June 22, 2011

It was a warm morning indeed as we left Victoria Harbour. The weather was coming in from the west so we cruised east and north through the Gulf Islands, where it was sunny and calm. We had a bit of a journey ahead of us; the whales were swimming north along South Pender Island. When we caught up with them they were happy to identify the J-Pod, more specifically a smaller subgroup consisting of 3 females, a calf, and a male. They were pretty mellow initially, but then they passed a little point on Pender Island and the tide must have felt just right. First there was one spyhop, then two whales spyhopping one after another, then several more plus tail slaps and an enthusiastic breach. Before we knew it the whales were acting like nothing had happened, once again cruising serenely along. It seemed as if they had rehearsed a little display, just for us. What a treat!