This week Ray and I and 10 of our closest Manitoba friends went whale watching with Eagle Wing Whale and Wildlife Tour Company.
It’s so cold this morning my fingers are frozen inside their mittens. As Tucker and I walked under the cherry blossoms outside of Saxe Park, we couldn’t tell the difference between the sleety snow and the the flower petals falling on us. The ocean is angry and spectacular. Our whale watching tour scheduled for yesterday had been cancelled because of weather that felt just like this. With icy fingers I emailed the operator – expecting the worst. “Captain says it looks good for today” was the surprising answer.
Happy Birthday Ray
This whale watching adventure is part of an elaborate surprise for my husband Ray’s 70th birthday. Since November some 25 people have been involved in a subterfuge campaign that rivals the Epstein files coverup. This week Pinawa’s population is significantly reduced as half the town secretly flew, drove or ferried into Victoria for a surprise birthday party. How the old man didn’t catch on is beyond me.
We pulled it off brilliantly!
Day 2 of the birthday surprise was to be this whale watching tour. Unfortunately weather made this a day 3 event and half of the party animals had either left or gone back to work. They really missed out.
Eagle Wing Tours
The folks at Eagle Wing were great to work with. Cancelling the first morning was unfortunate, but weather is weather. All morning long they were in constant communication with me as they waited to make that call.
A dozen of us showed up the next day in the still cold and windy weather. It could have been miserable out there but the boat was very comfortable.
The catamaran was smooth in the choppy seas, and the enclosed cabin with comfortable seating protected us from the weather.
The staff had an incredible wealth of knowledge. Professional photographers were on board and shared their best photos with us after the trip. 
That meant we could just enjoy the journey, without watching it through the lens of an iphone. It also produced some amazing photographs.
Our 3 1/2 hour tour turned into 5 when we unexpectedly came upon a playful Orca just as we were heading home. No one was in any rush to get back.
The Wildlife
The trip did not disappoint. We had the option of heading west or north. Due to weather the Captain decided to head north where we could hide from the worst of the rough seas among a group of islands. Almost immediately we passed slowly by a colony of sea lions drying off on some rocks.
Manitobans are pretty used to seeing eagles, but nothing prepares you for an entire convocation of these majestic birds of prey. Vancouver Island is lousy with eagles and we saw so many.
We toured slowly past Discovery Island Provincial Marine Park, full of sea lions, eagles and cormorants. They brought us to Spieden Island, a bizarre highly grazed place owned by some crazy rich guy. In the 50’s this island had been populated with exotic game animals from Europe, for hunting. Today the hunting is prohibited so the place is just full of imported non-native deer and sheep.
After 3 hours of wildlife viewing it was time to head back. I was in the back of the boat when we made a sudden 180 degree turn. Oh boy, this must be something. Sure enough, after all of our travels at sea, the Captain had heard of a whale siting in Oak Bay. We got to the location and stopped to scan the horizon. All of a sudden a dorsal fin popped out of the water, heading straight for us. We can’t, and obviously shouldn’t approach any wildlife this close, but this guy was heading right for us. He swam under the boat, breaching right beside me. Just wow.
We spent the next hour at a much more respectful distance watching him. Over here! Now over there. It was so exciting.
Ray and I were showing off the beautiful city of Victoria to our Manitoba friends this week. This whale watching tour really did put the icing on the cake for all of us.
Happy Birthday Ray.
