There are strict guidelines that we happily adhere to while we are in the presence of the killer whales. The guidelines have been put in place to minimize the disturbance of the killer whales while they are doing what killer whales do; foraging, playing, sleeping and traveling and we support these guidelines thoroughly. While viewing the whales we remain 100 metres (300 feet) away from the killer whales to ensure that they are not disrupted.

Occasionally we are fortunate and the killer whale's curiosity will get the best of them, and we get to experience the thrill of having an up-close encounter. In the picture to the right, the killer whales are traveling down the west side of Swanson Island as they head for Blackney Passage. There was about 12 killer whales (orcas) in total and they did pass very near to us as we sat and watched them. A very exciting experience!

The areas we travel in are rich with a diverse array of other marine and land based creatures. To add to your experience, understanding and appreciation of the animals you will see on our expeditions, our guides will share their knowledge through naratives and by answering your questions to the best of their ability. Our overall goal is to increase the awareness level of our guests about the threats these animals face from both human and other natural predators.

In 1970, Dr. Paul Spong founded OrcaLab, a small land based whale research station nestled against the evergreen forest of Hanson Island in the waters of the "Inside Passage" of northern Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The work of OrcaLab is centered around the philosophy that it is possible to study wild animals without interfering with their lives or habitat. A network of hydrophones, positioned around the orcas' "core habitat", helps us

to monitor their movements all year round.Supplementing the acoustic data are visual sightings of orcas as they pass OrcaLab, and reports from land observation sites staffed by OrcaLab volunteers during the summer "season", as well as reports from other researchers and whale watchers who share observations and information. Since 1994, OrcaLab has operated a video monitoring station on Cracroft Point in Johnstone Strait which allows the

unobtrusive collection of both surface and underwater images of orcas and other ocean life. In 2000, OrcaLab and Japan's NTT Data corporation brought the everyday beauty of the orcas' lives to the Internet via Orca-live. During the summer and fall months of 2002, we will once again be broadcasting LIVE!

We encourage all of our guests to visit the >>OrcaLab website and learn more abut killer whales.

Cheryl Ciccone Identifying Killer Whales At Eagles Eye Monitoring Station through the spotting scope donated by WeGo Kayaking and it's generous clients.

In 1982, Robson Bight was officially recognized as important habitat and designated an Ecological Reserve under the BC Parks system. In 1987, a marine warden program was initiated to both monitor the behaviour of whales in the presence and absence of vessels and to inform park visitors of the whale watching guidelines and no-entry policy of the reserve - which extends one kilometer offshore of Vancouver Island and is nine kilometers long. Northern Resident killer whales spend considerable amounts of time in the bight feeding on high concentrations of salmon and rubbing on the smooth pebble beach in the reserve. In 2003, the Johnstone Strait Killer Whale Interpretive Centre Society began a three year contract to operate the warden program.

Straitwatch is a stewardship-based marine mammal monitoring and education program operated in Johnstone Strait, off northeastern Vancouver Island. The program monitors activities around local marine mammals, especially killer whales, and provides boaters with

information on marine species and marine mammal viewing guidelines. The program strives to increase people's awareness of the stresses these animals face, such as habitat degradation, decreased food availability, increasing underwater noise and contaminant levels, we can modify human behaviour to alleviate these stresses.

>>> Visit The Johnstone Strait Killer Whale Interpretive Centre Society Website

The killer whales adoption program is an excellent way to contribute to the welfare of the British Columbia Orca population. By adopting one of these amazing creatures you will become a key partner in the killer whales research effort. The B.C. Wild Killer Whale Adoption Program is hosted by the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, a non-profit organization. All contributions go directly to research and conservation of killer whales in the wild. We encourage all of our guests to take part in this effort. WeGo Kayaking adopted Cracroft (A32) - an adult male killer whale thought to have been born in 1964.

Once abundant in coastal British Columbia, humpback whales were driven close to extinction by commercial whaling in the early part of this century. For many years, sighting a humpback in B.C. waters was a rare event. However, ongoing field studies by Dr. John Ford and Graeme Ellis of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and their various colleagues are revealing that humpbacks are making a comeback in the province.

also shown that at least some Queen Charlotte humpbacks migrate to the Hawaiian Islands for the winter breeding season. Identification photos from the Queen Charlotte Islands were also used together with photos from other regions to produce a statistical model of the humpback population in the North Pacific. The best estimate is now 15,000 whales for this ocean basin, which is at least 5 times higher than previously thought.

Getting good quality photographs can be an arduous task! Long hours are spent in small boats, sometimes in not so pleasant weather conditions waiting for whales. Even when humpbacks are found, they do not always cooperate by showing their flukes at the right angle or at the right time!Imagine trying to stand on a rocking boat, in the rain trying to capture a photograph of just the right part of a moving whale…not so easy a task.