Monday, September 28, 2009
September 29, 2009
Good morning from the Float House in Discovery Harbour Marina
Yesterday there were no Whale Tours out of Campbell River but that didn't stop the Orca from creating excitment in the area. About 7:30 a.m. we had a report of T20 and T21 north Bound in Lewis Channel. While there were no Whale tours out our Grizzly group decided to see if they could find the whales on their way out but came up dry!
The Grizzlies, however, did not disappoint!
Between 6 -8 Grizzlies were seen today including this new male. (pic) He provided us with about 30 minutes of entertainment as he caught 3 fish, actually sitting on one in the water, pulling it out from behind his back, grabbing it by the head and eating it as he sat in the shallow waters of the Algard river.
I was not able to get any feedback from the fishing community yesterday so no results to report.
Sun shine and cool this morning and showers tonight. Looks as though another stretch of good weather is just around the corner so plan to be outside!
Cheers
Hurricane Jack
Campbell river Whale Watching
Good morning from the Float House in Discovery Harbour Marina
Yesterday there were no Whale Tours out of Campbell River but that didn't stop the Orca from creating excitment in the area. About 7:30 a.m. we had a report of T20 and T21 north Bound in Lewis Channel. While there were no Whale tours out our Grizzly group decided to see if they could find the whales on their way out but came up dry!
The Grizzlies, however, did not disappoint!
Between 6 -8 Grizzlies were seen today including this new male. (pic) He provided us with about 30 minutes of entertainment as he caught 3 fish, actually sitting on one in the water, pulling it out from behind his back, grabbing it by the head and eating it as he sat in the shallow waters of the Algard river.
I was not able to get any feedback from the fishing community yesterday so no results to report.
Sun shine and cool this morning and showers tonight. Looks as though another stretch of good weather is just around the corner so plan to be outside!
Cheers
Hurricane Jack
Campbell river Whale Watching
September 28, 2009
Good morning from the Float House in Discovery Harbour Marina
Yesterday morning we had Transient Orca in the kelp bed at Willow Point (T20 & T21) and about 14 other Transient Orca (T101,& 101b T2's and many others) between the south end of Quadra and Cortez Island. The mob of fun loving, spy hoping, tail flapping Orca near Cortez were the most active group. The social behavior of these mammals is usually low key but in the past week it has been "party time / love-in with lots of vocals and displays by males, both young and old. (Pic attached) With the water calm and the morning sun on the water, our guests got some amazing pictures.
The Grizzlies at the Orford River maintained their morning fishing ritual and came out for another day of "catch and eat" yesterday morning. The number of bears we are seeing each day seems to be consistent at around 8 - 10 in this lower part of the river. (about 4 km up from the estuary) Grizzly viewing is just spectacular at this time of the year! (we still see people attempting to view bears at the mouth of the river and there just aren't any, especially at high tide like it has been the few days. In fact if you are planning to go Grizzly viewing, the only quality viewing is done at the viewing stands about 4 km+ up the river)
The Chum Salmon are beginning to make their mark on the dock however we are far from the main flow. The bright days are helping this fishery and with a few nice sized Coho and late run Chinook in the mix, fishing out there is quite exciting!
Beautiful sun rise this morning with calm seas forecasted however it looks as though we'll have showers later on this afternoon and into tomorrow.
Hope you have a productive day at whatever it is you are up to!
Cheers
Hurricane Jack
Campbell River Whale Watching
Good morning from the Float House in Discovery Harbour Marina
Yesterday morning we had Transient Orca in the kelp bed at Willow Point (T20 & T21) and about 14 other Transient Orca (T101,& 101b T2's and many others) between the south end of Quadra and Cortez Island. The mob of fun loving, spy hoping, tail flapping Orca near Cortez were the most active group. The social behavior of these mammals is usually low key but in the past week it has been "party time / love-in with lots of vocals and displays by males, both young and old. (Pic attached) With the water calm and the morning sun on the water, our guests got some amazing pictures.
