August 21, 2011

This afternoon we set out West towards Race Rocks on the Orca Spirit in search of our black and white friends! We had a great group of people from a wide variety of places around the world which made the trip really fun and interesting. As we made our way away from Victoria, the seas became a little bumpy, but we were determined to find the orca. And sure enough, a few miles past Race Rocks, we spotted the first dorsal fins of the trip! It was J-pod and a few members of K-pod making their way back in from out west. A few of the whales seemed excited about something as they were slapping their tales on the water and doing a few back flops and somersaults. At one point we saw Granny (J-2), who turned 100 years old this year, displaying a behaviour called kelping, where the whales go through kelp beds and pull it around by their dorsal fins! As all resident orca pods are led by the eldest female members of the group, Granny must have then decided it was time for a bit of a nap. We saw the whales line up side by side with each other so that they could rest while still casually moving.
After spending some wonderful quality time with our orca friends, we made a stop at Race Rocks. This area is known for its fast moving currents which stirs up nutrients and makes for a great hang out spot for many different types of creatures. Today we saw a great number of muscular stellar sea lions crowding the rocks on one side and a bunch of cute little harbour seals resting on the rocks on the other side.
It was a lovely trip back home, the seas had calmed and many were excited about their sightings!