Black Bears in Tofino

Black Bears in Tofino

Whilst Nic was eager to avoid encountering a bear when he was out in training for his half marathon in October, we were both quite keen on finding a few to watch in a more controlled environment.

We had seen black bears when we were in Whistler, back in 2013, but we rather liked the idea of the tour here, that takes you out on a boat to watch them as they comb the shoreline at low tide.

Black Bears in Tofino

Of course, low tide also means early morning, so this was the start of what was to become a worrying pattern over the next few weeks, of far too many alarms set for a time that I would generally expect to be fast asleep.

But we managed to drag ourselves out of bed, grateful at least, for the fact that the Remote Passages tour company was only a few minutes stumble along the road!

Black Bears in Tofino

We were soon kitted out with our waterproof gear, and then we were off into the zodiac. Mind you, whilst this was a zodiac, after being used to perching on the edge of a small zodiac in the Arctic and Antarctic, this big one with actual seats, felt like a luxury option.

We set off across the water at a brisk pace, a little concerned about how misty it was, and so whether we would be able to see any bears at all.

Black Bears in Tofino

Thankfully, whilst it stayed rather dull and dreary, the worst of the mist cleared away, and so visibility at least wasn’t going to be a problem. The next question was would we find any bears?

After around 45 minutes, we reached the area where we were hoping to spot some bears. Sure enough, we soon spotted a couple foraging on the shoreline, though sadly they only stuck around for a few moments before disappearing into the trees.

Black Bears in Tofino

It wasn’t long though until we found two more bears, and this time they were completely unperturbed by our presence, and we were able to watch them search along the water edge for goodies like barnacles, clams and other creatures. It was fascinating to watch them roll over the rocks to see if there were any tasty morsels hiding underneath.

Some of the rocks they moved were big too. Unfortunately, the best series of photos that I have of this are pretty rubbish, because there was that one person in the boat who somehow managed to constantly get into my frame, which took the focus out, but I’ve included them anyway, as you get the idea.

 

 

Seals, Tofino

After a while watching these two, we set off in search of others. We stopped briefly at a rock that had seals hauled out on it, and again to check out a bald eagle, but the destination was a nearby cove where a mum and cub had been spotted by one of the other boats.

However, by the time we got there, they had gone, probably due to the appearance of a big male bear, just along the beach.

Bald eagle, Tofino

Male bears have a tendency to kill cubs, as the mothers won’t mate all the while they are looking after an infant, so when mum reappeared, she was on her own, probably having left her cub safely up a tree somewhere close by.

We watched these two for a while, and then, as we were getting close to the end of our time, set off to see if there were any others around elsewhere. We hadn’t yet found any more, when we heard that the cub had been seen again. Unfortunately, though we got there quickly, we arrived just in time to see them disappear into the woods. Clearly this wasn’t our day for seeing more than a fleeting glimpse of a cub.

Black Bears in Tofino

But then, we had just started to drive away from the shore, cameras all being put safely into their cases to keep them dry, when, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted movement from the treeline. The mum and cub were back. I told our guide, and he quickly turned us back around, and then slowly, so as not to scare them off again, we edged closer.

Third time lucky; we got to see the cub properly. The male was now far enough away that mum was content to bring the cub down to the shore to search for food with her. We got to spend a while with them before it really was time to go back.

So, all together we saw seven bears, which we were pretty happy with, especially having finally seen that cute little cub.

Black Bears in Tofino

Black Bears in Tofino

Black Bears in Tofino

Black Bears in Tofino

Black Bears in Tofino

Black Bears in Tofino

Black Bears in Tofino

Black Bears in Tofino

Black Bears in Tofino

Black Bears in Tofino