The Grizzlies at the Orford River maintained their morning fishing ritual and came out for another day of "catch and eat" yesterday morning. The number of bears we are seeing each day seems to be consistent at around 8 - 10 in this lower part of the river. (about 4 km up from the estuary) Grizzly viewing is just spectacular at this time of the year! (we still see people attempting to view bears at the mouth of the river and there just aren't any, especially at high tide like it has been the few days. In fact if you are planning to go Grizzly viewing, the only quality viewing is done at the viewing stands about 4 km+ up the river)
The Chum Salmon are beginning to make their mark on the dock however we are far from the main flow. The bright days are helping this fishery and with a few nice sized Coho and late run Chinook in the mix, fishing out there is quite exciting!
Beautiful sun rise this morning with calm seas forecasted however it looks as though we'll have showers later on this afternoon and into tomorrow.
Hope you have a productive day at whatever it is you are up to!
Cheers
Hurricane Jack
Campbell River Whale Watching
Sunday, September 27, 2009
September 27th, 2009
Good morning from the Float House in Discovery Harbour Marina
Yesterday was clear and warm but a bit on the blustery side. The Orca from yesterday were found in Okissolo Passage heading west about noon. These 3 Transient Orca didn't stop to feed but kept a steady speed of about 4 knots, obviously with a destination in mind.
Our Grizzly tour was again fabulous with a continous procession of Grizzlies by the viewing platforms. Attached picture of a young male with his catch of the day (Chum Salmon). it was difficult to judge just how many bear we saw as some come back to this feeding area more than once over the 3 hours we are there but probably between 6 and 9 Grizzlies yesterday. On the way home from the river we were about 30 minutes behind the Transient Orca in Okissolo but the wind and wave height made it impossible to find them in Johnstone Strait.
Fishing yesterday was disappointing as most of the boats had to hide out in small bays and inlets out of the wind and very few fish were caught.
Oh, what a difference a day makes ! Today looks warm with calm seas! Early reports of Orca at the south end of Quadra ! Perhaps our Transients are back!
Hope to see you out there!
Cheers
Jack
Hurricane Jack Adventures
Campbel River Whale Watching
Good morning from the Float House in Discovery Harbour Marina
Yesterday was clear and warm but a bit on the blustery side. The Orca from yesterday were found in Okissolo Passage heading west about noon. These 3 Transient Orca didn't stop to feed but kept a steady speed of about 4 knots, obviously with a destination in mind.
Our Grizzly tour was again fabulous with a continous procession of Grizzlies by the viewing platforms. Attached picture of a young male with his catch of the day (Chum Salmon). it was difficult to judge just how many bear we saw as some come back to this feeding area more than once over the 3 hours we are there but probably between 6 and 9 Grizzlies yesterday. On the way home from the river we were about 30 minutes behind the Transient Orca in Okissolo but the wind and wave height made it impossible to find them in Johnstone Strait.
Fishing yesterday was disappointing as most of the boats had to hide out in small bays and inlets out of the wind and very few fish were caught.
Oh, what a difference a day makes ! Today looks warm with calm seas! Early reports of Orca at the south end of Quadra ! Perhaps our Transients are back!
Hope to see you out there!
Cheers
Jack
Hurricane Jack Adventures
Campbel River Whale Watching
Saturday, September 26, 2009
September 26th, 2009
Good morning from the Float House in Discovery Harbour Marina
Yesterday we didn't do a Whale Watch, instead we left at noon with a group that wanted a shorter tour with the chance of Orca. By 2:00 p.m. we were with a group of about 150 Pacific White Sided Dolphin near Kelsey Bay. (pic attached) These energetic mammals just oozed with excitment as they foraged back and forth from Hardwick Island to the Vancouver Island shoreline. Warm afternoon sunshine and calm water made for excellent pictures.
No Black Bears for us on the way back but we heard there was a Humpback heading east a little farther up Johnstone Strait. Perhaps we will see him on our trip today!
The Grizzly Bears were fabulous again yesterday. One guest had a great video of a confrontation between 2 Grizzly sows near the base of tower # 5, (where we were) as they quarrelled over a large Chum Salmon. We stayed at tower # 5 for the entire 3 hours and saw no less than 10 different bears fishing or just checking out the area. Happy campers all around!
Fishing in the Passage was good early in the morning at Green Sea Bay with Chinook, Chum and some nice hatchery Coho taken. The afternoon was not very productive although, Absolute Fishing Charters picked up a nice Chinook and Coho at Browns Bay when everyone else was fishing Plumper!
