April 29 Minke whale, Steller sea lions, Dall's porpoise and submarine in Victoria Harbour!

So it looks like somebody turned on the `minke tap` today! We left the harbour just after 2 and headed into the sun and calm waters of the Strait of Juan De Fuca. We travelled east across the Victoria waterfront to check out around the Chain Islands in Oak Bay and Haro Strait. We passed south of Seabird Point, at the south end of Discovery Island and slowed down to check out the productive waters between Seabird Point and Beaumont Shoals to the east. Lucky for us, shortly after we slowed down to watch the seabirds feeding and look for harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) we spotted a minke whale (balaeanoptera acutorostrata)!

Minke whale in Haro Strait

Minke whale in Haro Strait

Minke whale in Haro Strait

We watched the minke as it worked it`s way in the waters around us feeding on what was probably herring. Most of the time we sat with the engines turned off and watch it circling around us as it fed. We were even lucky enough to have it surface quite near the boat a couple times! In addition to the nice close pass we also saw the minke and gulls association feeding, also know as Kleptoparasitism; the minke whales use the bait ball created by the gulls to feed. The gulls and diving birds, such as Rhinocerous Auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata), force the fish into tight ball just under the water surface. This ball is formed when the gulls dive down from above and the diving birds force the fish to the surface from below.

Dorsal fin of minke whale in Haro Strait. Note the dent on the leading edge of the dorsal fin and the nick at the top trailing edge...good features for future recognition

Close pass of feeding minke!

Close pass of feeding minke!

After spending half an hour watching the minke feed we travelled over to San Juan Island on the east side of Haro Strait to see if we could spot any other marine life. When we arrived to the deep waters off the west side of San Juan we spotted some Dall`s porpoise. Although we slowed to watch them and see if they`d come bowride they seemed more interested in feeding. They kept their distance but we still had a nice sighting especially because the waters were so calm!

Awesome spotting conditions! Beaufort 0!

Dall's porpoise in Haro Strait

After watching the porpoises briefly we continued north up Haro Strait to Kelp Reefs where we've been seeing Steller sea lions (Eumatopia jubatus) recently. We had a nice look at five animals; two were up on the ledge of the marker and three were swimming around in the waters below.

Steller sea lions hauled out at Kelp Reef, Haro Strait

Steller sea lions hauled out at Kelp Reef, Haro Strait

Steller sea lions hauled out at Kelp Reef, Haro Strait

After checking out the Stellers and the harbour seal hauled out on one of the other rocks at Kelp Reef we turned back towards the harbour to return to Victoria. As we were entering the harbour we had an interesting sight...a submarine on a heavy lift ship at Ogden Point! We found out later that this was the fire damaged HMCS Chicoutimi. This sub has not been to sea since 2004 when a fire killed one person and injured eight others. It is now going to Esquimalt harbour for a 2 year refit.

Dockwise ship at Ogden Point, Victoria Harbour

`Dockwise` ship at Ogden Point, Victoria Harbour

Dockwise ship at Ogden Point, Victoria Harbour