Wow - to think that we were still only in the first week of our trip!! So many more amazing sights today.

The day started early so that we'd be on time for the morning trip out to wildlife spot with Subtidal Adventures. Even before we'd left the harbour our skipper and guide, Brian, had the boat close to a bald eagle and we could begin to learn the art of photograph-taking from a rocking boat - definitely not easy! Next up to have their photo taken was a colony of seals and we didn't have to wait much longer for our first encounter with a couple of feeding grey whales. The weather was still pretty grey, foggy and gloomy at this time but we managed to capture some photos. Then Brian headed the boat out into the more open seas where the swell was stronger and Jill began to fight seasickness. Happily we entered calmer water inside The Broken Island group where we saw sea lions - a first for us both. Dave has an ace photo of one just as it leaps into the sea.

Then on the hunt for more whales - probably finding again the pair of grey whales that we'd seen earlier but by now the morning fog was beginning to lift and this time the boat drifted closer and/or the whales swam in the direction of the boat so we had a much better view than earlier. The 30+ ton grey whales were gently blowing and diving only 20 yards away. Brian explained the water wasn't deep but provided good feeding for the whales filtering lunch through their baleen. It really was magical being so close to these huge creatures.

The photos still don't really capture the experience and neither can words. Jill did manage to video a couple of minutes of the whales that captures the experience much more accurately and we'll post that when we've edited it down a little to make it easier to upload. Looking through the viewfinder on a heavily rolling boat for this length of time nearly did for Jill however and she feared that the seasickness would win: thankfully it didn't but she did feel a bit fragile for the rest of the day. The things we do for art!

On the way back into the harbour we spotted a black bear with her cub - we didn't risk getting close even from the safety of the boat but still had a good view of them as they combed the shoreline for food. Back on firm land Jill was happy to spend a little while recovering and Dave pottered around the cabin taking photos.

Then off for a walk on the Wild Pacific Rim Trail. This was simply lovely - a gentle stroll through ancient woodland, with stunning coastal scenery, in glorious Summer sunshine: not much seemed 'wild' about it but the tsunami warning signs reminded us that we were walking in a wild Pacific Ocean area.

We made a more determined effort to find a restaurant with fish for dinner which is how we came to eat at "Offshore". Here Dungeness Crab was the speciality - surely not from Kent?! No, turned out that this is the name of the crab caught locally. Dave chose well with the seafood hotpot - full of lovely fresh fish and seafood, including three large crab legs that needed cracking open. You'll need to squint sideways at the photo but you'll see how amazing this was!

Looking back over the day we marvelled at how we could still only be in the first week of our trip as we've had so many wonderful wildlife encounters and done so many amazing things. Roll on the next 11 weeks!