foraging and playing as they traveled towards the west side of San Juan Island. We saw some tail slapping and incredible Spyhops this morning and also had a great encounter with J2 “Granny”, the 104 year old Matriarch of Jpod 

In the afternoon we heard about a Humpback and Transient Orcas west of Victoria so off we headed in that direction. We picked up the Humpback first just near Albert Head and the whale did a few tail flukes as it foraged between Albert Head and William Head. We then headed out further west in search of the Transient Orcas but hit fog west of Race Rocks. However, we heard from a boat that they had picked up the T’s near Pedder Bay so we headed that way. We watched as the T’s made a kill just as we arrived on scene and then moved north towards Albert Head.

So what a wonderful day on the water, Resident Orcas, Transient Orcas and a Humpback:)

To see more images from today click on the link below;

June 26th – Whale Triple Header! 

June 25th - Resident Orcas!

June 25th – Resident Orcas again today!

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Andrew

Male Orca

Resident Orcas near San Juan Island

It was another wonderful day with Resident Orcas off the west side of San Juan Island today  We were near Lime Kiln in the morning as the Orcas moved north and then they switched direction and we encountered them spread out between Hanna Heights and False Bay in the morning. As we watched the Orcas we could see lots of foraging (hunting for Salmon) going on plus some pretty acrobatic Cartwheels and Breaches! We did get to see some of the Jpod babies as well, which is always a special thrill for our passengers. All three babies seem to be doing well so far and that is excellent news for the SRKW’s.

Apart from Orcas we also saw a Minke Whale today and lots of Harbor Seals & Harbor Porpoise!

You can see more images from today’s tours by clicking on the link below;

June 25th – Resident Orcas again

June 20th - Afternoon Superpod!

June 20th – Afternoon Resident Orca Superpod!

Posted on July 4, 2015 by Andrew

Resident Orcas

Superpod!

After all the excitement earlier in the afternoon trip with the Transient Orcas, we then headed to Race Rocks to watch a Resident Orca Superpod coming in from the west! As we got on scene the Orcas were already passing through Race Passage and were in a very playful mood. We got to see lots of Spyhops, Cartwheels, Breaches, Porpoising and Tail Slips, it was an incredible sight! This was also the first time this season we had all three pods together forming a Superpod and it was wonderful to see so many healthy and happy Orcas.

30 Transient Orcas and now up to 80 Resident Orcas passing Race Rocks, it really does not get any better than that  This trip was the highlight of the season so far and one of the best trips the crew had ever seen!

To see more images from this afternoon’s encounter with the Superpod then please click on the link below;

June 20th – Resident Orca Superpod

June 20th PM – Afternoon T-Party (Transient Orcas) south of Victoria!

Posted on July 4, 2015 by Andrew

Transient Orcas

Bigg’s Killer Whales

TO63 “Chainsaw”

Orca with Prey!

This afternoon we had one of the most incredible Transient Orca encounters off Victoria! There were so many Transient Orcas we actually had a Superpod of Transient with as many as 30 different Bigg’s Killer Whales (as they are also known) in the Strait of Juan De Fuca south of Victoria  Not only did we have so many Orcas but many of them are rarely seen in the Salish Sea, so it was an even more extodinary day. The highlights of this once in a lifetime encounter was watching a Juvenile with a Seal in its mouth realize the rest of its pod had took off and left it, so it dropped the Seal and took off after them! I will be posting id information on the different T’s shortly but we definitely had a T-party out there 

You can see more images from this incredible day at the following link;

June 20th PM – T-Party off Victoria in the afternoon!

June 20th AM - Morning with Transient Orcas & a Humpback!

June 20th AM – Morning with Transient Orcas and a Humpback Whale!

Posted on July 4, 2015 by Andrew

Transient Orcas

TO63 “Chainsaw”

This morning we headed out west and had a wonderful morning encounter with a large group of Transient Orcas including an old friend, TO63 “Chainsaw”! TO63 was born in 1978 and earned the nickname “Chainsaw” due to his unique dorsal fin. Other Orcas identified in the group included TO49C, TO65, TO65B and several other Orcas! We also encountered a Humpback Whale west of Race Rocks, which was a real bonus for our passengers today. It was a great way to start the day, sun, calm seas and lots of Whales  At Race Rocks we also saw a large amount of nervous looking Harbor Seals and who can blame them for looking nervous with so many Transient Orcas nearby!

You can see more images from today’s tours at the link below;

June 20th AM – Morning with Transient Orcas and a Humpback

June 18th - Transient Orca

June 18th – Transient Orca near Gordon Head!

