A Salish Sea Herring Boat Tour with Wild Waterways

After a week of highs and lows chasing the different spawns, we had a subtle feeling that the season was nearing an end and we were still missing getting up close to the wildlife on a consistent level. Between continually moving targets, availability and schedules – we were finally able to commit to driving two hours north to Comox for the Wild Waterways Adventures Salish Sea tour.

Of course, just that morning on our way up we received word that pods of orcas were active back home in Nanaimo. That’s the thing with wildlife – it’s always a gamble and a game of guessing. Hard to schedule around. But we committed and kept driving.

Experiencing the Salish Sea Herring Adventure with Wild Waterways near Comox. Vancouver Island, BC – March 2025.

Setting Out from Comox

As we set out from the marina the sky’s reflection on the water was beautiful – blue and crystal clear. Everyone on board excited for what the tour had in store as we made our way towards the north side of Hornby Island with our eyes peeled for marine wildlife.

As we rounded Hornby to the little Flora Islet, a handful of eagles – both young and old – were hanging out on the island waiting for their next meal. We floated around and Reuben, our boat tour operator, guided us to an incredibly scenic section with sea lions basking in the sun. I remember capturing these shots as we drifted along – the beautiful parallax of the water, the island and the mountains far in the distance made for exceptionally beautiful compositions.

This right here gets me really excited. Not only seeing the beauty of nature and wildlife in person up close, but being able to capture it in a cinematic and beautiful way adds an extra level of value to an experience for me.

Helliwell and the Sea Lion Colony

We made our way towards Hornby’s Helliwell Provincial Park with its beautiful rolling hills and cliff sides of dynamically shaped rock formations. A unique dark crane-like bird perched on the edge of the rocks, ready to dive out for its next journey.

Continuing south towards Denman Island, a massive rock emerged filled with countless – and I mean countless – sea lions resting on the rocks, diving into the water, crawling back up, barking and fighting over territory. Another example of just how incredible it is to be here in this location. But seeing it up close and personal on the water changes everything.

Reuben thought he saw something in the distance so we made a quick beeline south. Could the Nanaimo orcas be heading north?

Before we could confirm, the weather completely changed. Clouds rolled in, the wind kicked up and rain began falling – adding a cold, dynamic layer to this adventure. Saltwater crashing up onto us as Robin and I both tried to shield our gear from the spray.

Reuben guided the boat back quickly to Hornby to dock at Ford Cove for a quick break of coffee and cookies.

An Unexpected Connection

While docked we ran into Taylor Burke – another photographer out capturing the spawn from a sailboat. The same one we’d seen floating around Chrome Island back when we were on Denman the first day. Small world out here on the water.

After the break, we made our way over to the north side of Denman where there was still a lot of bird activity. A few sea lions followed our path and played in the wake of our boat. It was really something to see another perspective of the exceptional amount of birds on the coast – this time from the water as opposed to what we saw on the rock formation shores of Denman days earlier.

A flock of ducks took off in a beautiful stream of birds across the water. Further north we spotted a commotion of bird activity in the middle of the open water – gulls and eagles all diving and swooping, feasting off a school of herring. I remember seeing these pockets of birds way out in the middle of the water when we had our false spawn back in Nanaimo, but to be right next to it now was pretty amazing.

The Rainbow Sign

We made our way back to Comox with a mix of cloud hanging over Mount Washington and beautiful skies stretching over the Salish Sea. And as we arrived back to the harbour, a rainbow appeared just over the marina. A sign of great things to come.

We packed our things and chatted with Reuben for a bit before making our way back home. A sense of happiness filled the car – once again we had such an incredible day with beautiful experiences, and knowing we captured some remarkable perspectives of both wildlife and the amazing landscapes.

But once again that subtle sense of conflict lingered. We were nearing the end of the herring spawn season and still hadn’t experienced any orcas up close. Was it the right choice to take the boat tour up in Comox and miss the orcas back home in Nanaimo?

That’s the thing with wildlife. It’s always a gamble.

But what we didn’t know yet was that the best was still to come.