After an early morning breakfast at the fantastic Jam Cafe on Herald Street (a must do when you're in Victoria downtown), I head straight for Springtide Whale Watching & Eco Tours office at the Victoria harbour. The waters of Victoria and Vancouver attracts a lot of marine life but none as spectacular and popular as the whales and sharks. If you're lucky, you can see the Orca whales (also known as the killer whales), Humpback whales, in addition to sea lions and eagles. But our aim was to watch the whales. There are several whale watching companies out there. All the whale watching companies have broadly two types of boats; the cruisers (family boats...they move slowly...have a seating area and an open-air deck) and the zodiac boats. The zodiac boats are lightning fast. I had booked a seat on the cruiser boat, but since it had not got enough registrations, Springtide requested me to shift to the zodiac boat. I was only too happy to.
The ride on zodiac boats is very thrilling. It is like a race car on sea. It is safe for kids, but you cannot move around or get up when the boat is moving. It is 28 feet long and can seat only 12 passengers. We were taken to the dock where the boats were. All zodiac boat passengers were then divided into two groups (one group for each of the boats) and were given thick full-body suits. We had two cute kids (siblings) who were only too excited to wear the suits and get onto the boat. After a brief safety demonstration, we were in the boat and started. The first few minutes the boat went very slowly. There is a speed limit to all boats within the bay area. Specific areas are also demarcated for the sea planes for taxiing, take-off and landing. The boats can't swim or cruise in such areas. Once we were out in the vast ocean, we picked up speed.
We saw the Humpback from a great, great distance. The giveaway? Snorting of water from the whale's nostrils coming from the underneath and jetting out like a water fountain. We started cruising towards it, but then our boat's captain got a call that a family of Orcas were cruising elsewhere. So we decided to turn and go in the other direction. After cruising for about another 45 minutes or so at full speed, we saw a family of 4-5 Orcas cruising. It was fun to watch them, but it was from a great, great distance. And when Orcas cruise, they come out of water very briefly and the go back inside. They hop and jump and forge ahead. We followed them for quite a distance and then left them and returned back to the shore.
Did I enjoy my first-ever whale watching experience? Not really, but I am glad I did. Whale watching is not the same experience as, say, a wildlife land safari. The land safari can give you continuous glimpse. In a whale watching, you are over the sea, but the creatures are under the sea. You only get a glimpse of the whales and sharks when you are out in the sea and if you're lucky. Don't expect to see them continuously at a stretch.
Land safaris also allow us to get much closer to the animals, without them knowing or feeling our presence. Also, in land safaris, many times the wild animals get used to human (tourist) presence, so they don't mind. But in sea safari, we cannot get close to the creatures because we are in boats and that disturbs them a lot. So, keep in mind these things and tone down your expectation for a whale safari. Will I ever go in another one? Ofcourse, I will. Because sea safaris are not to be had in India and how many times would I go to places where there is whale watching. So yeah, definitely, looking forward to another whale watching experience.
Lunch was at the marvellous Canoe Brewpub, an excellent suggestion by my hotel. Located in downtown Victoria on Swift Street, it is on the banks of the harbour. There is an indie air-conditioned sitting and an outside al-fresco sitting. I preferred to sit outside and right next to the water's edge. The restaurant brews its own beer and I was offered four varieties. Lovely thai rice and chicken (very different from the Thai food in India) and a lovely dessert made for a stomach-filling and a very awesome lunch. I took the rest of the day off and retired in my room.
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| Jam Cafe |
The ride on zodiac boats is very thrilling. It is like a race car on sea. It is safe for kids, but you cannot move around or get up when the boat is moving. It is 28 feet long and can seat only 12 passengers. We were taken to the dock where the boats were. All zodiac boat passengers were then divided into two groups (one group for each of the boats) and were given thick full-body suits. We had two cute kids (siblings) who were only too excited to wear the suits and get onto the boat. After a brief safety demonstration, we were in the boat and started. The first few minutes the boat went very slowly. There is a speed limit to all boats within the bay area. Specific areas are also demarcated for the sea planes for taxiing, take-off and landing. The boats can't swim or cruise in such areas. Once we were out in the vast ocean, we picked up speed.
We saw the Humpback from a great, great distance. The giveaway? Snorting of water from the whale's nostrils coming from the underneath and jetting out like a water fountain. We started cruising towards it, but then our boat's captain got a call that a family of Orcas were cruising elsewhere. So we decided to turn and go in the other direction. After cruising for about another 45 minutes or so at full speed, we saw a family of 4-5 Orcas cruising. It was fun to watch them, but it was from a great, great distance. And when Orcas cruise, they come out of water very briefly and the go back inside. They hop and jump and forge ahead. We followed them for quite a distance and then left them and returned back to the shore.
Did I enjoy my first-ever whale watching experience? Not really, but I am glad I did. Whale watching is not the same experience as, say, a wildlife land safari. The land safari can give you continuous glimpse. In a whale watching, you are over the sea, but the creatures are under the sea. You only get a glimpse of the whales and sharks when you are out in the sea and if you're lucky. Don't expect to see them continuously at a stretch.
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| Orca whale |
Land safaris also allow us to get much closer to the animals, without them knowing or feeling our presence. Also, in land safaris, many times the wild animals get used to human (tourist) presence, so they don't mind. But in sea safari, we cannot get close to the creatures because we are in boats and that disturbs them a lot. So, keep in mind these things and tone down your expectation for a whale safari. Will I ever go in another one? Ofcourse, I will. Because sea safaris are not to be had in India and how many times would I go to places where there is whale watching. So yeah, definitely, looking forward to another whale watching experience.
 |
| Canoe Brewpub in Victoria |
Lunch was at the marvellous Canoe Brewpub, an excellent suggestion by my hotel. Located in downtown Victoria on Swift Street, it is on the banks of the harbour. There is an indie air-conditioned sitting and an outside al-fresco sitting. I preferred to sit outside and right next to the water's edge. The restaurant brews its own beer and I was offered four varieties. Lovely thai rice and chicken (very different from the Thai food in India) and a lovely dessert made for a stomach-filling and a very awesome lunch. I took the rest of the day off and retired in my room.
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Canadian Rockies: Days 11-13 (Vancouver)
Canadian Rockies: Day 11 (Victoria whale watching)
Canadian Rockies: Day 10 (Victoria)
Canadian Rockies: Day 9 (Jasper)
Canadian Rockies: Day 8 (Jasper)
Canadian Rockies: Day 7 (Lake Loiuse)
Canadian Rockies: Day 6 (Banff national park)
Canadian Rockies: Day 5 (Banff)
Canadian Rockies: Day 4 (Glacier National Park)
Canadian Rockies: Day 3 (Waterton)
Canadian Rockies: Days 1 and 2 (Calgary)
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