We traveled 60 miles round trip today, and boy was it worth it!
We found 2 Humpback Whales outside of Victoria, British Columbia near Race Rocks (48°18.14N, 123°30.73W). The whales would surface four or five times, their powerful exhales vaporizing the water over their blowholes into a 10ft high mist, and then dive raising their tail flukes out of the water. Fortunately their deeper dives lasted only 4-5 minutes so we had several opportunities to view these majestic beasties.
What many people donât realize is that Humpback Whales were the most numerous of the whales in this area in the early 1900âs. By the 1950âs the population was decimated primarily due to commercial whaling. Now for the good news, since the late 1980âs Humpback Whale numbers have been slowly increasing as the whales are rediscovering the area.
So, this sighting was a rare treat and we were one of the few vessels from the San Juan Islands to see whales today.Â
Hooray for the Humpback Whale!
Naturalist Amy, San Juan Safaris Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours