January 8th was a great first tour of the year. It was cool and damp winter day when Kula, our heated vessel, left the dock with her passengers in search of whales. They did not need to go far before their goal was met - a pod of orca had been spotted off of the Winchelsea Islands, just North of Lantzville.

The Winchelsea Islands are an important ecological area. South Winchelsea Island has been identified as a Garry Oak ecosystem - one of the most endangered ecosystems in all of Canada. These ecosystems are only found in Southwestern British Columbia and along the coastline of Washington, Oregon, and California. Garry Oak Ecosystems can be identified by their sub-Mediterranian climate and are shaped by rain shadows cast from mountains to the Southwest of the area. Rain shadows are areas with significantly reduced rainfall due to the nearby mountains blocking much of the rain-bearing winds. This leads to a diversity in plants and animals not found in much of the rest of the province, including the Garry Oak itself - the only native Oak species in Western Canada.
If you’d like to learn more about the importance of Garry Oak Ecosystems, please visit this link by the Government of Canada.

It was a very eventful encounter as soon as we were on scene. The T037A’s and T099’s were seen porpoising (travelling quickly at the surface of the water), feeding, tail lobbing, and even breaching! There was clearly some good eating today as they all happily celebrated, jumping around and splashing about.

These two pods are seen in our area fairly regularly, and consist of 11 members:

T99 Matriline:

T099 - Bella

T099B - Holly

T099C - Barakat

T099D

T099E

T37A Matriline:

T037A - Volker

T037A1 - Inyo

T037A2 - Inky

T037A3 - Spinnaker

T037A4 - Crinkle

T037A5

It seems Volker was being a bit of a camera hog today - most of our photos were of her!

After we left the whales, we set off in search of other wildlife. We found a raft of sea lions swimming, and another group having a nap on a couple of log booms. We also witnessed a pair of bald eagles hunting a duck, and one of the eagles ended up in the water!

Someone didn’t want to share their nap spot today!

Most non-aquatic birds try not to swim around regularly, but eagles are great fishers and it is common to see them skirting around the edges of rivers and other water ways. Eagle wings are very strong, and they are quite good at paddling themselves back to shore if they end up submerged.

As we were making our way back to home port we stopped to visit the Gabriola Bluffs. This sandstone cliffside is a Cormorant rookery - in the summer there are hundreds of Cormorants nesting here and raising their young. While there are not many to be seen along the rocks in the winter, it is always fun to check out the intricate carvings the area boasts.

All photos by Marine Naturalist Rebecca Stirling.

Yes, there are whales around even in the winter! We are running year round on our semi-covered vessel, offering a cozy adventure for all those wanting to get out and explore our waters. To book, please head to our Schedule/Rates page to view currently availability, or give us a call at 250-667-5177.

We also have an exciting announcement - we have opened an Online Print Shop! What does this mean? It means that every trip we will be going through our photos, selecting the top 1 to 4 of the day, and then adding them to our shop. This way, you can have a keepsake of a gorgeous photo, featuring the exact whales you saw on your trip! Today’s photos can be seen here.

January 8th - Starting the year strong with breaching orca!

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