As part of my Direct Action placement with the BC Cetacean Sightings Network (BCCSN) I got the opportunity to take part in a harbour porpoise survey on Saturna Island. I woke up at 5AM on Thursday excited for the trip. As I headed to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal the sky was pitch black. This would be the first time I would board a ferry on foot.

At 7AM I got on the Spirit of British Columbia headed to Swartz Bay. It was a rather quiet and peaceful trip as there weren’t many passengers. I spent most of the voyage on the outer deck in the hopes of spotting a cetacean. The view from the ship as it travelled through the Gulf Islands was stunning. A few other ferries passed by along the way. There were many birds out on the water.

After a brief wait at Swartz Bay I walked onto the Mayne Queen headed to Saturna Island. It was a much smaller ferry and foot passengers walked directly on/off the vehicle deck. Standing in front of all the cars waiting to get off felt a bit awkward. Unfortunately, I didn’t spot any marine mammals.   

Once I was on Saturna Island I met up with Chloe and Kayla from the Southern Vancouver Cetacean Research Initiative (SVCRI) based in Victoria which is part of the BCCSN. We stopped at the general store to get some cinnamon buns, but sadly they didn’t have any. The drive up to the study site at East Point had some great views of the coast as we drove along the narrow winding road.

As soon as we arrived at the study site we spotted a harbour porpoise and rushed to get out our equipment. This was the first harbour porpoise I have ever seen. It’s small grey dorsal fin would emerge frequently as it swam past us. Not long after Stinky the harbour seal appeared right below us next to shore. Stinky would make several more appearances throughout the survey.  Looking out into the Straight of Georgia it was hard to not get distracted and look at all the sights in the distance through the binoculars.

It was relatively quiet out except for the occasional barking from the sea lions on a nearby rock. At one point a young eagle flying back from sea got into a brief fight with another young eagle. There weren’t many ships on the water, only a few small vessels and one container ship came past. The weather was mild at first, but the wind was slowly picking up. Towards the end of the survey we took shelter behind the little building nearby to escape the cold wind. The first harbour porpoise we saw would be the only one, but it was nice to see at least one. Sometimes they don’t spot any.  

Leaving Saturna we got on the Mayne Queen once again. It was a quick trip to Mayne Island where I parted ways with Chloe and Kayla and transferred onto the Salish Raven. It made a stop at Galiano Island before heading to Tsawwassen. I finally got home at around 7PM. It was a long day, but a memorable one. I definitely want to visit Saturna again, as well as the other Gulf Islands.

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