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Whale watching in Victoria, British Columbia

One of my favourite things to do when I visit British Columbia is to go on a whale watching tour. I’ve been to BC several times and have been on many whale watching tours in Victoria, Tofino and Vancouver, British Columbia.

While on a sunset whale watching tour in the waters of the Salish Sea near Victoria, we were surrounded by a family of orca whales. Suddenly, an orca whale came out of the water to check us out.

killer whale spy hop
A wild & free transient Orca whale (also known as Killer Whale) in the Salish Sea, the waters near Victoria, British Columbia.

 

Shortly after the above photo was taken, a mother and baby orca swam under our boat, twice. We also had a rare opportunity to watch Orca whales as they taught their young how to hunt for porpoises and saw a humpback whale and seals. It was my favourite whale watching tour to date.

Mother Orca teaching her young one how to hunt for porpoise.
Two orcas in the water near Victoria, British Columbia with Race Rock in the background.

 

A humpback whale tale against the sunset in the Salish Sea near Victoria, British Columbia

I highly recommend Eagle Wing Tours in Victoria, British Columbia for these reasons:

  • They are Canada’s first carbon-neutral, eco-adventure whale watching company
  • They partner with the Songhees First Nation, traditional territory of Victoria, to offer the Songhees Nation Cultural Tour
  • They contribute to conservation and education
  • They have several tour options and boats available. I enjoyed the tour on the Goldwing.

Watch: Killer Whales swim under our boat 

Read: A Close Encounter with Orcas in British Columbia

 

I Dreamed of Africa

My stomach began to flutter as I walked to the jeep. The feeling grew as I climbed into the open game drive vehicle for the first time. I was both excited and nervous going for a 3-hour drive in the Greater Kruger National Park. The times in front of the TV watching Wild Kingdom with my dad and Gran and the hours spent leafing through National Geographic magazines as a child came to mind at that moment.

Was this real?

I wondered what animals we’d see on our drive. Though I would be happy to see any animal that was allowed to roam free, I secretly wished for a giraffe sighting. Suddenly we came upon a lone giraffe walking gracefully in front of us; I was ecstatic. It was too far away to get a decent photo, and we were moving slowly behind it.

It turned left and disappeared into the bush. We caught up to where it was, but the thick bush separated us. We watched for a moment and continued driving. Unexpectedly our jeep turned left; I smiled as I knew our guide would get us closer. The giraffe was eating off to the side of the dirt road, but the area had a lot of trees and thick bush. You’d be surprised at how quickly giraffes and even a herd of elephants can hide in it.

The giraffe moved, and the bush gave way a little, but still, I waited.

I soon noticed that the sun was beginning to set and the scene unfolding before me. The beauty of the sky and the road in front would add to the photo I thought. The light was disappearing, but I continued to wait. I enjoyed watching the slow manner in which it ate and moved, but I wondered if I would lose my chance.

Before I travelled to South Africa, I envisioned scenes I wanted to capture. This view was one of them. I wondered if the giraffe would ever come out of the bush so I could see it silhouetted against the sky, just as I had imagined. Someone asked why I wasn’t taking any photos, as she knew that I was a photographer.

“I’m waiting for the giraffe to walk out in front of us so I can take a photo of it against the sun and sky.”

“Spoken like a true photographer”.

Little did she know that I had been waiting my whole life for this, what was another minute or two? The giraffe stopped eating and moved away from the bush. It appeared in front of us.

I dreamed of Africa, and I dreamed of being able to capture this very scene… a giraffe photographed against a sunset sky. Dreams do come true.

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Cage Diving with Great White Sharks, check!

I came face to face with JAWS (cue the music) and lived to tell. Jaws (the movie) scared the bejeezus out of me, but for some reason, I have been fascinated with sharks for as long as I can remember, especially the Great White Shark.

Over the years, I’ve watched many episodes about them during Shark Week. I knew there were Great White Sharks in South Africa, but until recently I did not know you could get up close to them.

After much research, I chose to go with Great White Shark Tours (GWST) in Gansbaai, South Africa. It’s about a 2 hour drive from Cape Town and well worth it. The transfer company picked me up at the hostel I stayed at, The Backpack, and on the way, we stopped in Hermanus for some stretching. I saw a southern right whale and it’s calf from the shore.

My shark diving experience was a dream come true. I wish I could have gotten more underwater video with my Go Pro Hero 2. At the same time, I was happy to be present and be in the moment. Though you are in the same water as the sharks and only mere feet away, I felt very safe inside the cage.

It was absolutely incredible to be so close to these white sharks and it was actually calming. I compare it to watching a tank of fish swimming by. They didn’t even seem like they cared about us at all. If it weren’t for the chum and the workers on the boat trying to attract them, they probably wouldn’t have even approached us at all.

One of my favourite moments was when I was on the deck near the rail, and we were splashed by a Great White. Another favourite moment was when a shark was right beside the cage. The shark could not get any closer except to be inside the cage. It was so close that I moved back as far as I could as I thought it’s fin was going to touch me, but it missed me by inches.

Here are 2 photos I got with my iPhone from the boat.

Until next time,

Andrea… and my wandering iPhone

Great White Shark
Great White Shark off Dyer Island, South Africa

 

Great White Shark
Great White Shark off Dyer Island aka Shark Alley, South Africa