Our JKPW workshop on Vancouver Island, British Columbia in late August was a wildlife focused thrill ride. We spent most of our time on the water, either searching for whales and black bears along the coastline or traveling to a First Nation area where grizzlies roam the streams and rivers in search of food for the coming winter. The grizzly above was one such hunter, looking for the salmon that gathered after spawning.

Black bears also were on the search for food along the island coastlines, turing over rocks for anything edible.

This area of Canada attracts a tremendous amount of wildlife, including a large population of eagles, sea lions, harbor seals, wolves, and shorebirds.

Whale sightings were numerous. We watched gray whales and pods of Orcas and encountered a curious humpback who spent a good 20 minutes taking several looks at us strange humans, coming incredibly close to our boats without every touching us. Pretty amazing for such huge creatures.

In the Strait of Georgia we followed a pod of Oracas as they glided by a landscape with Mt. Baker in the background.