Whale Watching in Vancouver

First off for those of you who regularly read our blog sorry for lack of content over the past month! September flew by just like the rest of the summer and we all can’t believe we are now 1 week away from the end of our season October has brought cooler weather and shorter days but we are still enjoying the beautiful fall colors that lighten up the grey skies! Just like every year, changes on land indicate even better changes on the water. The Steller sea lions have returned to the Belle Chain’s, growling and showing off in hilarious displays of aggression and curiosity of our boats. These interactions have been some of the highlights this month for us as well as our customers.

The Orcas have been doing their typical San Juan Island shuffle and have been seen frequently out near Race Rocks. We even had the delight of finding J’s in Trincomali Channel last week (Galiano Island) initially thinking they were Transients!! It won’t be long now till the killer whales travel south into Pudget Sound to feast on Chum Salmon for parts of the winter.

'Big boy' L-87 Onyx, shows off with a GIANT breach near Race Rocks

The return of several humpbacks have also been the highlight for many of us this month and we hope to continue seeing ‘flukes’ next spring when they return to Alaska for the summer. On special days when all three of these amazing marine mammals have been spotted, along with Dall’s Porpoise, Harbor seals and Eagles, we feel incredible blessed to live and share these beautiful waterways! Thanks to everyone who enjoyed a trip with us this season and we hope to see all of you next summer! Until then, stay warm and dream of whales….you know we will be

Any questions regarding bookings for next summer, please send an email to info@seabreezeadventures.ca

Till next season! -Claire

What a big surprise today! J pod with the K7s and L87 came south through Trincomali Channel today (very rare location for resident whales) at approximately 13:00. They were in a very relaxed and social mood, displaying a range of behavior from spyhopping (three at once!), breaching, porpoising, logging, sharking, cartwheeling, “blowing raspberries”, and even some mating/sexual play going on. At one point, the J4s, J7s, most of the J9s, and K7s came together in what I can only call an “orca soup” or orca dog pile, as they stopped swimming and simply rolled over each other, all the while vocalizing which could be heard above the water. Speaking of which, the hydrophones revealed VERY chatty whales! LOTS of amazing and near constant vocalizing. Incredible day, I will never forget it.~ Tasli Shaw

K25 Scoter when he surprised everyone on board, busting to the surface off the port side.

On Monday September 5th we will be switching to our fall schedule of 1 sailing which will depart everyday at 11am for the rest of the season. We are sad to say goodbye to summer but with such an amazing season so far we have nothing to complain about Residents are back in the area and the long-term forecast has sun, sun and more sun!

Book a whale watching trip this month and mention you read our blog post for 15% off the cost of your trip!

Reservations are recommended to ensure space on the boat! Call the office anytime for information on our tours and bookings! 604-272-7200 or toll free in North America 1-888-272-7203

T20 and Crazy Legs

T19B chases down an unlucky harbor porpoise

We wanted to share one of our many amazing photos from this month! Taken by our naturalist Selena, this photo is of transient T19B in hot pursuit of a Harbor porpoise. Transients are marine mammal eating killer whales, in our area they mostly forage on seals, sea lions, and porpoises. Although at times it is difficult for our customers to watch these attacks, we have to remember that this is nature ‘at its best’ and we have to respect the intelligence, speed and remarkable power that is required to chase and kill most marine mammals.  Transients never stay long in the area and travel in small groups to avoid being spotted by their prey. As our fall season starts we hope to continue viewing transients in our waters and maybe if we are lucky a little more action like this!

We wanted to share a few nice thank you’s we’ve received from our guests in the past couple months! Always great to receive some praise and know that our customers really enjoyed their whale watching experience! Thanks to Matt, Gloria and the Forbes family for their kind words!

We all just wanted to thank everyone we dealt with at Seabreeze yesterday for such a great day. What wonderful staff you have. Both the girl on the phone who booked our trip in the morning and also the girl in the office (Could have been the same person not sure) were very helpful. In particular could you pass on our thanks to Tasli our tour guide that day. What a wonderful young lady and a great ambassador for both your company and the killer whale. We will certainly be booking another trip in the future.

Thank you once again for a great day, Matt Collingwood

My husband and I celebrated our birthdays  whale watching with Seabreeze Adventures July 2008, we didn’t see whales that day, but enjoyed the dolphins and the wonderful boat ride.  I returned by myself in August (Seabreeze gives you a free pass if you do not see whales on your trip) and saw the most magnificent whale show. You could not ask for better tour guides or crew. I have a video of the whales breaching, blowing water and performing like stars in the wide open ocean. I am returning this year, with my daughter and husband to celebrate our July birthdays. 

Thanks Seabreeze for a great memory, fun, and service.  Gloria Nourse.

I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you for an amazing experience!From the very first email explaining our situation with our baby and me expecting again you have been so wonderful and considerate. You provided us with an extraordinary day filled with marine life, calm waters, and blue sky, not to mention the wonderful show the whales put on for us! You were all so accommodating and I truly appreciate that, Thank you!

