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Monday 9am - 9pm Tuesday 7am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 7am - 9pm Friday 7am - 9pm Saturday 7am - 9pm Sunday 7am - 9pm

Campbell River Adventure Tours

Name: Campbell River Adventure Tours
Address: Dock E, Discovery Harbour Marina, Campbell River, BC, CA
Telephone: +12502872667

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Campbell River Adventure Tours

Join us and see what Campbell River and the Comox Valley have to offer.

With a long history as a top Whale Watching operator in Campbell River, we now offer guided and educational hikes, nature walks, Brewery, Distillery and Winery Tours.

09/14/2022

This weeks creature feature is the magnificent and beautiful red sea urchin!

Red sea urchins are a large species of urchin that can grow almost to the size of a basket ball! They are a deeper species of urchin, living from the lower intertidal to over 500 feet deep. Some individuals are known to live as long as 200 years.

They will eat a variety of foods but they are well known to consume large amounts of kelp. Large groups of urchins are known to create "urchin barrens" by sweeping across the sea floor, consuming all the kelp in their path.

09/10/2022

This week's creature feature is the Grizzly Bear!

Grizzly bears are distinguishable by their smaller, rounded ears and their large shoulder hump. This hump is actually a large muscle that allows the bears to tear through the ground and rotten logs in search of grubs, insects, and roots. Their diet consists of sedges and other green vegetation, insects, grubs, mammals, and salmon!

Grizzly bear cubs stay with their mother for up to three years. The cubs will nurse for this duration, but will also eat solid food early on in the case that they need to be weaned quickly. Once a mother is ready to reproduce again she will chase her cubs away. She will, however, keep her daughters close so that they are able to inherit her territory once she dies.

They hibernate, or rather enter a state torpor, in which their metabolism slows down. In this state their heartbeat slows down from 40-50 beats per minute to just 8! They do not go to the bathroom during torpor, and instead reabsorb their urine which allows them to retain their muscle mass. They typically hibernate for 4-7 months and female grizzlies will also give birth while in hibernation!

📷 Zoe

08/31/2022

Harbour seals are a common sight in our waters here, found everywhere from our marinas to kelp forests, to tidal rocks. Harbour seals spend most of their life in the water, hunting things like fish, squid, and mollusques. In order to sleep, they need to haul out on shore. This can be difficult for them because of their fused hip structure, which is built for water locomotion, not land. Often they end up sitting on rocks half submerged, and wait until the tide recedes to rest. With this in mind I believe it is important to be respectful of their haul-out locations. Sometimes people tend to be a little less thoughtful of these animals because of their abundance in our waters, even though they play a critical role in our ecosystems. When approaching haulouts, I am always watching to see if the animals are reacting to our presence. If I notice a disturbance in the animals, I keep my distance, and leave the location as quietly as possible in order not to spook them into the water. Even though it might not seem like it would affect them very much, It actually causes them to expend quite a bit more energy than necessary. When already in the water however, they can be quite curious. I took this photo of a young pup that approached our boat on a tour the other day!

📸- Quinn

08/20/2022

2 more days till our Grizzly Bear season starts! Come out and Join us at either Bute or Toba inlet. Check out our website to see which one you want to visit !
📸- Tyler

08/18/2022

Can you see the whales?

Since the beginning of the summer, we have been doing our best here to feature a new species of wildlife every week. This week however I wanted to step outside the mould a little and address a concern that we as a community have.

Whales and Boats.

It is inevitable at this time of year that if you are travelling around Campbell River in a boat - you will come across Humpback Whales. We have seen an amazing return of these giants on the coastline - particularly in the last 10 years where numbers of Humpbacks sighted every year continues to grow.

With the increased use of their traditional waterways and feeding areas it brings these whales into the path of humans and therefore boats.

While there has been an increased effort on the coastline to educate boaters - on what to be aware of, and what to look for to keep yourself and the wildlife safe - we are still seeing dangerous behaviour while out on the water.

I was inspired therefore to share this photo and challenge you to imagine yourself travelling at high speed on a sunny day on the water:

Do you know what to look for when spotting for whales?

Do you know the regulations regarding how close to these marine mammals you are allowed to be?

If you are being honest, would you notice these sleeping Humpbacks and be able to safely navigate around them?

Did you know that assuming whales will move for boats is a dangerous assumption?

If you answered ‘NO’ to any of the above questions - consider looking into further education before your next boat trip out.

Follow the links below to get informed:

https://www.mersociety.org/seeablowgoslow

https://www.mersociety.org/boatblue

Remember we want you and the whales to be safe out there!

Photo: Kaitlin Paquette (Naturalist)

Taken with a telephoto lens and NOT cropped.

08/10/2022

It's time for another weekly creature feature! This week we would like to introduce you to Lewis's Moonsnail, Neverita lewisii.

This is the largest species of moonsnail, measuring up to 14 cm for the shell alone! This subtidal predator loves to eat bivalves like clams. It consumes these animals by drilling a hole through a specific part of the shell, which causes the clam to open, exposing its soft body to be eaten.

📸: Holly

08/03/2022

Presenting this weeks Creature Feature: The Plainfin Midshipman (Porichthys notatus)!

This toad-like fish ranges from Alaska down to Mexico. They spend the winter months deep in the ocean and will migrate to the intertidal zone during their summer breeding season.

They have light-emitting photophores along their heads, bellies, and sides that are used to attract both prey and mates during the breeding season. These photophores look like buttons on a naval uniform, hence earning them the name "midshipman."

