Hello Dears,
We were actually woken up by the alarm at 6:45 am – very unusual for us 😅. Since it was still so early, we decided to have breakfast at Tim Hortons instead. Well-fueled, we then headed to Campbell River Whale Watch and Adventure Tours. Marcel had booked a combined kayaking and whale watching tour.
To our pleasant surprise, there was only one other couple with us – Sue and Jeff from Australia. This made the whole thing almost like a private trip. After a short safety briefing, our boat departed, and Steve, our captain, brought us into the calm Thurston Bay, where the kayaks were launched. Laura, our self-taught biologist, accompanied us and first provided us with an oatmeal-honey-maple-syrup snack and a bottle of water.
In the bay, there was a brief safety introduction, and then we paddled off. Laura told us a lot about the coastal ecosystem: about kelp, jellyfish, crabs, and sea stars. She even briefly took one starfish out of the water so that we could all touch it – emphasizing that she only does this if the animal is not clinging on, and the likelihood of this exact starfish ever ending up in human hands again is extremely small. It truly felt like a privilege.
As a little highlight, after a bend we encountered a group of harbor seals. Apparently disturbed in their nap, they slid one after the other into the water – but with a kind of curious calmness that made us smile. Joining us was a belted kingfisher that accompanied us for more than half an hour. After about 2.5 hours, we returned to the boat – getting in and out of the kayaks was an adventure in itself, especially for Marcel with his long legs, but in the end, we all managed successfully.
This outing alone was already a dream: the quiet, untouched bay, the forested slopes, the potential bear beach. But the best was yet to come! On board, a delicious lunch awaited us: wraps, cookies, dried mango (absolutely fantastic!), and hot coffee.
Once the kayaks were safely stored again, Steve asked with a broad grin: “Are you ready to see whales?” I had previously told him about our tour in Victoria, to which he replied: “Well, then let’s top that here!”
Not five minutes later, Orcas appeared – the Northern Residents, specifically the A25 matriline. Among them was the female Cordeo and her uncle Surge, an impressive bull. We kept a respectful distance but could observe how they hunted effortlessly in the strong currents. Surge then separated from the group, crossed in front of our boat, and surfaced only 20 meters away. That deep, powerful exhale and inhale right beside us is something I will never forget 🥹.
But the day had even more in store: four humpback whales surfaced, accompanied by Pacific white-sided dolphins and harbor porpoises. A spectacle like no other – we didn’t even know where to look first. After the humpbacks dove for a longer dive, we continued into Frederick Arm. There we found about 20 Pacific white-sided dolphins shooting around our boat at breathtaking speed – so fast and agile that we could hardly keep up with our eyes.
And Steve still had one promise to fulfill: I had wished to see bald eagles. In Big Bay, between three small islands, we found them – more than 20 perched majestically in the trees, while in the water, Steller sea lions and seals were hunting. A sight that left me speechless.
To finish, Steve asked if we were seaworthy. He explained that he would take the big waves carefully, but that we would still get shaken up quite a bit. We agreed – and got half an hour of full wave action. Since we were sitting up on the roof, we got thoroughly soaked, while the others hid below deck. At one point, Marcel actually asked if such a boat could break apart in the waves. Steve just laughed and said: “Don’t worry, with these waves nothing’s going to happen.” Still, we were very relieved when we finally entered the calm harbor again.
In the evening, we rounded off the day with a visit to the floating restaurant at our RV park – fresh seafood at its finest. Afterwards, we fell into bed completely exhausted, but happy.
Many greatings
KaroCel
PS:
You can find all the photos in the German version of this post.
https://karosquasselecke.de/abenteuer-auf-dem-wasser-ein-unvergesslicher-tag/