Today I'm out on the Grizzly Tour and "Lady Hawk" has the Whale Tour. Hope to have some more pictures for you by tonight! Enjoy the sunshine this weekend as showers are here Monday!
Take care
Jack
Hurricane Jack Adventures
Campbell River Whale Watching
Good morning from the Float House in Discovery Harbour Marina
Yesterday we didn't do a Whale Watch, instead we left at noon with a group that wanted a shorter tour with the chance of Orca. By 2:00 p.m. we were with a group of about 150 Pacific White Sided Dolphin near Kelsey Bay. (pic attached) These energetic mammals just oozed with excitment as they foraged back and forth from Hardwick Island to the Vancouver Island shoreline. Warm afternoon sunshine and calm water made for excellent pictures.
No Black Bears for us on the way back but we heard there was a Humpback heading east a little farther up Johnstone Strait. Perhaps we will see him on our trip today!
The Grizzly Bears were fabulous again yesterday. One guest had a great video of a confrontation between 2 Grizzly sows near the base of tower # 5, (where we were) as they quarrelled over a large Chum Salmon. We stayed at tower # 5 for the entire 3 hours and saw no less than 10 different bears fishing or just checking out the area. Happy campers all around!
Fishing in the Passage was good early in the morning at Green Sea Bay with Chinook, Chum and some nice hatchery Coho taken. The afternoon was not very productive although, Absolute Fishing Charters picked up a nice Chinook and Coho at Browns Bay when everyone else was fishing Plumper!
Today I'm out on the Grizzly Tour and "Lady Hawk" has the Whale Tour. Hope to have some more pictures for you by tonight! Enjoy the sunshine this weekend as showers are here Monday!
Take care
Jack
Hurricane Jack Adventures
Campbell River Whale Watching
Friday, September 25, 2009
September 25, 2009
Good morning from the Float House in Discovery Harbour Marina
Yesterday it was tough for Whale Watchers from Campbell River to Port Hardy! The Transient Orca from the previous day had disappeared to the south and all the Resident Orca were so far west that even Bill from MacKay Whale Watching in Port McNeil, came south to look for Orca.
We picked up some very playful Dolphin in choppy waters off Okissolo Channel at about 11:00 am, about 20 Sea Lions resting on the rocks at Jimmy Judd and playful Dalls Porpoise in Lewis Channel but no Orca!
On the Grizzly front, it was a banner day! Grizzlies on the estuary when we arrived at the Orford River, Grizzlies waiting for us at both tower 4 and 5 when we arrived and when we left we had Grizzlies walking down the road in front of the Van! The good news is that the females are getting very large (fat) and look extremely health. We watched one female catch 2 fish in 10 minutes. While there are still no cubs in sight it appears as though these females, if pregnant will have enough reserves to take them and their offspring through the winter.
Fishing was unusually slow yesterday with only a few fish brought back to the dock. Hopefully today will see some improvement. A few Chum Salmon have arrived but the main flow is still a few weeks off. Perhaps that is where the Resident Orca are, chowing down on the Chum far to the west of Campbell River.
Enjoy the sunshine!
Cheers
Jack
Hurricane Jack Adventures
Campbell River Whale Watching
Good morning from the Float House in Discovery Harbour Marina
Yesterday it was tough for Whale Watchers from Campbell River to Port Hardy! The Transient Orca from the previous day had disappeared to the south and all the Resident Orca were so far west that even Bill from MacKay Whale Watching in Port McNeil, came south to look for Orca.
We picked up some very playful Dolphin in choppy waters off Okissolo Channel at about 11:00 am, about 20 Sea Lions resting on the rocks at Jimmy Judd and playful Dalls Porpoise in Lewis Channel but no Orca!
On the Grizzly front, it was a banner day! Grizzlies on the estuary when we arrived at the Orford River, Grizzlies waiting for us at both tower 4 and 5 when we arrived and when we left we had Grizzlies walking down the road in front of the Van! The good news is that the females are getting very large (fat) and look extremely health. We watched one female catch 2 fish in 10 minutes. While there are still no cubs in sight it appears as though these females, if pregnant will have enough reserves to take them and their offspring through the winter.
