This afternoon we boarded the Orca Spirit and left the harbour with a sunny sky above, and calm waters below. We had only been traveling for about 10 minutes when we spotted Transient Orcas in the distance! They were a small group made up of three females and one large male. Transient Orcas differ from the Southern Resident Orcas because they only eat mammals such as seals, sea lions, and porpoises.

Transient Orcas travel in small groups, the optimal number being three. They are very quiet, and tend to sneak up on their prey without being noticed. Today the transients were on the move for quite a while before suddenly stopping to hunt. They moved in a zig-zag pattern, working together to catch whatever they were chasing just out of our sight underwater.

We believe the female orcas we saw today belonged to the T18 matriline, and the male orca was T19b. We watched the transients hunt for a while before heading west to try our luck at Race Rocks. As we reached the old lighthouse we found Harbour Seals, Stellar Sea Lions, California Sea Lions, and Elephant Seals sun bathing on the rocks and swimming in the bull kelp floating on the water. After watching and listening to our loud flippered friends, we headed back towards the harbour taking in the beautiful view of the Victoria shoreline and enjoying the sun.