Sidney Whale Watching

A friend and I decided on a whim to go whale-​watching with Sea Quest, as we found ourselves already in Port Angeles, WA, directly across the Strait from Vancouver Island.
We had seen in the travel literature that these waters were known for their resident pods of orcas, which are some of the world’s most fascinating creatures. So we were already set on having an experience for ourselves. We also heard through the grapevine that the waters off the Strait of Georgia are a bit calmer than those of the Juan de Fuca Straight at Victoria. So we drove onto the ferry departing Port Angeles, drove off at Victoria and took the short drive north to Sidney to join Sea Quest.
The business was a bit difficult to find, but we arrived on time, paid our fees and suited up in body suits to protect us from the cold water. The guide was a young, adventurous Canadian lad who had a bit of the disposition of a California surfer: laid-​back, nonchalant and amiable.
The boat we ventured out on was smaller than is humanly possible. I’m kidding! But it WAS tiny. There were about 10 of us on board, including this young, zealous captain, so there was not much room at all to move about. It’s basically a sit-​only boat. But it’s no matter. When you’re out in whale territory, you have to sacrifice human luxury and comforts.
And that we did. In spite of the Strait of Georgia’s reputation for calmer waters, it was still wickedly cold and windy out there, and the waves were kicking up some handsome whitecaps. Our captain hit these waves straight on, causing us to bounce up and down on the ride of our lives. We were sprayed silly by the crashing water. Body suits saturated. Glasses splattered with water. Cameras drenched. Shoes soaked. My older friend, behind me, had the look of terror on his face. Some girls seated aft screamed. But in the end, we enjoyed the rawness of the experience and the thrill of riding the waves.
We skirted around beautiful hilly islands, each one having more luxurious houses and gardens. At one point, a group of seals was playing in the shallows by an island. In spite of pointing this out to the captain, he continued on, intending to visit them on the return. 45 minutes later, we were out in the middle of the Strait. Nothing around us but cold, cold water. AND ORCAS! The captain drew our attention to some orcas swimming at the surface in various places, some close enough to get a decent shot.
On the south side of the boat, an orca suddenly jumped entirely out of the water about 100 yards away. Ahhh, what a beautiful breach that exposed the orca’s white and black in equal proportions! AMAZING. The passengers were traumatized by their wet journey and hardly dared draw their cameras. Yet I produced my camera and telephoto, steadied it on the starboard side and took a lovely shot of the whale, which will serve as an everlasting memory of this tour (see my pictures on the SEA QUEST Unilocal page).
All in all, we saw about 6 – 10 breaches, none right beside the boat, but still close enough to feel the awesomeness of the experience.
On the return, the captain stopped by an island where a bald eagle was perched high in an evergreen tree. He explained a bit about the bird life in the area and seemed generally knowledgeable about BC/Vancouver’s wildlife.
I highly recommend this tour, but do beware: you MAY get wet!