Our vacation gang were very excited when Billy Greatlates, the group leader exclaimed.”We are going killer whale watching today”. This trip had the potential to be the highlight of their trip to Canada. “You will not be able to get much closer to a large wild animal, in their natural habitat, than taking an Orca killer whale watching trip and actually seeing an Orca near your boat” said Billy. A well organised ‘marine safari’ can let you get very close to these magnificent animals and give you a very memorable ‘wow factor’ experience.
The capital of Orca whale watching is Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. You will be presented with lots of choice for your whale watching experience. Many companies offer their services but our group choice was with the Orca Spirit company. “Do you fancy going on a big boat or on a small Zodiac” said Billy. The two main ways to go are by a small boat that holds around 40-50 people or a high speed Zodiac that accommodates 12 passengers. Dolly Deckchair pondered and said “It might be more comfortable on a bigger boat”. Rolf Kookaburra responded with “Yeah, but think of the excitement factor on the zodiac”. But Dolly won the day when she said “The excitement is seeing the killer whales”. So they went on the boat.
Just before the trip left Victoria the Captain, John, was informed that a pod of orcas had been sighted off the west coast of the San Juan Islands. These islands are in the territory of the United States but the Orca Sprit boat is capable of moving very quickly if whales are known to be in an area. The excitement was tangible as we sped past the beautiful coastline of Vancouver Island. Dolly was very confident and excited “We’re going to see some whales”.
On board the Orca Spirit are some very knowledgeable Marine Biologists. Whilst you are travelling to the orcas they inform you about the different kinds of orca found in this particular area. “Locally there are 3 resident pods or families in the Strait of Juan De Fuca. You are most likely to see one of these pods on your trip but occasionally there are transient orcas passing through” explained Sheena the marine biologist”. She added “The orcas are here for a reason and that is an abundant supply of salmon. When the salmon return to spawn they travel up the Strait of Juan De Fuca. The orcas are waiting for them and the millions of salmon make easy prey for the killer whales”.
We finally reached the San Juan Islands. “I’ve seen something” Billy shouted excitedly. Sure enough the two fins and white markings were confirmed as killer whales. Sheena, the Marine Biologist, pointed out that we had found the J-Pod family. She said “If you see one orca you will probably see lots because they travel as a family group”. The Captain, John, had spotted the pod coming down the coast so he positioned his boat and turned off the engine. The boats are not allowed to approach and chase the whales but the whales have the choice to come close to the boat.
All of us watched in amazement as numerous whale fins appeared in the distance. Moments later we had our first close encounter. When the whales resurfaced a giant orca passed by the back of the boat. “That’s so beautiful” exclaimed Dolly. The whale decided to breathe at the same time and Dolly literally got an early shower as the orca blew out excess water. Everyone laughed. “These killer whales are gigantic” said Billy “and they move so smoothly through the water. What an awesome sight they are”.
All the groups eyes were riveted to the surface of the water around them. The orcas were appearing everywhere and luckily for us they were in a playful mood. They decided to do some tail slapping and we were treated to a spy hop, where the whale comes vertically out of the water. The ‘oohs’ and ‘aaahs’ from our fellow passengers reminded us of a firework display when the whales were encountered. The passengers were delighted by the orcas and we have never seen a happier group of people after an excursion. We stayed over an hour with this pod of orcas but reluctantly the experience had to end and we returned back to Victoria.
“That was an amazing experience” said Rolf. “A definite ‘wow factor’ ” agreed Billy. “I got wet, but it was well worth it” said a laughing Dolly.
In conclusion the holiday gang would say that it is well worth going on a whale watching ‘marine safari’ if you stay in Victoria, Canada. The Captain pointed out that each trip is different and sometimes they can’t locate the whales. They make every effort to make your trip special and they often locate porpoises, seals and bald eagles when searching for the shales. Billy says “If you see the orcas it will give you a fantastic lifetime memory to treasure”.