Welcomed aboard Blackfish III by Capt Roland and first mate/naturalist Liberty for our tour out in search of whales. Getting out of the harbor was interesting as the tide was out so the entire entourage shifted to the front of the boat so the props would clear the bottom of the channel.
From there it was full throttle out into the Salish Sea with the Capt and first mate in constant communication with other tour boats in the area about possible whale sightings.
The trip out was sunny, the seas relatively calm and Liberty was an absolute treasure trove of information on the general area, various species of fish and mammals that occupy the area and what the general plan was for the day. Eventually we received word of a spotting in the channel between Vancouver Island and Salt Spring Island. When we arrived, there were 4 other boats in the area and we shadowed the family pod of about 6 orcas for 30 minutes or so. Absolutely amazing seeing the way the pod interacted with each other and Liberty was on hand to describe how the family supports each other. The pictures don’t really capture how special the experience is. The boats are required to keep at least 200 yards from the whales and the Capt wants to err on the side of caution as boat/whale interactions are bad for the boat and worse for the whales.
Because we’d come so far to find the pod we had to head back after half an hour and I know everyone would’ve loved to stay longer.
All in all a great experience. This is our second trip with Outer Island Excursions and we’ve received our money’s worth and more on both trips.
Can’t say enough about Capt Roland and Liberty. They really went above and beyond to make the trip memorable and to ensure we not only saw whales, but learned something as well.