So, Stubbs Island Whale Watching company shuttered a couple
of years ago. But several operators
still run tours from Victoria during October.
I choose Eagle Wing Tours; they guarantee whale sightings, and they did
not disappoint.
There was a little bit of weather drama. I’d reserved a Saturday tour, and I got a
call Thursday afternoon saying that the weather looked rough for Saturday and
was I able to re-book for either Friday or Sunday. I told them I could change to Sunday and they
said they’d let me know Friday afternoon if we were on for Saturday or moved to
Sunday.
On Friday, the weather forecast has shifted and it was going
to be a “day-of” call by the captains.
They said to plan on Saturday and they’d call by 8:30 am if it were
rescheduled. Now, I don’t know if you’ve met my constant companion, anxiety. So,
she kept me awake and sickly all night and all morning and yeah. Not fun.
Of course, the day turned out to be a bit gray, but we had no rain, no
wind, and it wasn’t even that cold. And,
we did see whales. Lots of whales. Some of the whales were a bit of a show-off
and kind of played around in the kelp while we watched, amazed.
We also had a very close encounter with two humpback whales who decided they’d love to swim directly under the boat. It was amazing and totally worth it. If you’re in British Columbia between May and October, I definitely recommend an Eagle Wing Whale Tour.
