This website is the personal photo "showpository" and "blah-blah-blog" of Christopher Zylstra, captain and naturalist for various whale watch and marine adventure tourism operators in Victoria BC. Moreover it is a thank you, a way to show gratitude for the interest in marine life shown by my passengers. If you didn't pay to go whale watching, I wouldn't get paid to go whale watching. Being your guide to the water world surrounding me is an honour, privilege and indescribable joy.
Check out the "geoblogging" of individual trips on the home page, created by saved GPS tracks mashed up with satellite maps, and photos actually taken on that trip with a GPS antenna equipped camera.
You probably got here because you were on one of my trips and I promised you hi resolution photos for downnload - searchable by trip time and date. This site also houses a gallery of some of my favourite images and audio/video presentations comprised of those images as well.
Everything we do affects the animals around us... hopefully, by these and other efforts, not all of it is negative.
Straitwatch operates stewardship vessels in Johnstone St. (Northern Resident Orca stewardship) and S. Haro/Juan de Fuca (New, 2007, Southern Resident orca stewardship). From June to September the Straitwatch crew monitors whale watching activities and promotes the marine mammal viewing guidelines. The project aims to work with the community to increase awareness of marine conservation issues. Straitwatch needs your support. Please consider donating time, equipment or money HERE.
Most easily but not most accurately described as US version of "Straitwatch", Soundwatch is known primarily for educating whale-watching boaters. Soundwatch also patrols the boundaries of marine protected areas, such as National Wildlife Refuges and Bottomfish Recovery Zones, and conducts bird surveys. The Soundwatch boat is also used for responding to strandings of marine mammals.
Click image for full size view. USS Zephyr (PC-8) was built as a Cyclone class patrol coastal ship in the United States Navy. As of 8 October 2004 she was transferred to the United States Coast Guard as USCGC Zephyr. The mission of the Patrol Coastal ships is to conduct Maritime Special Operations, to include: maritime interdiction operations, forward presence, escort operations, noncombatant evacuation, foreign internal defense, long-range Special Operations Forces (SOF) insertion/extraction, tactical swimmer operations, reconnaissance, intelligence collection, operational deception and SOF support as required. Operationally, the PC's are capable of accelerating from stop to 35 knots in under three minutes, then move from full ahead to 15 knots astern in 60 seconds. In high-speed, hard-over turns, the ship barely heels as the automatic stabilizers engage.