We came to Tofino to see the nature, and what better way to do it than by boat. Karine booked us two back-to-back tours on small boats (a Zodiac and a Beachlander).
The day started with good news: the rain yesterday evening and this morning removed most of the smoke. We discovered we could see islands and peaks from our room! Something I would never have guessed.
We started with some whale watching. What you’ll find around Tofino are gray whales. They are around the size of a bus, but instead of cute and easy to see yellow, they are, you’ve guessed it, gray. On a foggy, gray day, the water ends up gray as well. We were short on contrast! Good thing those things are big and announce themselves. We saw a bunch of blows and backs of whales, but no tails. It’s like they were mooning us. Considering the whales weren’t diving really far, it’s not surprising. We were also rewarded by seeing a bunch of other marine life, notably sea otters and sea lions.
Our second boat ride was at low tide. That’s when the bears come out to shore and turn over rocks to eat crabs, mussels, and barnacles. Essentially, they come out to grab some seafood. We were lucky to see a yearling (essentially a cub on its own) and two adults. Watching bears eating around is strangely fascinating. They roll boulders like they weigh nothing. We ended up spending about 20 minutes observing each bear. It’s also when I realized that sea lions are predictable creatures. Each captain brought his boat near the rocks with sea lions on it. I guess it softens the blow to passengers who didn’t see either whale or bears. Since these large animals seem lazy and like to return to the same rocks, the captains seem to plan their route to return by these rocks.
And that’s pretty much our day. Our only disappointment was that the local noodle shop serving Dan Dan noodles had closed before we got back from our second boat ride. Karine briefly considered having them for breakfast, but in case of seasickness, puking spicy noodles might not be the most appetizing experience. Noted that puking over a boat is never enjoyable, but why does it feel like your throat and mouth are on fire at the same time?
Tomorrow, we do our last long drive. We’re going to Vancouver. Maybe we’ll get some views this time.