If we ever get back to BC we’ll be booking in for another tour. Again thank you for making a dream of mine come true! Brad, Amy, Jack and ‘Bump’

A very excited group of customers hopped aboard the “Triple 8″ whale watch vessel for our 2pm sailing. The sun was out in full force, and reports of killer whales coming north through Active Pass crackled on the radio. No wonder everyone was so keen to get out on the water! Off we went to meet the killer whales, but before we got there, we saw the massive Chilean sailing ship, Esmeralda. She can carry nearly 400 people and was in the Straight of Georgia on route to Vancouver for themaritime festival. And that wasn’t the only pre-orca treat the day had in store, a humpback whale was spotted just outside of Active Pass! We took the opportunity to watch it for a few minutes before it went on a long dive and out of sight. Then it was off to see the orcas! And did they ever give us an amazing show. All of J and K pod were together, traveling in close groups, socializing and breaching all the way up Active Pass and into the Straight of Georgia. There were plenty of spyhops (where the orca will poke its head out of the water to look around), tail slaps, and even some mating. This was one happy groups of orcas, and it was a delight to be in their company on such an occasion. Definitely one of the best days on the water this season!

Tasli Shaw, Naturalist and Photographer

J's and K's coming through Active Pass

J Pod breach

The Esmeralda

 

A very warm afternoon greeted the guests on our afternoon trip July 31and better still, the whales were on their way towards Steveston, making for a short but sweet trip out on the water. We were all delighted to watch members of K pod foraging for salmon, giving chase right at the surface, making for a thrilling view of their hunting techniques. The orcas were real show offs today! The grand finale being K21 “Cappuccino” breaching with a giant Chinook salmon clamped between his teeth! We even got a little peek at the newest addition to the southern resident community of orcas, K44, who is just 3 weeks old! He is still very small and sticks very close to mom, but we were lucky enough to see him trying to play in the waves a little bit next to his mom. What a day!-Tasli Shaw, Naturalist

K21 'Cappuccino' surfaces in Boundry

Greetings from a chilly Steveston this morning! Just like most days in July, we are hoping the sun makes an appearance this afternoon! As we head into our last month of summer holidays for most families (sniff sniff), we thought why not celebrate your last remaining days of vacation with a whale watching special! This month we would like to encourage more time spent with family and friends, book 4 people for a whale watching trip and 3 will pay and 1 will go for free*!!  All through the month of August when you call or make a booking online, mention you have seen our blog special and you will receive this group discount!  Take your kids out for an unforgettable opportunity to see whales in the wild or invite some friends out for a scenic trip to see the Gulf Islands and many of our local marine mammals!

Call the office anytime with inquires about our tours! 604-272-7200

* The free individual will be determined by the age category of the group members.

Happy Summer Everyone!

The morning trip took off into Straight of Georgia with lots of “liquid sunshine” (rain) and fog to greet us. The fog was like a blanket, but the water was as smooth as a mirror, making for an ethereal journey south to find the whales. After wandering the islands for a while taking in the scenery, patience and persistence paid off when the whales suddenly appeared out of the fog. Members of J and K pods greeted us, their sleek black dorsal fins swirling the fog around them. After following along for a few minutes, the whales seemed to guide us out of the fog and into a clear patch of sun, because the shroud finally lifted and we were granted an unimpeded view of the orcas. Our guests were thrilled to watch the oldest whale in the southern resident population, G2 “Granny” (turning 100 years old this summer!), swimming with the youngest whale, K44 (born just a week and a half ago), and the baby’s mother K27 “Deadhead”. The whales were very active, with lots of breaching and frolicking in the gorgeous calm water.

A fantastic day with the whales!- Tasli Shaw, Naturalist

J19 Shachi and a breaching friend

J2 Granny, J16 Slick, J17 Princess Angeline, J19 Shachi and K20 Spoke in the fog

With a full day of sun in the forecast, this fourth of July was shaping up to be an amazing day out on the water. Our 2 o’clock sailing headed out for San Juan Island; where the whales had been spotted earlier in the day. Everyone on board was treated to calm waters and warm temperatures. We were all enjoying the cruise so much, that the whales were almost a bonus on such a lovely day! Captain Rick spotted the whales just off Salmon Bank, where a group of 15 or so were spread out and foraging for their favorite food … chinook salmon! Our guests were eager to snap photos K13 “Skagit” and her daughter K27 “Deadhead” (named in honor Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia) as they swam through the cold waters off southern San Juan Island.

Just as we were ready to head home, we were treated to a wonderful moment, courtesy of J27 “Blackberry” and his little brother J39 “Mako”. The two were seen chasing salmon right at the surface, just off the stern of the boat. There was certainly a kind of teamwork going on between Blackberry and his little brother, or perhaps, a chance for Mako to learn from his older brother, who is more skilled at catching fish. And last but certainly not least, the always curious L87 “Onyx” made a pass by the boat as we began to make our way back to Steveston. A very special day out on the water indeed!-Tasli Shaw, Naturalist