Video: Blue Whales Off Iceland

This short, but sweet, video takes us off the coast of Iceland where we get the opportunity to spot one of the rarest and most elusive animals on the planet – the blue whale. At almost 30 meters (98 feet) in length, and weighing over 150 tons, this is the largest creature ever known to inhabit the Earth. Seeing one is a rare treat indeed, but we get to watch one thanks to this clip. Enjoy!

The blue whale of Iceland from Arnaud Muller on Vimeo.

ENCOUNTERING WHALES

Sailing on the ferry to Victoria

One of the interesting sports for locals and tourists here on the Pacific northwest coast, is whale watching.  You can go on charters from Vancouver or Victoria to see Orcas or you can go to the west coast of Vancouver Island to Tofino and Uclulet and see grey whales.  Or sometimes, while you are crossing Georgia Strait from Tsawassan Ferry Terminal to Schwarz Bay you will be lucky enough to spot a pod of Orcas (killer whales).

Watching for Whales

This weekend when I was on my way to Victoria on the ferry the announcement came over the loud speaker that there was a pod of whales ahead.  Everyone rushed to one side of the ferry and then ran over to the other side to see where the whale-watching boats were headed.  Sure enough there was a pod of Orca's frolicking alongside, diving and spouting water to put on a show for all the excited tourists on board the ferry. 

An Orca Appears!

A few minutes later the captain announced there was another pod ahead.  Unfortunately that time we didn't see any surfacing.  But there must have been quite a few around in the area that day as there were several whale watching boats out. 

Whale Watching Boats

If you want to check out the whale watching tours, here's one of the sites where you can find information for both Vancouver and Victoria.  For anyone visiting the Coast it makes for an exciting outing.
http://www.hellobc.com/en-CA/SightsActivitiesEvents/NaturalSightsParksWildlife/WhaleWatching/BritishColumbia.htm?gclid=CMX5hbTzvaoCFWkZQgodfFUSGQ