Fishing was unusually slow yesterday with only a few fish brought back to the dock. Hopefully today will see some improvement. A few Chum Salmon have arrived but the main flow is still a few weeks off. Perhaps that is where the Resident Orca are, chowing down on the Chum far to the west of Campbell River.
Enjoy the sunshine!
Cheers
Jack
Hurricane Jack Adventures
Campbell River Whale Watching
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Campbell River Whale Watching
September 24, 2009
Good morning from the Float House in Discovery Harbour Marina
Yesterday was a repeat of the last week, warm weather, calm seas with lots of Orca close to home and hungry Grizzlies at the Orford River.
The Grizzly tour group were the first to see the Orca on their way in to Bute Inlet yesterday. They picked them up at Marina Island, heading south. By the time our Whale Watch group got there the Orca were at the south end of Cortez Island still heading south. These Transients were the same group as the previous day, numbering about 12 and not really doing anything except frolicking with each other. The water was very calm, ideal for pictures and very good for listening to the vocalizations of the group. Transients don't usually vocalize that much but yesterday it sounded like a party! We left the group drifting slowly south at Mitlenatch Island and headed for lunch at the newly renovated Gorge Harbour Marina. If you haven't seen the changes, you would be amazed! We sat around the fire pit and enjoyed our lunch and good conversations about those amazing Orca! Up to Dent Island for a group of playful Dall Porpoises and one Black Bear on Vancouver Island as we made our way home topped the day off.
Yesterday the Grizzlies beat this years record for the number of bears as well as the amount of time we had bears around us. Once we arrived at the Orford River we had 2 bears in the Estuary, another on the road as we drove up to tower # 5. Once at tower # 5, we had a continuous procession of Grizzlies feeding (primarily on dead fish) or fishing the entire 3 hours. What a day!
(picture of one of the boys with a well seasoned Chum Salmon)
Fishing has been picking up in the last few days with more hatchery Coho hitting the dock and recently, a few nice Chum Salmon as well. All of the fish are coming on the flood tide, either in the early morning or late afternoon. The ebb tide is a tough fish right now!
A liitle cooler today but the sun is shining and the Orca are out there somewhere. Hope to see you soon!
Cheers
Jack
Hurricane Jack Adventures
Campbell River Whale Watching
Good morning from the Float House in Discovery Harbour Marina
Yesterday was a repeat of the last week, warm weather, calm seas with lots of Orca close to home and hungry Grizzlies at the Orford River.
The Grizzly tour group were the first to see the Orca on their way in to Bute Inlet yesterday. They picked them up at Marina Island, heading south. By the time our Whale Watch group got there the Orca were at the south end of Cortez Island still heading south. These Transients were the same group as the previous day, numbering about 12 and not really doing anything except frolicking with each other. The water was very calm, ideal for pictures and very good for listening to the vocalizations of the group. Transients don't usually vocalize that much but yesterday it sounded like a party! We left the group drifting slowly south at Mitlenatch Island and headed for lunch at the newly renovated Gorge Harbour Marina. If you haven't seen the changes, you would be amazed! We sat around the fire pit and enjoyed our lunch and good conversations about those amazing Orca! Up to Dent Island for a group of playful Dall Porpoises and one Black Bear on Vancouver Island as we made our way home topped the day off.
Yesterday the Grizzlies beat this years record for the number of bears as well as the amount of time we had bears around us. Once we arrived at the Orford River we had 2 bears in the Estuary, another on the road as we drove up to tower # 5. Once at tower # 5, we had a continuous procession of Grizzlies feeding (primarily on dead fish) or fishing the entire 3 hours. What a day!
(picture of one of the boys with a well seasoned Chum Salmon)
Fishing has been picking up in the last few days with more hatchery Coho hitting the dock and recently, a few nice Chum Salmon as well. All of the fish are coming on the flood tide, either in the early morning or late afternoon. The ebb tide is a tough fish right now!
A liitle cooler today but the sun is shining and the Orca are out there somewhere. Hope to see you soon!
Cheers
Jack
Hurricane Jack Adventures
Campbell River Whale Watching
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