Whale Watching and Boat charters From Salt Spring Island and Galiano Island: News from CBC

News from CBC

There's some good news today about B.C.'s endangered killer whale population — another calf has been spotted off the coast of Vancouver Island.

A whale watcher first noted the small dorsal fin on the weekend in the waters of Haro Strait, between Victoria and the San Juan Islands.

'Our population of killer whales in the region is endangered.'
—Ken Balcomb, executive director of the Centre for Whale ResearchKen Balcomb, the executive director of the Centre for Whale Research in Friday Harbour on San Juan Island, Wash., confirmed the sighting was the second for that pod this year.

"We went out and yep, there indeed, there's a brand-new baby there, a brand-new baby in J pod. That makes two this year in J pod, and in both cases are doing well," he said.

Everything you need to know!

Wildlife Viewing gudelines:
http://www.nwwhalewatchers.org/guidelines.html

http://www.saltspringmarket.com/festival/default.htm

http://www.saltspringaccommodation.ca/

http://www.galianoisland.com/

http://www.galianoinn.com/

http://www.gulfislandsguide.com/wildlife/gulf-islands-wildlife.htm

http://www.bewhalewise.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsBkxFS4lag

http://www.saltspringair.com/

http://www.seaotterkayaking.com/

http://www.saltspringadventures.com/

http://www.saltspringtoday.com/

Events on Salt Spring and Galiano

http://www.saltspringtoday.com/events/events.asp

http://www.galianoisland.com/events.php

Gulf Islands Marine Park

http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/gulf/carte-map-fl_e.asp

The Weather

http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/bc-93_metric_e.html

http://www.saturnavineyards.com/

Pub-hopping in B.C.'s southern Gulf Islands means great views, local seafood
After a hard day of touring British Columbia's southern Gulf Islands, a tourist is liable to be hungry and thirsty. What to do?
The new edition of "Exploring the BC Coast by Car" provides some options.
On Salt Spring Island, Moby's Marine Pub in Ganges Harbour has "great harbour views from cathedral-sized windows" and an extensive menu that includes local seafood, with numerous brands of beer on tap.
Mayne Island has the Springwater Lodge at Miners Bay - "B.C.'s oldest continuously operating inn," dating from 1892 - with "incredible views" of Active Pass from the outdoor deck and "legendary hamburgers." Also on Mayne is the historic Mayne Inn, at Bennett Bay, dating from 1912, once a bunkhouse for a brick-making project.
On Saturna Island, the Saturna Point Lighthouse Pub, located beside the ferry dock at Lyall Harbour, offers fish and chips, yam fries and other pub fare. Pender Island's Port Browning Marina is another local favourite. And the Hummingbird Inn Pub, in the middle of Galiano Island, offers a "great deck in a lush garden setting" and classic West Coast cedar-and-beam architecture.
"Exploring the BC Coast by Car," by Diane and Allison Eaton, is published by Harbour Publishing.

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People today are better travelled than any previous generation and they are not just to looking to visit a destination - they want an experience when they get there. Just going to a destination is no longer enough. This desire for first hand and unique experiences has led to a growth in both the activity and adventure travel sectors as holiday makers now want more than a beach, sun and a sight-seeing tour. Long haul destinations are becoming increasingly popular because programmes like Michael Palin's series on the Himalayas make the remote seem more accessible and in our increasingly urban and sedentary world, people are looking for more challenges (this can also be seen in the dramatic increase in numbers of people competing in marathons and triathlons). The desire for a healthy lifestyle and to be fit (and to look fit) is an important part of everyday life and even though this can sometimes be more perception than reality (we all join the gym but we don't always go!), we also like to think that we will continue this regime when we have more time i.e. when we are on holiday. Increasingly we are also seeing changes to the preferred length of holidays - people like short breaks which they take more frequently and longer holidays (15 days+) when they will go on more long-haul travels (the old 'trip of a lifetime' except that now we all expect to take far more than one!) The increase in sports coverage and the cross-over of sport and leisure pursuits into everyday lifestyle and fashion has also increased the number of people wanting to try such sports as scuba diving, windsurfing, kite-surfing and mountain biking which in turn has led to an increase in activity-based travel. This has grown primarily as a direct market due to the degree of specialist knowledge on both the activity and the destination needed (and required) by customers. All travel customers are now much more informed and information-hungry and the web is an important tool in satisfying this demand, which again has reinforced the direct-booking trend. There are a number of specialist travel agencies that are well equipped to deal with these new and growing products but to date the main high street retailers have been reluctant to engage with this developing sector of the holiday market. Adventure holidays are not just for the young 'adrenaline junkies' but now families, young professionals and even the grey market are booking such activity holidays, whether it is paragliding over a glacier or walking the Haute Route.

Over 50 and looking for a good time

January 14, 2008

Reuters' Natalie Armstrong writes "Forget beach holidays and sightseeing. Baby boomers in Canada, Australia and Britain are leading a trend for adventure and educational vacations," according to a new travel survey."A lot of people have been there and done that," says Dale Urquhart, of BCAA Travel, a chapter of the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) in Vancouver. "People are looking for more of an experience when they travel as opposed to a 'fly and flop' sort of holiday."Demand for trips specializing in adventure, education, health/spa and culinary experiences have increased over the past year, according to 103 travel experts surveyed by BCAA. Urquhart said companies she deals with have reported growth in Australian and British travellers seeking adventure trips. "It's the stuff they can tell their friends about," said Urquhart, adding that adventure vacations are drawing women, honeymooners, families and people over 50. "The Boomers are the ones who can afford to take their families on these vacations."University-educated professionals want trips that allow them to learn a skill, sport or other interest. People looking for rest and relaxation who don't want to gain weight are opting for health and spa trips. Culinary travel is also growing in popularity. More people are traveling alone, especially women, but group trips are also on the rise."If you're working and you want to stress-down, a beach vacation definitely makes sense," said Chris Ronneseth, of Trek Holidays based in Edmonton, Alberta. "But when you've stopped working as much, or you have a lot of vacation time and you haven't done a lot of travel, sometimes the more experiential things can be more what you're looking for."

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Whale Watching and Boat charters From Salt Spring Island and Galiano Island

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