Continuing our voyage, we rounded the northern tip of Vancouver Island, going ashore to hike along the isolated beaches and rocks, and stand at Cape Situl, the northernmost point of the island. Because I’m somewhat prone to seasickness, I was a bit concerned about what the sea conditions would be like as we got to the western side of the island where the protected channels give way to open ocean, with nothing between us and Japan but the waves and weather of the mighty Pacific. Luckily though, we were blessed with a favourable sea state and very good weather. Taking advantage of this opportunity, we cruised down to the Brooks Peninsula, ending up at Kyuquot.

Our naturalist on board, David Pinel, has spent years in the area as an adventure guide and leader in Indigenous ecotourism. His relationship with the community runs deep, to the point that he has been adopted into a Kyuquot family. David’s knowledge of coastal ecology and culture is vast, and we had the great privilege of going ashore to his West Coast Expeditions base camp, where we got to meet his adoptive family (after everyone got another COVID test, just to be 100 per cent sure we weren’t putting the community at risk). 

Kyuquot is beautiful, but it is a very remote community, and life here can be difficult. There are no roads in or out, and just getting medical care can often involve a long trip by boat or float plane to one of the larger towns on Vancouver Island.

We spent a wonderful day sharing stories and learning more about Kyuquot culture. We watched as fresh salmon was fileted and cooked on an open fire, and as the fragrant smoked filled the camp, we all go to know each other a little better. I was humbled by the generosity of our hosts, and in reciprocation, everyone was invited to the Cascadia to have dinner. The salmon was brought back to the ship, where the on-board chefs served it up as we all continued to ask each other questions, learn and share the experience.

We spent several days exploring the Brooks Peninsula region, passing endless expanses of mountains and trees, sacred Indigenous burial islands, and plenty of wildlife. The sea otters were a favourite. Sometimes we’d encounter a mother, floating on her back with a pup in her lap, and sometimes “rafts” of up to 60 males floating and drifting together amongst the kelp, occasionally diving for sea urchins. Sea otters have faced tremendous challenges in this part of the world. Hunted to near extinction, their numbers have rebounded in recent years.

Backtracking north, we took advantage of the spectacular weather to spend some time cruising around the Solander Island Ecological Reserve. This tiny group of islands is home to a surprising amount of wildlife. Sea lions bask on the rocks, soaking up the warmth of the sun as puffins, gulls and the occasional albatross fly past. The captain halted our progress when we spotted a pod of orcas. At one point, two of them breached, jumping completely out of the water right at the bow of the ship. I was lucky enough to capture a rapid-fire series of photos of one of these skilled hunters mid-breach. Bucket list photo opportunity achieved!

As the pod of orcas continued to circle, we saw what we initially thought was a humpback whale in the mix. Were we witnessing a predation event? Were these orcas hunting this humpback as a coordinated pack?

As we got closer, we realized that what looked like a humpback from a distance was actually a large male orca with a collapsed dorsal fin. Typically, orcas in the wild have a dorsal fin that sticks straight up; it is very rare for one to droop over. Unfortunately, this condition is common among orcas in captivity, but to see this in the wild was not only rare, but absolutely unique in this part of the world. After I posted a photo online, a marine biologist reached out to me, recognizing the orca as B-13, nicknamed Yaculta. He was born in 1987 and is the only known wild northern orca to have a collapsed fin. Our sighting of B-13 was added to the database of sightings marine biologists use to track the location and health of these animals.