Att döma av namnet och det faktum att den färgade reklambladet har ett stort fotografi av en Orca som hoppar ut ur havet jag förväntade mig stora utsikter. Ombordstigning är lätt eftersom kontoret ligger nära Fisherman's Wharf. Vi var i täckt båt med många andra men det finns gott om utrymme och möjlighet att gå ut på sternen för att se valarna. Kaffe och smårätter finns tillgängliga och personalen är hjälpsam och vänlig. Vi spenderade dock timmar till sjöss i synnerhet på delar av knölhvalar på avstånd utan fullstarka observationer och främst vattentuddar från de slag som är svåra att upptäcka. Det fanns också observationer av många sjölejon på en sten. Det fanns inga Orcas och inget omnämnande av personalen att vi skulle vara osannolikt att se dem - som jag bekräftade senare att prata med lokalbefolkningen. Om du aldrig har sett valar kan den här turnén passa räkningen men höjer inte dina förväntningar.
Svar från arrangören · OrcaSpirit
Hello Bluebellplasnewydd,
Victoria is one of the best places in the world to view whales in the wild as we have the chance of viewing a number of different species of whales including humpback whales, resident and transient orcas, Minke, and gray whales. With that being said, whales can travel up to 100km in one day, opening up the opportunity for different sightings on every tour. Throughout the day, the whales can be found doing a number of behaviours: hunting, scavenging, traveling and mating to name a few but unfortunately these behaviours are not predictable.
Spotting humpbacks in this region is very exciting as they have made a huge return after the whaling era where they were only down to about 2,000 in the whole Northeastern Pacific. These gentle giants come to our waters to feed on small forage fish, like krill, in the warm summer months before they go to warmer waters in the winter where they can lose up to a third of their body weight.
During your tour, your captain was communicating with the other vessels on the water and taking into consideration where the whales had been spotted earlier that day, the direction of their travel, the status of potential whales and wildlife entering the area and coming within range for us to be able to view. If killer whales had been within range, your captain would have shared this experience with you. Captains, crew, and land-based staff constantly monitor and communicate on this network and are always up to date and well informed with this information during our tours.
We are very lucky to have staff that are so passionate about the wildlife and have spent their lives learning about this area and the wildlife that keep it exciting. We hope that you will join us again during your next stay in Victoria and that the killer whales will be a little bit less elusive.
If you are looking for photos from the same day as your tour, naturalists on board our covered vessels post photos on our Flickr page which capture the whale watching adventure, and allow you to share that with friends and family.
If you would to discuss your tour further, please do not hesitate to contact me at whales@orcaspirit.com.
Kind regards,
Laura
Sales Manager