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Victoria | Vancouver | Seattle
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Tag Archives: ocean magic

Ocean Magic Wildlife Adventure June 17 3:30

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As the tug boat with its load left the harbour, and the cruise ships headed into Victoria, the 3.30pm Ocean Magic 2 vessel turned east on route to find the Transient killer whales that had been seen on an earlier trip. We were traveling north up Haro Strait when word came in that many Orca were heading in from the west. Capt Gord, and crew members Mika, and Dan turned the boat around and we headed south to try to find the Southern Residents. We came across them, porpoising and traveling fast on the incoming tide. Whitecaps were beginning to form with the strong westerly wind which made for a thrilling ride while watching these magnificent whales plying the waves. Members of all three pods, J, K , L were identified as they swam by. Two of the oldest females in J Pod were seen, J 2, Granny, and J 8 Spieden as well as other members of K Pod, Raggedy, K 40, and K 21 Cappuccino. There is nothing so exciting as seeing these charismatic marine mammals all heading our way in what we call a Superpod! What a special trip this afternoon provided for our guests and we even had glimpses of a Harbour Porpoise. A fantastic trip with Prince of Whales once again. Marie, Orca-Magic. Most of the images on the blog are shot with a 400 mm telephoto lens. Because of our restrictions around wildlife (100+ meters), we use powerful lenses to better share orca activity that passengers see on their trips. Keep in mind this also heavily compresses space between objects. We also crop images for best blog viewing.

Ocean Magic Wildlife Adventure June 17 12:15

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It was a beautiful afternoon shaping up for the 12.15pm Ocean Magic 2 vessel as we left the harbour with Capt. Gord in the wheelhouse. Biologist Mika, and Naturalists Dan and Brandon gave an expert presentation of our safety procedures and discussed the possible wildlife to be found in these nutrient rich waters. There were many sail boats, with sails flying high, participating in the Vanisle 360 race. We turned east and then north up Haro Strait to find the 5 Transient Killer whales reported just off Sidney. On the way we saw a Bald Eagle take down a gull. We did find the apex hunters, 5 whales, the T10′s and T26′s close to the township of Sidney . They appeared to be in traveling mode. These killer whales are the marine mammal hunters, preferring seals, sea lions, porpoise and dolphins and even small whales. Our guests on board were thrilled with this encounter and were all smiles when we disembarked at the dock in Victoria. Another great trip with Prince of Whales! Marie, Orca-Magic Most of the images on the blog are shot with a 400 mm telephoto lens. Because of our restrictions around wildlife (100+ meters), we use powerful lenses to better share orca activity that passengers see on their trips. Keep in mind this also heavily compresses space between objects. We also crop images for best blog viewing.

Ocean Magic Wildlife Adventure May 29

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Capt. Scott took the Ocean Magic from Victoria picturesque inner harbour out past the breakwater at Ogden Point and headed us west. We went past Race Rocks Ecological Reserve and along the west side of Vancouver Island. We reached Beecher Bay, here we caught up with T20 and T21. These Transient Killer Whales were deep in the bay, working the rugged shore line for their favorite food, Harbour Seals. With a large group of gulls following their every move it was soon apparent that they were feeding. Our Capt. Scott held the Ocean magic in the strong winds and kept us in perfect position to view these Orca. We then took a tour of the coast line, stopping to view Bald Eagles, Eagles nests and a trip through Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. Here we saw Seal Lions, Seals, Cormorants, Oyster Catchers and Race Rocks Light House. Once again our passengers were all smiles as we docked back in Victoria’s Inner Harbour! Clint “Orcawizard”

Ocean Magic Wildlife Adventure May 27

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It doesn’t matter which way we travel, we will always find some of the great west coast wildlife that frequents this area. The 12.15pm Ocean Magic with Capt Gord and his crew of Naturalists, Liz and Dan on board, headed the vessel south and east where we were able to enjoy the scenery. Calm waters and a sky full of billowy clouds set the tone for this trip. The Tall Ships of the S.A.L.T organization, the ‘Pacific Grace’ and ‘ Pacific Swift ‘ were out with their sails aloft. Sea birds and gulls gathered over bait balls near Trail Island and at Hein Bank we found an elusive Minke Whale that did what Minke whales do best, disappear after two to three breaths at the surface and then change directions. We watched this animal for a while and then went to Whale Rock to observe sea lions and Harbour seals. Two intrepid kayakers were enjoying the turbulent waters near the rocks. It was another great wildlife trip with ‘Prince of whales ‘. Marie ‘Orca-Magic’

Ocean Magic Wildlife Adventure May 13

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It was a picture perfect afternoon as Capt. Gord of the 12.15pm Ocean Magic vessel, headed our boat full of guests out of the harbour and toward a south east direction toward Hein Bank. It was here that reports of Transient killer whales were to be found. Transient ‘Orca ‘ are true apex hunters, feeding on marine mammals. On our way to find these fascinating animals we passed the ‘Pacific Swift’ a Tall Ship of the S.A.L.T. organization as well as a pair of Tufted Puffins in their spectacular breeding plumage. The lack of wind made for calm water with stunning views of the Olympic Mountains and Mt. Baker in Washington State. We found the Transient Orca traveling slowly south west. We observed two big male Orca with their large dorsal fins, as they came to the surface.They were members of the T 75 family group. The research vessel from the ‘Centre for Whale Research’ on San Juan Island was out this afternoon, indentifying the whales. Following our views of the Orca we headed west to visit Race Rocks Ecological Reserve where we saw many Steller and California Sea Lions. Harbour and Elephant seals were also evident. Five different age Bald Eagles in various plumages were seen on a single rock. The ‘ MIGHTY ‘ cruise ship season has begun with an attractive vessel securely moored as we entered the harbour on our return to Victoria. It was another thrilling Wildlife adventure once again with Prince of Whales. Marie, Orca-Magic.