Marty’s photo of the day #5165: Deb, Nellie, and I just completed three nights at what may be the most awesome campsite in North America. We found a private, one-tent-campsite right on the Johnstone Strait in the northern region of Vancouver Island. From our private beach, we watched numerous bird species, a sea lion, a humpback whale, two pods of dolphins, and a large pod of orca whales (we saw the orcas on two of the three mornings).
This morning, I got up before sunrise and took my camera to the edge of the water. I could hear loud orca breaths on the far side of the strait, but it took about a half hour before I spotted them. Suddenly they were about fifty feet out from where I was standing! They looked so much bigger than when I photographed them from a boat last week. It was the best morning ever! I’m going to hold off sharing the orca photos I took this morning until we get home.
In the meantime, here’s a shot of Nellie on the point (which is submerged during high tide) from this morning. She is standing just about where I was standing when the orcas paid me a visit. Don’t worry, Nellie is not being “orca bait.” The orcas had moved up the strait.
Tomorrow we head into the island’s interior (Strathcona Park) to explore the old growth forest.