Whale watching is amazing! I can’t believe I have lived in the Pacific Northwest nearly all my life and I have never done it before. If you have even the slightest inkling to do it, go now!
There are three resident pods of Orca whales living in the San Juan Islands, so it’s not too much of a risk to spend the money and take the time to go on a watch. The outfit Jay and I went with — Eagle Wing Whale Watching Tours in Victoria, B.C. — is so confident that its passengers will see whales that it offers a full guarantee during peak season, which is from May 15 to October 31.
Located at Fisherman’s Wharf in Victoria, Eagle Wing is Canada’s first carbon neutral eco whale watching company. Its boats are designed so all the noise is above water and when running at full throttle the sound underwater is no louder than a heavy rain. Not only that, our boat was captained by a marine biologist who has studied the whales and knew pretty much everything about them. The men leading our expedition even knew the names of the individual whales in J Pod that we saw. Eagle Wing provides everything passengers need to be comfortable on the watch, including a coat and pants to stay warm and dry, blankets, sunglasses, sunscreen, hats, a toilet onboard, and binoculars. Our co-captains were great guys who were funny and interesting to listen to.
There are strict regulations regarding whale watching and a four year research project revealed that the whales stress levels actually went down while being watched. The researchers can’t explain that, but it does make watchers feel better about it. The Orcas go about their daily lives, and it feels like such a privilege to see them. They came around the boat at times and rose up to watch us too! The education I received during the 3.5-hour expedition greatly added to my experience and appreciation of the whales and other sea life we saw.
In addition to seeing whales off of San Juan Island, we went to Race Rock (shown above) and saw four kinds of seals as well as seagulls and a bald eagle there. It is an extra part of the excursion that Eagle Wing includes.
Back at Fisherman’s Wharf (below) we were entertained by seals who came right up to people feeding them purchased fish from the dock. The atmosphere at the wharf is lively and festive. There are lots of fish and chips places, as well as a few other restaurants, some tourist shops and educational booths along with houseboats and a marina. Jay and I ate fish and chips from The Fish Store, which is North America’s only Oceanwise restaurant and seafood preparer, meaning the fish is super fresh and tasty.
After our whale watching trip and lunch we walked about a mile back to the Inner Harbor for more adventures. It was truly a thrilling day!
All photos by Elizabeth Griffin.
Our whale watching excursion was courtesy of Eagle Wing.