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Whale
Watching
Whale Watching off the coast of Victoria, BC
©
Outdoor Adventure Canada
From
April to early October, Orcas, also known as Killer Whales, follow
the salmon migration along the southern shore of British Columbia's
Vancouver Island. If you go to Victoria without enjoying the adventure
of a whale watch, you will have missed the boat on a memorable
experience and excellent photographic opportunity.
Whale watching
tour boats vary in size. The two main types are an open boat and
a cabin cruiser. The cabin cruiser accommodates forty people,
has an aluminum hull design and is rigged for comfort, complete
with an elevated viewing platform and washrooms. Some of the cabin
cruisers can be chartered privately for a night of karaoke, including
a bar and catered food. Despite their luxurious appointments,
these vessels by no means dilly-dally. They can move at speeds
of 40-50 mph. Open boats generally hold 12 people and the most
common design is an inflatable vessel or zodiac.
A hydrophone
monitors under water whale movement and listens for the whale
voices. If the Orcas are around the hydrophone will pick up their
sounds. Orcas are members of the dolphin family so they breach,
dive and standup on end during feeding. At the whale site the
vessel will come to an abrupt halt.
The captain
and crew of whale watching tour boats are well trained professionals
with a great deal of experience that ensures a fun, informative
and safe tour. There is usually a naturalist in each crew to tell
you about the whales and answer any questions. The average tour
length is 3 hours and usually costs about $80 Canadian per person.
In closing
I would like to quote Dr. James Darling from With the Whales...
"No living animals have captured our imaginations as have
the great whales... They fire our imaginations and stab at our
emotions. They inspire our art, literature, and music. And so
they should. The indescribable blend of grace, power, and beauty
of a whale as it glides underwater, leaps toward the sky, or simply
lifts its flukes and slides into the sea symbolizes a vanishing
poetry of the wild."
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