We'be been wanting to go whale watching since we arrived here, but we're waiting for the right day. That was today!
We left the harbour and after about an hour located the "J" Pod. There are 25 whales in this pod including 3 calves. We were fortunate that the pod appeared to be in its entirety (sometimes they break up for periods of time). They are known as resident Orcas feeding about 95% on Salmon (80% of that being Coho Salmon) 
It was amazing to see them. We were in U.S. Water when we found them and you are required to be at least 200 yards away from from them. We observed them for at least half an hour before it was time to leave. 
We located some Stellar Sea Lions on the way back. You could hear their grunts and roars as they positioned for their territory. 
It was a great trip and the staff did a great job locating and explaining the background of all these mammals.
We booked through Prince of Whales Tours in downtown Victoria. This is the Ocean Magic II, our vessel for today's trip.
The males remain with their mother throughout their lifetime, only leaving long enough to mate. J2 in this pod is known as Granny and she is estimated to be the oldest known Killer Whale at 103 years of age!
Here is a neat video of many of the Orcas in the pod.
This is the area where we located them.
You get an idea of the trauma for a whale to be removed from its pod and put in an aquarium. It is now illegal to do so.
A shot from the rear of the boat. Puget Sound leading to Seattle is on your left. Victoria would be off the stern and San Juan Island (USA) is on your right.
I got some great shots of this eagle.
The heads you see in the water belong to Harbour Seals.
We returned to Ritchie's where he was working from home for the afternoon with a little help from his cat.
Ritchie had another race tonight, so we went to watch.
There he is in the middle of the pack as they struggle uphill.
Making his move.
He finished 8th in his group of 25. Not bad given that he was probably the oldest in his group.
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