We had a great start to the 2025 season on Friday, February 28, seeing “roaming gangs” of Steller sea lions all over the upper Comox Basin and out in the Georgia Strait. Lots of fun, sort of an easy hide and seek, we find them, then drift gently, waiting and watching while they notice us and come over. This is something they love to do, they are very playful, comfortable, and curious around Twee Schoenen. Maybe they remember us from year to year?
They were waiting for the herring spawn, (which just started in the Comox Valley over the weekend), so they seemed to be mostly socializing, playing, and hanging at the surface. We called it the Sea Lion Ballet, because it looked like they were making all their synchronized swimming moves!
For the first time, we saw an amazing “Musical Ride”, where two groups (10-15 each) made the sort of coordinated moves that made us think of a Snowbirds air show, or the famous Musical Ride of the RCCMP. The groups swam toward each other, merged into one, then they all turned and swam toward us to do some closer moves. They finished off with a sort of starburst, splitting into three groups and swimming off away from each other
We expect nice wildlife viewing this month (March 2025), especially over the next two weeks as the Herring Spawn explodes. There’s also a lot of waterbird activity this time of year, Comox is an Important Bird Area for numerous migrations. We’ve worked with Environment Canada and BCNature to do drone surveys and bird counts of up to 125,000 seabirds at a time!
Pricing is very competitive at $199/person for a four hour cruise, and discounts for families and other groups. Twee Schoenen is the largest and most comfortable tour ship in the area, and features wraparound handrailed decks for full 360 viewing. The heated lounge/dining room, galley, and washroom provide luxury yacht space and comfort.
Please give us enough notice to line up crew, but our captains are 100% available, and we do have crew on standby. We’ll go anytime the weather’s safe and we have at least 6 passengers booked, so please let us know as soon as you can!