Arrival on Haida Gwaii

Several years ago we met a couple on the Cassier Highway who had just come from Haida Gwaii (formerly Queen Charlotte Islands), an archipelago of islands in the Pacific, west of Prince Rupert.  They spoke of its beauty and wildlife.  We determined when the time was right that we, too, would make the journey.  Now, here we are…

We were off the ferry onto Haida Gwaii’s Graham Island by 5:30 am.  The only restaurant we found in Queen Charlotte didn’t open until seven.  The visitor’s center didn’t open until ten o’clock.  So we drove through the towns of Queen Charlotte and Skidegate, then along the coast to the small town of Tlell.  The shoreline was much different than expected, filled with rocks and large boulders, a rolling surf, and very little beach. 

On our way back to the visitor’s center, we saw several vehicles parked along the roadside.  We, too, puled over and discovered at least a half dozen whales swimming along Hecate Strait, not far offshore.  David and I grabbed cameras and climbed down the rocky ledge to the shoreline.  For the next hour and a half, we watched whales. 

The water along the shore in this area is extremely deep.  Amazingly, two whales and their calves came within 15 yards of the shoreline.  You can see in the photo below how close they were to us... and they came even closer...  

The mothers would roll on their sides, perhaps nursing their calves.  First we would see a baby’s small fin, then the mother’s larger fin.  A bit later, the mother would roll, spray, and take a deep breath.  We were so close that we could hear her blow.  

David took this photo of a whale nose...

Several onlookers told us they were probably gray whales feeding on herring.  What a welcome-to-the-island party for us!

We finally arrived at the visitors center.  The ladies were extremely helpful and suggested that we take a marine tour with one of the expedition groups to better see the islands.  We thought that a two-day tour might be fun, but they were sold out.  So we opted for a one-day tour of Louise Island.  The best part was that the weather forecast called for sun on Tuesday… perfect for a boat ride.