Written by Zoe Hasenfratz A tiny silver streak in the water. It catches your eye, and you turn your head to investigate. As you look down into the depth of a jade sea, you notice that it isn’t just one streak but thousands of silver fish darting through the water forming a formidable bait ball. Herring. The tiny link in a very large food web. … Read more »
Dolphins bring out a child-like wonder in anyone that is lucky enough to see them out in the wild! In our area, we have Pacific White-Sided Dolphins. They are playful, acrobatic mammals and can be the highlight of any tour! Here are some facts that you may not know about them: 1. There is currently no population estimate for how many Pacific White-Sided Dolphins… Read more »
Have you heard our great news? We have a new covered boat! Check out our 12-passenger Eagle Craft with an outdoor seating area! It was originally built in 1994 by Daigle Marine as a tour boat for a wealthy private island owner near Victoria. After that, the vessel lived most of its life moving crews in and out of logging camps along… Read more »
We have the pleasure of seeing a number of different marine mammals on our tours. While we live in an area that has an abundance of Humpback Whale and Transient Orca sightings, we also get to see a vast number of sea lions and seals! One specific species that we encounter often are Steller Sea Lions. 1. Steller sea lions are golden brown… Read more »
Porpoise are small-toothed whales that are closely related to dolphins. They can be differentiated by their teeth, which are spade-shaped opposed to cone-shaped, their dorsal fins, which are triangular, and their beaks, which are less elongated. While there are said to be 32 different dolphin species in the world, there are only 6 different types of porpoises! In the Campbell River area, we are… Read more »
Salmon are one of the most iconic species of British Columbia for so many different reasons. Ultimately, they feed our animals, our people, and our forests. There are seven species of salmon in the Pacific: Chinook (or Spring), Coho, Sockeye, Chum, Pink, Cutthroat Trout, and Steelhead Trout. Salmon are born from eggs in a river and as they mature, they head to the ocean…. Read more »
Humpback whales are baleen whales that have been making a strong comeback to our area since 2004. These gentle giants are frequently sighted on our tours, but many people don’t know anything about them! 1. Humpback whale’s pectoral fins are the longest appendages in the entire animal kingdom at up to 16 feet (1/3 length of their entire bodies). 2. Female humpback whales… Read more »
Orcas are well-known for being exceptional predators and are often featured in mainstream media. While these “ocean pandas” are truly remarkable mammals, there are a lot of misconceptions and unknown facts about them! 1. Despite being known as “killer whales”, Orca are the biggest members of the dolphin family. 2. We see 3 main ecotypes of Orca that differ in diet, appearance, and vocalizations:… Read more »
In North America, many people find it difficult to tell the difference between grizzly bears and black bears. While you may think that their colouring is an obvious difference, it can often be very misleading – especially when you’re face-to-face with a bear! So what are the telltale signs that differentiate these two animals? Hump Grizzlies notably have a bigger shoulder hump between… Read more »
Harbor seals are so common in our area that they’re often overlooked by locals. It isn’t until we hear and see visitors get excited about these mammals that we really stop and think about how amazing they are. Here are some facts about these creatures that you may not know: 1. Their hearing is 14x better while underwater than a human’s 2. What can… Read more »