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Andrew

Transient Orca

This afternoon we had a lovely encounter with T49C near Gordon Head. T49C was hugging the shoreline of Cordova Bay just north of Ten Mile Point looking for Harbor Seals. TO49C has been seen in the area quite a lot over the last few weeks either on his own or with a few friends  We saw some very nervous looking Seal at the Chain Islets on our way home and it is a good possibility that TO49C had been through there recently. Harbor Seals are the favourite food of Transient Orcas in our local waters.

To see more images from this encounter please click on the link below;

June 18th – Transient Orca

June 15th & 16th – J & Kpod off San Juan!

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Andrew

J & Kpod

For the second straight day we had members of J & Kpod off the west side of San Juan Island  We got to spend some quality time with many of the 2 pods including K33 “Tika”, J27 “Blackberry”, J28 “Polaris” and J46 “Star”. At one stage we had 15 Orcas all to ourselves near False Bay  Apart from the Orcas we also had a rare encounter with a Tufted Puffin near False Bay, just a little off shore from the Orcas. It was a wonderful day on the water!

To see more images from this wonderful tour please click on the link below;

June 16th – J & Kpod off San Juan

June 13th - Afternoon with Lpod & a Humpback!

June 13th PM – Afternoon with Lpod & a Humpback!

Posted on June 28, 2015 by Andrew

Humpback – Victoria Whale Watching!

Lpod – Whale Watching in BC!

L121 & Lpod

We had another wonderful encounter this afternoon with a Humpback Whale east of Race Rocks and then all of Lpod coming in from the west past Victoria waterfront! The Orcas were in resting formation as they passed the waterfront a few miles south of Victoria. It was great to see some of our old friends including L25 “Ocean Sun”, L41 “Mega” and his sisters (L77 & L94) plus L121, the brand new Lpod Calf  Today was the first time L121 had been seen in the Salish Sea and not only was it exciting for our guests but also for the Center For Whale Research Team. The CWR had a boat on scene in the afternoon taking lots of pictures of Lpod but especially L121!

To see more images from this special encounter please click on the link below;

June 13th PM – Afternoon with Lpod & a Humpback

June 13th – Morning encounter with Lpod & a Humpback!

Posted on June 27, 2015 by Andrew

Lpod 

Humpback – Whale Watching in Victoria!

This morning we encountered Lpod and a Humpback! We headed out west this morning and encountered members of Lpod near Beachey Head traveling west. We got to see lots of tail slaps, cart wheels, breaching and other more intimate interactions  The Orcas were being very playful this morning and delighted our guests with their acrobatic displays! We also got to see a large Humpback near Race Rocks and it tail fluked a number of times, to the delight of our passengers.  We also got to see the Sea Otter at Race Rocks and a large number of Harbor Seals. What a wonderful start to the day 

You can see more images from this trip by clicking on the link below;

June 13 – Morning with Lpod & a Humpback

June 12th – Humpback Whale, Transient Orca & Lpod today!

Posted on June 27, 2015 by Andrew

Lpod

Transient Orca

Humpback Whale

It was a triple header day for Five Star Whale Watching with encounters with a Humpback Whale, Transient Orca & Lpod! This is what makes Victoria one of the best destinations for Whale Watching in BC and the world. We found the 1st whale of the day, a Humpback Whale near William Head  Then we found out about a lone & rare Transient Orca (U39) NE of Port Angeles. Late this afternoon we heard Resident Orcas had been spotted and sure enough we had Lpod inbound at Race Rocks! What an awesome day  We also go to see Seal’s & Sea Lions at Race Rocks as well as a Sea Otter!

To see more images from today’s encounters click on the link below;

June 12 – Humpback Whale, Transient Orca & Lpod

June 11th – J & Kpod near Lime Kiln.

Posted on June 27, 2015 by Andrew

J & Kpod

Today we encounter J & Kpod near Lime Kiln! This was the first time we had encountered members of Kpod this season and it was great to see old friends  We got to see several members of both J & Kpod including K 21 “Cappuccino”, J28 “Polaris”, J46 “Star”, J34 “Doublestuf”, J22 “Oreo”, K26 Lobo & K33 “Tika” amongst others. The Orcas were in a playful mood with breaching, spy hops and tail slaps observed. We later heard confirmation from the Center for Whale Research that all of Kpod had been accounted for, which was great news.

Apart from the Orcas we also got to see lots of Seals and Porpoise today as well as Bald Eagles.

To see more images from today’s tour please click on the link below;

June 11th – J & Kpod near Lime Kiln