A memorable morning with Killer Whales - September 12th 2011

On the morning of September 12th Andy and I made the short 10 minute drive to Alder Bay Campground where we would commence the first of two Whale watching trips to hopefully view Killer Whales (Orcas) and other whale species such as Humpback Whales in the famed Johnstone Strait. 

Our vessel for today was the S.V Tuan, a lovely 40 foot sailboat that accommodated just 12 passengers. As soon as the boat arrived we received a warm welcome by our hosts and were kitted with warm and waterproof apparel. At this point we thought the extra kit would be superfluous to our needs given that we had warm windproof jackets already, but later in the trip were glad of the extra layers! With safety briefings done we were well on our way with 8 other people, all of us very eager to see an Orca in the wild. 

It was foggy and very cold this morning with visibility less than 100 metres, this did not bode well for finding whales out in the open straits. Our concerns over the weather were soon diverted when thirty minutes into the trip an aroma of fresh baking whiffed from below deck, not a smell you expect to come across out on the open sea! Fortunately we were not having a hallucination of the senses as our host then appeared with cups of tea, coffee and hot chocolate, followed by home baked muffins that had been cooking in the oven below deck. Now we had not expected that!

Fortunately the weather began to lift, almost in sync with how our moods lifted by the welcome relief of hot drinks and home baking. Just like the day we had arrived at Hidden Cove the lifting fog then revealed the beauty of Johnstone Strait, dotted with large and small tree covered islands and a beautiful blue sky. Now it was time to don the binoculars and focus on finding some Orcas. Fortunately the S.V Tuan was in touch with the two other Whale watching companies that operated in this area so information as to the location of the Orcas would be freely shared even if we did not come across them first.

We passed Stellar Sea Lions and Harbour Seals all frolicking in the water and on nearby rocks. It was just as we passed the Orca research station that we had the call that we all wanted to hear. Orcas had been spotted! They were several miles away, near Robson Bay Ecological Reserve. As we were in a sail boat it would still take a little time to reach them, although at this point we were powered by the motor and not by the wind. 

Twenty minutes or so later we had our first glimpse of the Orcas, we could just make out a kilometre or so ahead the water spouts coming from the Orcas blowhole. First there was one, then two, then three different water spouts. So we had not just one Orca but several, this was getting even better! 

We finally approached the Orcas and it was then we saw the iconic black and white colouring of the whales, wow, these were real Killer Whales in the wild!! There were many of them, all different sizes. They cruised gently just below the surface, coming up for air at regular intervals, but just teasing us with just a small fraction of their bodies. Our hosts knew all the Whales in the area intimately and had sailed this area for 25 years. They advised that the pod we were watching was a group of 11 Resident Orcas, called the ‘A30’ group. Each Whale had its own unique identity from the shape of its dorsal fin and they proceeded to give us a fascinating insight into the history and family structure of this pod. 

An interesting point to note is that ‘resident’ Orcas differ from ‘transient’ Orcas both visually and behaviorally. The resident ones being the Salmon feeders, with a different colour and shaped ‘saddle patch’ who interact with other resident pods. The transient Orcas, seen less often are far more predatory and feed upon dolphins and seals etc in the area. 

The wind then gained momentum and it was time to cut the engine and hoist up the sail. We were going to sail along with the Orcas as long as the wind would allow. With the Orcas around 100-150 metres from our vessel we followed them silently, listening to them echolocate through the ships hydrophonic system. This was fascinating beyond belief and we felt so privileged to be in their company. It truly was a magical moment as the Orcas glided below the surface, occasionally appearing and then meeting up with other members of the pods, with one or two of the Orcas ‘spy hopping’ in the distance (Briefly raising their heads above the water). We both wanted this moment to last but at some point we had to accept that our time to leave the Orcas would come and soon enough it did. We must have spent over 45 minutes with them, more than we could have hoped for. One thing was for sure this was an experience we wanted to repeat again and again!!! 

As we sailed away and made our way back to Alder Bay we had the grand finale, a pod of Pacific White-Sided Dolphins. They moved across the Strait with incredible speed, performing acrobatics along the way. We soon gave up trying to get a photograph these guys, they were just way to fast for us! It was a really fantastic end to what had a been a great morning. Knowledgable and passionate hosts, amazing Orcas and certainly a lovely way to Whale watch on board a the S V Tuan.

 S.V Tuan

Orca (Killer Whale)