My first Whale Watching Cruise was in Vancouver

A plume of spray elicits a shout from our nature guide. A dozen heads turn in tennis-match unison and we all see it – the tell-tale exhale of a humpback whale. As the boat starts to slowly follow this ocean leviathan, I try to keep an eye on it while fumbling with my camera settings. I am too excited to speak.

The crew from Wild Whales Vancouver have navigated our fast open-air boat from their base on Granville Island in Vancouver, across the Strait of Georgia to the Southern Gulf Islands. Relying on communication with other operators to locate orca, humpback whales and other local wildlife for viewing on our four-hour trip, our local crew ensure we are briefed on identification and basic facts – behaviour, biology, diet – of the animals we hope to encounter.

Arriving at the Wild Whales Vancouver base on Granville Island, a short drive from downtown Vancouver, we are checked off an attendance list, and while waiting for others to arrive can peruse the wildlife identification posters covering the walls of the crowded salt-infused room. After a safety briefing, we are kitted out in full length waterproof and windproof all-in-ones ready for the outbound journey.

Motoring slowly out of Burrard Inlet gives an interesting perspective of Vancouver, contrasting nicely to the previous day’s view from the top of Grouse Mountain – from sea level we see the heights reached by the mountain range so close to the city. Our speed increases to cross the Strait – where the full-length suits come into their own – until we are approaching the Southern Gulf Islands. Many are wild and uninhabited, making the bays and inlets between them popular with orcas, humpback whales, harbour seals and bald eagles.

On board, there’s not much our nature guide Ashleigh doesn’t know about whales and orcas, and she passes around laminated sheets with pictures of the tail fins (flukes) of local humpbacks.

She explains that humpbacks have unique black and white markings on the underside of their flukes, which can be used to identify them as it is the last part of the whale to disappear when it dives. As we cruise around the islands, we encounter several local whales, including Wizard, Windy and Kracken.

As we reach the halfway point of the tour, Ashleigh also explains the difference between resident and transient orcas. The health of the local population has declined drastically over the last two years as fish numbers have decreased due to slightly warmer oceans which have altered the nutrient value and content of food stocks. The transient orcas have adapted to these changes by supplementing their diet with local harbour seals. Another challenge for the local population is that the transient pods compete with the local ones for food.

Cruising between the gulf islands on calm and glassy waters, we pass harbour seals sunbathing on a rock island and a group of juvenile bald eagles eyeing us warily from a conifer tree, while their parents scavenge down below.

Our return journey brings us back into the gulf waters, where another operator alerts us to an orca pod close to shore. As an operator bound by the national regulations surrounding proximity and boat speed around wild whales and orcas, Wild Whales Vancouver does not actively follow orcas. Instead our pilot cuts the engine and for a few minutes the boat moves gently with the waves as the orcas move around us – the soothing sounds of waves lapping against the boats hull are amplified and salty air fills our nostrils as we quietly observe the orcas moving through their habitat in search of prey.

Suddenly, the calm is broken – three orcas have cornered a seal and are corralling it to the point of exhaustion. They move quickly and when it is safe, our boat powers up and follows them at a safe distance. Before long they’re too far away for us to follow so we console ourselves with one last glimpse of the orcas as they head north – their fins cutting through the water like knives.

Our guide Ashleigh’s enthusiasm and knowledge of this amazing place is evident in her approach to guests on the boat and the animal mad version of me as a young girl can see why she describes being out here as her happy place. After my very first whale watching cruise anywhere, I am left with the sights and sounds of these magnificent creatures etched into my memory – I too have found a happy place.

Wild Whales Vancouver operate cruises from April to October each year. You can contact them and make bookings via their website.