The sun was shining as we boarded our vessels and prepared to start the day - a wonderful change to the cold and wet weather we have been experiencing lately. Sea conditions were near perfect as we popped out of the Nanaimo harbour and began our search for wildlife. Our fleet split to cover as much ‘ground’ as possible and increase our search area. Our semi-covered vessel Kula began the day by heading out of the harbour towards the northern part of our range, whereas our open vessel Keta turned towards the southern part of our range and made their way towards Dodd Narrows.

On approach, it was noted that several Bald Eagles were circling Dodd Narrows. As we began to cross we saw more and more of them all around us, perched high up in the trees and watching the racing waters below. There were easily 40-50 Bald Eagles all congregated together in the tiny pass! It was an incredible sight, made even more incredible as we watched a raft of California sea lions fight against the current as they bobbed and weaved, likely chasing fish for their lunch. As opportunistic hunters, this was the perfect chance for our Bald Eagles - we saw many of the majestic birds dive straight toward the sea lions, skimming the surface of the water, likely picking up small scraps the sea lions had thrashed off of the bigger prey.

Our open vessel Keta popped out of Porlier Pass, arching into the Strait of Georgia (the large body of water that separates Vancouver Island from the mainland of British Columbia) before turning towards Vancouver Island for a quick wildlife stop. They approached Stinky Rocks, a well-known Sea lion rookery located along the western edge of Valdez Island. If you join one of our tours, you may get “lucky” and learn why this area has earned this nickname… like we did today! Whenever you have a large congregation of animals in a small area, there is likely to be lots of defecating, eructation, and likely decaying remains of food. This cacophony of scents lends to creating a very distinct odour that is hard to forget.

Stinky Rocks is still bustling with activity with easily 100 or more sea lions nestled up together on the rocks, but soon it won’t be as busy (or odorous!) - many of our Steller sea lions will soon be venturing north to the well-known rookeries off the tip of Vancouver Island and along the northern coastline of Vancouver Island. Pup season usually begins mid-May and lasts until mid-July, with the majority of pups being born in June. Once born, the pups will generally nurse for around a year - however, they can nurse for up to 3 years! Once the breeding season is over they will slowly trickle back to our area, and once again congregate in areas such as Stinky Rocks and the White Islets to snooze the days away and feed on our plentiful bounty of fish and cephalopods.

White Islets, similar to Stinky Rocks, is another favourite haul out for our pinnipeds. This is where our semi-covered vessel Kula decided to stop to see them! White Islets is also an important area because of its significance for multiple endangered bird species. Significant populations of Surfbirds, Glaucous-winged Gulls, and Marbled Murrelets have all been seen here over the years. Pelagic Cormorants as well as sea ducks including the Harlequin Duck and Surf Scoters have also been seen along this tiny rocky group of islands.

Along the eastern edge of the Strait of Georgia, our vessels took separate routes again, covering as much area as possible, and scanning the horizon as we went. Quite a few porpoises appeared, but as they are usually quite fast and skittish, they are not the easiest creatures to watch, so we continued our search.

We continued northbound, searching and searching, until we reached the tip of Lasqueti Island. From here we turned west and began making our way back south along Vancouver Island’s shoreline, crossing between multiple small islands scattered along it. As we skimmed along the surface of the strait, we took in the breathtaking sights of the coastal mountains along the mainland as well as the island mountain range along the spine of Vancouver Island. We continued southbound and made our way back towards the beautiful Nanaimo harbour.

We were unable to find whales today, but we did have an incredible time exploring a large portion of the Strait of Georgia. Rest assured, every guest from today received a voucher to be able to join us again for another tour for free!

Please enjoy these photos taken by Marine Naturalists Cheyenne Brewster and Val Watson.

April 2, 2025 - Spring has sprung!