Break In The Storm
With the Island Explorer 5 still out of commision for engine repairs the trip was on the Glacier Spirit who Puget Sound Express was able to lend Island Adventures. The weekend had started out stormy so I was worried about this trip but as we headed out the skies cleared and the sun even made an appearance. We headed out and saw some seals as we headed off in the direction of Canada to pursue an Orca report. As we approached the coast of Vancouver Island we found some Biggs that were identified to be the T18/19's. We watched some social activity as they swam with us including a playful young orca who was showing off its tail for us and even gave us a spy hop. After leaving them just around the islands corner we encountered a pair of humpbacks who gave us a couple tail shows, though the wrong side of the tail to ID them. The Glacier Spirit was a fun change of pace, it was a much smaller vessel with only a single story. This smaller size greatly reduced their capacity making the trip much more intimate and I was able to chat with a few guests. The smaller size did make things a lot more crowded though and made movement harder and the staff was less accessible due to more guest interaction and less movement. That said though the Glacier Spirit was a unique opportunity and I couldn't pass it up.
