whale watching

Eagle Wing Tours highlights this year on the Salish Sea with four Top 5 galleries from its team of photographers. (Sierra Hamilton photo courtesy Eagle Wing Tours)

Victoria whale watching teams shares series of 5 favourite shots on the Salish Sea

Photographers describe in their own words, why each image shows a special moment

 

A Nazca booby rests on driftwood approximately four nautical miles south from the Trial Islands Ecological Reserve on July 24. Whale watcher Tasli Shaw sighted the bird, which only breeds as far north as southern California, for the first time on record in the Victoria Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary the day before. (Photo by Matt Stolmeier)

Rare bird sighting off Oak Bay excites whale watchers, leaves birders jealous

First Nazca booby observed in Victoria Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary, 3rd in B.C.

 

CCGS Cape McKay and 24 passengers and crew aboard the MV Chinook Princess arrive safely in the Ucluelet Harbour on July 30. (Cathy Gilbert photo)

Ucluelet whale watching boat towed to shore after taking on water

The MV Chinook Princess got into trouble around Turret Island within the Broken Group Islands

 

Citizen scientists in the Gulf Islands are worried humpback whales are being stressed by too much time with whale watching vessels. (Black Press Media file photo)

Citizen science whale observers worry humpbacks being harassed

One mother whale and her calf followed for upwards of 5 hours a day recently, says volunteer group

Citizen scientists in the Gulf Islands are worried humpback whales are being stressed by too much time with whale watching vessels. (Black Press Media file photo)
Recreational boaters in Greater Victoria are encouraged to be on the lookout for whale warning flags that indicate whales are within one kilometre, as well as educate themselves on boating best practices when whales are in the vicinity. (Photo courtesy of Erin Gless)

Group looks to better protect whales from human-caused hazards

About 50 actions to prevent whales from being harmed took place in Greater Victoria waters last year

Recreational boaters in Greater Victoria are encouraged to be on the lookout for whale warning flags that indicate whales are within one kilometre, as well as educate themselves on boating best practices when whales are in the vicinity. (Photo courtesy of Erin Gless)
Bill Coltart, president of Campbell River Association of Tour Operators (CRATO), as debris the organization has collected from local shorelines and sorted is loaded onto a transport truck for recycling. Photo by Sean Feagan / Campbell River Mirror. Bill Coltart, president of Campbell River Association of Tour Operators (CRATO), as debris the organization has collected from local shorelines and then sorted is loaded onto a truck to be transported for recycling. Photo by Sean Feagan / Campbell River Mirror.

Vancouver Island shorelines scrubbed cleaner thanks to tour operator-led project

Campbell River Association of Tour Operators lead removal of 37 tonnes of debris over 350 kilometres

Bill Coltart, president of Campbell River Association of Tour Operators (CRATO), as debris the organization has collected from local shorelines and sorted is loaded onto a transport truck for recycling. Photo by Sean Feagan / Campbell River Mirror. Bill Coltart, president of Campbell River Association of Tour Operators (CRATO), as debris the organization has collected from local shorelines and then sorted is loaded onto a truck to be transported for recycling. Photo by Sean Feagan / Campbell River Mirror.
A humpback spotted just off Cortes Island breaches. This humpback breached several times, as it played by itself for nearly half an hour. Photo by Terry Farrell

PHOTOS: Humpbacks put on a show for visitors to Vancouver Island

Whale watching tour leaves participants in awe

A humpback spotted just off Cortes Island breaches. This humpback breached several times, as it played by itself for nearly half an hour. Photo by Terry Farrell
Two orca pods were spotted in both Sooke harbour and basin Wednesday (Contributed: Paul Pudwell - Sooke Whale Watching)

Two orca pods spotted in Sooke harbour in one day

Visit by transient killer whales ‘one of the largest displays’ in recent memory

Two orca pods were spotted in both Sooke harbour and basin Wednesday (Contributed: Paul Pudwell - Sooke Whale Watching)
Pop Tart, the youngest calf of the humpback whale known by local ecotourism companies as Big Mama, feeds at the surface. The whale was one of three siblings spotted close together recently by a whale watching company, a rare occurrence for humpbacks, experts say. (Photo by April Ryan/Maya’s Legacy/Pacific Whale Watching Association)

Rare whale siblings gathering in Salish Sea has researchers excited

Scenario a rarity for humpbacks, experts say, more research needed about how whales interact

Pop Tart, the youngest calf of the humpback whale known by local ecotourism companies as Big Mama, feeds at the surface. The whale was one of three siblings spotted close together recently by a whale watching company, a rare occurrence for humpbacks, experts say. (Photo by April Ryan/Maya’s Legacy/Pacific Whale Watching Association)
Owner Paul Pudwell caught a sight of Tl’uk, the rare white killer whale off Sooke waters in the Juan de Fuca Strait on Tuesday, Aug. 26. (Facebook/Sooke Coastal Explorations)

Rare white orca spotted near Sooke two weeks after hunting in Alaska

Tl’uk, whose Coast Salish name means Moon, is back in B.C. waters

Owner Paul Pudwell caught a sight of Tl’uk, the rare white killer whale off Sooke waters in the Juan de Fuca Strait on Tuesday, Aug. 26. (Facebook/Sooke Coastal Explorations)
Ucluelet’s Hello Nature Adventure Tours owner Kevin Bradshaw tests the plexiglass shield at the kayak launch. (Nora O’Malley photo)

Marine activities open with COVID-19 measures

“I’m just happy to get back on the water.”

Ucluelet’s Hello Nature Adventure Tours owner Kevin Bradshaw tests the plexiglass shield at the kayak launch. (Nora O’Malley photo)
In a video captured by local whale watching tour operators in Campbell River, humpback whales were seen playing near their boat. (Photo/Eagle Eye Adventures)

VIDEO: Humpback whales put on quite a show

The ‘playful’ pod lingered by a Campbell River tour operator’s boat for quite some time

In a video captured by local whale watching tour operators in Campbell River, humpback whales were seen playing near their boat. (Photo/Eagle Eye Adventures)
Photo Credit: Gunter Kihpard / Area28.de

WATCH: Drone footage of humpbacks, orcas, and Vancouver Island’s wild Pacific Rim

German tourist captures beauty of Canada’s West Coast.

Photo Credit: Gunter Kihpard / Area28.de
A sister ship to Prince of Whales’ catamaran Salish Sea Dream has been ordered by the company, in response to increased demand and a banner 2017 tourist season in Victoria and Vancouver. Photo courtesy Tourism Victoria

Optimistic Victoria whale watching company invests in new vessel

Banner 2017 tourist season helps Prince of Whales decide to boost service

A sister ship to Prince of Whales’ catamaran Salish Sea Dream has been ordered by the company, in response to increased demand and a banner 2017 tourist season in Victoria and Vancouver. Photo courtesy Tourism Victoria
A breaching humpback whale was involved in an incident with a whale-watching vessel from Victoria on Monday afternoon near Race Rocks. Two passengers were injured when the whale surfaced in front of the boat. PIXabay images

Video: Tour boat strikes humpback whale near Victoria

Two people were taken to hospital after a collision involving a Prince of Whales zodiac near Race Rocks Ecological Reserve.

A breaching humpback whale was involved in an incident with a whale-watching vessel from Victoria on Monday afternoon near Race Rocks. Two passengers were injured when the whale surfaced in front of the boat. PIXabay images