Wednesday, August 19, 1998 -

By Lee Torgalson
Peninsula News Review ;

$ 6. If you can get here at two ty) lock, :
we'll find room for you,” says the
voice on. the other. a ‘of the

my. survival suit ong
~ most of them tourists, including two s
young woinen from Switzerland.
‘Madro gives a quick synopsis of the:
boat, the survival suits, and where :
-we're headed. .
~. “Last night, the whales were about ‘
15 minutes off-shore. Today, they've}
just been spotted coming down from |
the Sooke area. It will take us about an §
hour to get there,” she says. :
After we've climbed aboard, Madro
explains that this is only the second
time this year she has had to travel so
far to see the whales.
“This is not a perfect example of
what it’s like to go out with Sea.
Quest,” she says with a wry smile,
Before long, we're headed south to-
ward Victoria. There's a bit of a wind, .
and the boat ride feels much like travelling |
down a country road in a vehicle without
shocks,
We skim by Sidney's waterfront, pass he-

tween Island View Beach and James Island, and
we're soon rounding a corner and headed ina
more westerly direction,

An hour has passe and we’ re just skim-

never rake igh peed runs through a group. i
of f whales or- boats, | is
~~ Avoid taking position between the shore.
and the whales when the whales are within a. "
quarter-mile ofshores, “he
“. w No vessel shall stop in front ofthe group,
and; on leaving the whales, boats should travel .
slowly until they are at leasta quarter ofamile |.
‘away from animus and other vessels.’ oe
The tour boat industry also contributes to:
yr cmaning ‘hat beat sieenloee g are thor-... the operation and: maintenance, of | Soun
é ‘oughly famillarwith the U.S. Marine Mammal Watch, a ‘voluntecr ‘organization. made ‘com:
“Protection Act and: Canadiau ral: iriged of tour operators that, in easence,
erles Act a on their pwn kind, ©
» When approaching an area of known Yan operator breaks 8
whale activity, slow down a half-mile or more and location of the infraction ia n
“before: arriving, Stop. the boat. anc :
» Whales to sipproach,
we Never alter: speed: or change; course
‘abruptly: when. travelling with wala. end

Vala ca a bvete eb ee a ele wml

n y uly: Jocal: whalewatching companies: a
“signed ‘an agreement to. follow selfap-.
‘pointed rules and regulations,

“The move, was made before-governmen
~ could step in and hand down thelr own set “on
something they have no clue about,” s says lo
- cal operator Liz Madro,
The rules include operat

ting | tours, arou ind

ule, the day, time:
oted and the...

“we ane what ou. did ‘and we hae it will
keep, ug ini ine Madro sald. :

aN beet a Rn

ane : “LEE TORGALSON PHOTOS: "

ming past Race Rocks off the Metchosin wa:
terfront. Only a few minutes later, we have spot:
ted a half-dozen boats up ahead, They, too, are
whale-watching tours.

~ We've arrived,
-. Madro slows the boat down, and as soon as
the first whale is sighted _ the telltale sign be

ing a spot of mist in the distance where one of

the large mammals has just spouted water —
she cuts the motor and Icts the boat drift,
Within minutes a pod of whales is passing on

cither side of the hoat, leaving 12 orange-suited -.

tourists standing in awe,
“Dad! Quick! [need another roll of film,” a
teenage girl squeals in breathless excitement as

“three whales surface within metres of the boat,
teclo streaming off their lossy black
backs...

f

, Oe pret

hales winks the waters off Vancouver
Island their summer playground, are

November. As for killer whales, there are three

different pods that regard this area as their

summer home, Madro tells her passengers,
Ney are known ah, K and ‘1 pada, E Each

$10 ee foe oe
ps

ub

riving in April and leaving in early

Skippor Liz Madro points out a nearby group of whales to those aboard the Sea Quest vessel. ae

Ca ee

1 differs in 7 iiiinber but all are matriar-
“chal. — orcas remain with their
mother’s pod for life.

‘keeping track of new ‘additions to the
pods, taking ote ifa whale appears to _
hb

7 issin and noting. where and

. reas ‘are strictly fisheaters, .
4 and one of their primary rea-
XS sons of travelling to this part
of the world is to follow their favorite
meal — salmon.
~ Only transient whales, those that
don’t travel in a group, are the ones
that go after sea lions or other wildlife,
our experienced skipper explains.
Off in the distance the other tour
‘boats have lined up to allow for the
whales to pass in peace, When it is -
time for a boat to head back to port,
the vessel heads straight out to sea before point-
ing toward home —- and only after ensuring
they are a good distance from the whales,

And while whale-watching tour companies
have a bad reputation for gelting too close to the
pods and harassing the whales, it's usually
recreational boats that are doing the harassing,

says Madro.

“You should see when we're out by the San
Juan Islands, You'll have a dozen tour boats
lined up, motors off, but dozens of recreational
boaters driving right into the middle ofa pod. .

~ "They give usa bad name.”

‘Last month, tour operators in the Greater
Victoria area eame up with a list of rules and
regulations they have all agreed to adhere to,

“While it was three years in the making;

Madro says that, in reality, they were just
putting on paper what most tour operators prac

-tised by unwritten agreement. :
“Tyat’s not to say there aren't. afew that don’ toes
follow the rules, but they're being watched and.

they will be told their behavior is unacceptable,”
‘she says.

Afiera half-hour of watching the whales and...

walting for them to pass by, Lidcaide fires up| her:
boat and heads out to sca, |
It’s tine to go home.’

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