It’s probably one of the least-known things of many little-known things about Haida Gwaii: May in Gwaii Haanas can be wild heaven.
Reports from our first 2014 Haida Gwaii trip bear this out.
Starting in Masset on May 14 and finishing at Sandspit today, May 22, our guests travelled from north to south in Haida Gwaii and explored the rich, protected area, Gwaii Haanas, for 8 days.
Every trip is unique. On this one, highlights according to the crew included:
- Dozens and dozens of humpback whales, some practising their spectacular flick-feeding technique
- A pod of orcas
- Other whale species: Fin, gray and minke
- Finding a prized glass ball on a beach (these are hand-blown fishing floats from old Japanese fishing nets that have been circulating for decades in the North Pacific, occasionally breaking free of the gyre and getting blown toward land)
- Visited all area village sites (including UNESCO World Heritage Site SGang Gwaay, Windy Bay and the new Legacy Pole, T’aanuu, K‘uuna (Skedans), and Cumshewa)
- Great visit to the intertidal life of Burnaby Narrows where the sea stars look healthy (not suffering from wasting disease as some are further south)
- Getting up to 8 knots under sail …a fantastic cruising speed achieved with the free power supplied by nature
All of this with plenty of the sunshine that – believe it or not – is most prevalent in May, as well as some wind and some rain, for good measure.
– with reports from Capt. Greg Shea on the Maple Leaf
Learn more about our Haida Gwaii tours here or ask us about them.