Plainfin Midshipman have gills that allow them to breath in and out of the water. Having evolved to withstand the extreme conditions of the intertidal zone, these fish can survive up to eight hours on land.

The best yet? Certain males have the ability to "sing" to attract potential mates during mating season. This loud droning hum can even be heard from land by the human ear and sounds similar to a swarm of bees. Only certain males, called Type I, can emit this hum. Type II males, also called "sneakers," will lie in wait for a female to lay her eggs in a Type I males' nest, and will then swoop in to fertilize her eggs before the singing male notices.

Comment below if you have ever heard the Plainfin Midshipman sing at night!

📷 Zoe Hasenfratz

07/28/2022

Today's Creature Feature is brought to you by one of our guides: Quinn.

Respect for wildlife is very important to me. I am privileged to be able to spend the time that I do with the amazing wildlife of our coast. This photo is of a humpback breach, a behaviour not always seen regularly. Sometimes we tend to forget that we cannot expect certain behaviour from wildlife. Often many experiences require patience and luck, this makes these experiences all the more valuable. Here in BC we have some of the most ethical whale viewing guidelines in the world. We believe that not only are these guidelines important for the safety and health of the whales, but also to maintain their natural behaviour in the wild, allowing for the greatest viewing experiences. All my wildlife photography is done with a telephoto lens, which allows me to get a close up perspective with the wildlife.

📸

07/21/2022

Greetings fellow animal enthusiasts - for this week’s Wildlife Wednesday our ‘Creature Feature’ spotlight sets its focus to the Dall’s Porpoise. With their striking black and white colouration and robust build Dall’s are often mistaken for ‘baby Killer Whales’. The easiest way to know which species you're viewing is by their dorsal. Killer Whales, being a member of the dolphin family, have large curved dorsals that are all black - while Dall’s Porpoise have short triangle shaped dorsals and have a white tip on the top.

The Dall’s Porpoise is the biggest of all the porpoise species - they are known for being more outgoing than the Harbour Porpoise. While they do not tend to be acrobatic like dolphins they are known for swimming at high speeds and ‘porpoising’ (this is the term for when an animal swimming at high speeds breaks the surface of the water with their whole body) out of the water as they go.

Dall’s porpoises can travel at speeds up to 55 km/hour and generate a unique water spray behind them called the ‘rooster tail’.

This species of porpoise is found in the cold waters of the North Pacific. Here it shares territory with the Harbour Porpoise and it is not uncommon for there to be hybrid porpoises resulting from the interactions of the two species.

While it is possible for the Dall’s Porpoise to be albino (solid white) or melanistic (solid black) this is considered extremely rare.

The Dall’s Porpoise is considered an opportunistic feeder and overall have a wide range of food in their diet. For example: herring, hake, octopus, sometimes crabs or shrimp. It is believed that they do tend to prefer softer bodied food such as squid and lanternfish.

Researchers believe they have the ability to dive to great depths but as of now there have been no studies focused on this question.

📸 Kaitlin

07/13/2022

The *ahem* star of this week's creature feature is none other than Dermasterias imbricata, the Leather Star. 🤩🤩🤩

This sea star has a unique trick up it's metaphorical sleeve. When stressed, they produce a garlic-like odour, which has given them the nickname "garlic star." They can also occasionally be found with extra arms, beyond the typical five, which is uncommon for five-armed species of sea stars.

Does any one know why the Leather Star in the tide pool in the bottom left photo looks like it has a different texture to the other photos in this post? Leave a comment if you have any guesses!

But don't stop here! This weeks creature feature includes a bonus featured creature! Check out the rest of the photos for the second star of this week.

The second creature this week is the Red Commensal Scale Worm. This is the red worm shown on the underside of the star. As it's name suggests, this species is commensal to the Leather Star, which is a type of symbiosis where the worm gains benefits from the star but has no positive or negative impact on the star. It is thought that commensal scale worms ride on hosts, catching bits of detritus from around the tube feet.

📸: Holly

07/06/2022

In this week's Creature Feature: the Monterey Sea Lemon (Doris montereyensis)!

The Monterey Sea Lemon can be found in the subtidal and intertidal areas on coastlines from Alaska to California. Unlike lemons, the sea lemon is not edible, and its bright colouring warns predators of its poisonous nature. They feed on Sea Sponges, which give them their yellow appearance, and can vary from pale yellow to darker yellow individuals such as this one. Their spots differ from Nudi to Nudi, and their "ears" are actually chemosensory organs called rhinophores that they use to smell and taste chemical signals in the surrounding waters. Their "tail" isn’t a tail at all, but rather a feathery bundle of gills!

Sea Lemons are hermaphrodites (possess both male and female reproductive organs) and lay their eggs in delicate white spirals that can contain up to 2 million eggs!

Next time you go beach combing at low tide, keep your eyes peeled for Sea Lemons and other Nudibranch species in the shallow water.

📸 Zoe Hasenfratz

07/04/2022

Jumpy Humpy! What a treat to see 🐳 There are a variety of theorized reasons why Humpback Whales breach like this, we sure love it when they do. This day was a very special treat as they are more often resting on the surface when we see them.

📸 Zoe

Address

Dock E, Discovery Harbour Marina
Campbell River, BC

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 9pm
Tuesday	7am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	7am - 9pm
Friday	7am - 9pm
Saturday	7am - 9pm
Sunday	7am - 9pm

Telephone

+12502872667

Website

http://www.campbellriverwhalewatching.com/

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