Between ferries in Prince Rupert

Prince Rupert

We were staying in Prince Rupert for two nights to get the next ferry over to Haida Gwaii, which would be another early start, but not as bad as last time, this time we had a taxi booked for 7:30am. It comes to something when that starts to feel like a lay-in!

We would have another couple of days here after our time on Haida Gwaii, so we didn’t have to rush to fit things in, and it was a lovely sunny day, so we just pootled down to the Cow Bay area, and had a look at the shops and had lunch there.

Prince Rupert

After our blow out on the ferry, we were planning to be good, but options were rather lacking. We ended up going to the much-recommended Breakers Pub, where we could sit at a table on the balcony overlooking the harbour, where we discovered that the seals were out in force to scoop up the fishy leftovers.

I had decided on my usual standby of a steak, some rice and a salad, which would fit in at least mostly with the rules, but then I saw the guy next to me have his fries delivered, and they looked delicious. Chips are definitely one of the things that I miss, but usually I can resist ordering them on the basis that they often aren’t that good anyway. On this occasion though, it was quite evident that the beer-battered chips they were serving up were excellent, so I gave in and had them. I can’t say I regret it either, they were that good!

 

Prince Rupert

Prince Rupert

Prince Rupert

Prince Rupert

Prince Rupert

Prince Rupert

Prince Rupert

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

Out to Canada

Port Renfrew

After our brief sojourn back in the UK, we were soon heading off again, this time to Canada. We had a flight from Heathrow at a sensible time, so we didn’t have to be getting up at silly o’clock to get there.

Mind you, it did cause a bit of confusion, as for some reason, when Nic booked our accommodation, he had got it in his head that we were on an overnight flight, so our hotel near the airport was booked for the night after we arrived in Vancouver, and our Airbnb in Victoria was booked from the night after that. Thankfully, he realised this shortly before we left, and was able to change the hotel date for Vancouver, and booked us into a hostel for our first night in Victoria on the Friday.

Port Renfrew

We arrived safely in Canada, and had a nice easy bus – ferry – bus journey over to Vancouver Island the next day. We had booked a nice little Airbnb flat in Chinatown, and we soon got ourselves signed up to the local gym and even to a yoga studio, where we cold drop in for whatever classes we wanted. Within a few days, we had filled our fridge with healthy and diet friendly foods, and so we were all set for the next stint in our weight loss campaign. Little did we know then, that things weren’t going to go quite to plan, but we’ll come to that later.

Port Renfrew

We didn’t really have any great plans for Victoria, as we’d done most of the touristy bits that we were interested in last time around. In any case, we were going to the gym most days, and all that buying, chopping and cooking of vegetables seemed to take up an inordinately large amount of our time. I seriously wonder how we ever found time to go to work – but then I guess that’s why we had ended up always eating quick, unhealthy meals and going out for dinner so often.

A seal with its looted fish, Port Renfrew

What we did have planned, was a day out on Sunday with Jen and Gav, a British couple that we had met in our hostel in Puerto Varas, Chile, earlier in the year. It had worked out nicely that we had been able to coincide our time so that we could meet up again here. Mind you, we were missing the real superstar of this family, as Ruby The Landy, whose adventures are being written about in the Land Rover magazine The Landy, was still boxed up in a crate her way here from Santiago.

A seal with its looted fish, Port Renfrew

 With no Ruby, Jen and Gav had hired a much less colourful vehicle, and so Gav drove us all out to Port Renfrew. It took a bit longer that we’d thought, so we ended up just having lunch there and wandering along the pier for a bit, before we needed to drive back again.

It was a pleasant place to visit though, and we rather enjoyed watching the seals in the little harbour; they were quite happily taking advantage of the remnants of the fish that were discarded into the water after the fishermen had finished filleting them on the dock.

A seal, Port Renfrew

We nearly had a problem on the way back, as we needed to fill up with fuel, but there weren’t exactly a lot of petrol stations around. We spotted a sign for gas, and followed it to what seemed to be a dry dock and RV park. We were a little doubtful, but sure enough, we found a huge vat of fuel, and someone willing to sell it. It was then we realised that we were lucky that we had left when we did, and they were due to close at 5pm, which was only five minutes away. Phew!

It was great to catch up with the two of them again, and while we didn’t do anything very adventurous, we certainly talked a lot.

Port Renfrew

A seal looks horrified as it drops its fish, Port Renfrew

Orca Watching (throwback post)

Orcas

Vancouver Island is a good place for spotting orcas, or killer whales. There are quite a few businesses that run tours out of Victoria, but we opted for Eagle Wings, as it seemed from the write-ups to be a reliable and ethical company, which takes care not to harm the wellbeing of these creatures.

Bald Eagles

We were very happy with the tour. The rules around orca watching limit how long any boat can spend alongside them. Eagle Wings take you out on a slightly longer trip, and take their time reaching the orcas, so that by the time we arrive, most of the other boats are leaving.

Seals

On the way, we passed by a pair of Bald Eagles, and some seals. A few seals took a swim around the boat, but many of them were hauled out on a rock, eyeing us to see if we were going to get close enough to worry them, and then ignoring us when it was clear we weren’t.

Seals

Soon enough, we were on our way to find the orcas. The code of conduct requires the boats to keep quite a distance, and not to ‘chase’ them. The orcas have no such rules, so the hope is that you will get lucky, and the orcas will decide to come to the boat.

Orcas

We did have a very brief moment when a couple came up close, giving us a bit of a surprise when they popped up, but most of the time they were more interested in feeding or just chilling out in the water to take any notice of us.

Orcas

There was a good sized pod here though, and whilst they didn’t get up to any exciting tricks, we enjoyed watching them. We weren’t the only ones watching, there was also a little boat out with marine biologists keeping watch on the tour boats and the orcas, monitoring their patterns. They also had a dog on board. This isn’t just any dog though, as he has an important role in tracking the orcas. How does he track them? He is trained to track the smell of their poo. Bet you weren’t expecting that!

Poo sniffing orca tracking dog

The guys on the boat were pretty knowledgeable about the orcas, and gave us lots of interesting information, including about some of the dangers they are facing. One of which is the use of pesticides.

Orcas

That may seem strange, as we don’t generally use them in the sea, and orcas don’t eat plants, but the issue is that the pesticides do end up in the sea, and they get absorbed by the various fish and other sea creatures.

Orcas

And because orcas are big fish, at the top end of their food chain, the accumulated residue of the pesticides in their food is quite substantial, and causes fertility and breeding problems. So cut out those pesticides where you can, and help save the orcas. 

Crane

Orcas

 

Orcas

Orcas

Orcas

Orcas

Orcas

Orcas