September 13th, 2010

Good evening from the Float House
Discovery Harbour Marina

It was just a "Orca Love in" today !
Transient Orca numbering 25+ came together to socilaize and frolic in the calm water and sun shine about 2 miles south of Mitlenatch Island this morning. We have had transient Orca (mammal eating) in and around the Campbell River area for over a week now and today they all showed up together to enjoy the return of the good weather.

Some incredible vocals and breaching displays from both the males and females but what was really evident was the way in which they love personal contact. They rolled, pushed, tail wagged and spy-hopped their way slowly westward, last seen just south of Quadra Island.

The weather looks like it is going to hold for the rest of this week and I'm sure the Orca will still be close.

Hope to see you out there.

Cheers

Hurricane Jack
Campbell River Whale Watching

September 12, 2010

Good evening from the Float House Office
Discovery Harbour Marina

The Grizzly Bears tours are heating up and it will just get better and better !

Our morning tour began by spending the first hour with Mom and her 2 new cubs as they spent a restful morning near the spawning channel at the Orford River (Bute Inlet). We later moved to the 5th viewing platform where we watched as 2 other Grizzlies stolled by searching for fish below. The sow and 2 cubs from earlier appeared as our viewing time came to a close when everything went into high gear quickly!
That old saying "Never get between a Sow and her cubs" became very clear to one of the younger Grizzlies as she found herself in the wrong spot at the wrong time!
It was all over in a few hectic minutes and thankfully things were worked out without any physical contact. A lot of posturing by both sow Grizzlies and a lot of howling by the cubs for a few frantic minutes but everything worked out. Still pictures just don't do it justice.

Hope you get a chance to take in the Grizzlies at the Orford River this fall.

Cheers

Hurricane Jack
Campbell River Whale Watching

September 7th, 2010

Good evening from the Float House
Discovery Harbour Marina

While the Orca have been absolutely fantastic this past week, our Grizzly Tours are in full swing and I wanted to give everyone an idea of what really happens on our Grizzly Tours.
We travel to the Orford River In Bute Inlet by covered and heated vessels. Once on the ground, we travel by van about 4 km up the river where we watch the Grizzlies catch and feed on the spawning salmon from the safety of raised platforms along the river bank.
Pictured below is an effort to show you the picture takers (our guests) and the pictures they take from the towers. The bears travel up and down the river depending on the tides and the time of day. On this day, Sept 5th, we saw 8 separate Grizzlies while on this one tower as well as 4 more while traveling in and out in the van, one Sow with 2 cubs.
The Salmon are just arriving in the Orford River and by the end of the week the number of Grizzlies should double. We expect to see a lot of cubs this year as last fall the salmon numbers were high and that gave the pregnant females a healthy boast for their winter hibernation.

If Grizzly viewing is on your bucket list or you just want to see these amazing creatures in their natural habitat, this is a good time of the year to do it.
Hope to see you out there.

Cheers

Hurricane Jack
Campbell River Whale Watching