Day 4 - Campbell River to Telegraph Cove & Whale Watching

Today we'd be leaving Painter's Lodge for a few days as we headed further North for a visit to Telegraph Cove. Our first stop would be local Walmart to stock up on some food supplies as we'd be staying in an apartment during our stay.

Once we'd stocked up, we set off on our way. The 80 mile journey was essentially a single road north through the first bit of great Canadian wilderness we'd had this time around. Much of the drive was through dense forest roads, occasionally opening up to reveal expansive mountain ranges. Eventually the turn for Telegraph Cove appeared and we arrived at what was one of the most memorable places from our last visit.

For the next three nights we'd be staying at the Dockside 29 marina hotel which overlooked the tiny seaside town.

However before we settled for the evening, we had our first excursion to take - whale watching. The Johnstone Strait, on which Telegraph Cove sits, is a magnet for all kinds of marine life, including Orcas, Porpoises, and - the main target of the excursion - Humpback Whales.

Before we even got on the boat, we spotted a family of Orcas at the mouth of the cove and we were quickly ushered aboard to get a closer look. Once we got out to sea, the Orcas proved to be a little more shy and though we got to see plenty of them, they weren't as playful as on our last visit.

We did however see a group of Dall's Porpoises who seemed very keen to join the boat's journey out into the wider waters to seek out the Humpbacks.

After some searching, we eventually caught sight of the telltale sign of sprays of water from the Humpbacks and got close enough to see them swimming a short distance from the boat and see the classic tail fin appearing briefly before disappearing beneath the waves. We stayed out on the water for a couple of hours before being taken back to Telegraph Cove.

We had an early night following this as tomorrow we'd be heading back out on the seas again - this time to go Bear Watching!