The wildlife cruise was one of the highlights of this trip. We lucked out with a beautiful day that started out with a mist which helped give the islands an added ambiance. The mist cooperatively disappeared at the right time to allow the boat to go through! There were ample sightings of wildlife, starting with a great blue heron near shore, a couple of bald eagles, ample sea lions, seals and sea otters with cubs, even a bear with two cubs and a bonus whale sighting without even needing to chase it.
The boat cruise started in Ucluelet and cruised through the Broken Group Islands to the south of Ucluelet. These islands looked magical in the mist and when the sun broke through, we saw some beautiful rock formations on the islands. It was a relaxing five hours on the boat with the occasional excitement from wildlife sightings. A delicious gourmet lunch was served on board - a perfect break after the excitement over then whale sighting. It was then a leisurely cruise back to Ucluelet, wrapped up with a black bear and cubs sighting - a perfect end to the cruise!
 |
| This was what greeted us at the beginning of the cruise |
 |
This Great Blue Heron was waiting for us beside the dock
|
 |
| Then another one flew by the boat mid-cruise |
We saw two bald eagles on different trees, lots of sea lions including what is considered a rare sighting of a Steller Sea lion in these parts.
 |
| Steller sea lion |
 |
| The beauty of the seascape often took my breath away - it was sometimes Wow! at every turn and almost impossible to put the camera down. I had two cameras on me - one for landscapes and one for wildlife. It was a constant scramble to pick up one or the other! |
Then came the cute sea otters cuddling the cubs!
 |
| Seal and pup |
 |
| The Humpback |
 |
| Mama bear and her two cubs |
 |
| The mist was gone and these beautiful rock formations were revealed |
Amazing shots, auntie
ReplyDeleteThanks, Steven. Amazing scenery - doesn't take much.
Delete