A Season To Celebrate: Northern Great Bear - Khutzeymateen Grizzly Sanctuary 2019

A grizzly in spring grazing on sedge grass. Photo: N Shearar

2019: A Season to Celebrate

Northern Great Bear - Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary

British Columbia's north coast is one of those places where we hope to raise the sails. With a good wind, we make way out of the port of Prince Rupert to a remote estuary called the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary. Only just a few vessels are permitted to venture where we go which makes visiting this off the map place so special.

Transient (Biggs) Orca hunting a Steller sea lion. Photo: E Boyle

The outer Islands always provide superb opportunities to explore with colourful spring flowers, nesting kittiwakes and a massive Steller sea lion haul out monitored by a few dozing "beach masters". These males appear to be as big as Volkswagen vans!. Transient (Bigg's) orcas patrolled the waters for inquisitive, juvenile sea lions, who found cover in between our towed zodiacs, hoping they would be forgotten by those apex predators of the sea.

Dr Barrie Gilbert

Late May/ June is a unique time to visit. It is mating season for this important population of grizzlies. The large males tend to spend their time upriver, foraging away from human contact. Now they beeline it for the estuary to find the females, some still with cubs. Bear behaviorist, Dr. Barrie Gilbert, provided our guests with all the answers (and punchlines) for an area he knows so well. 

The dynamic suddenly changes with the arrival of the large male grizzly, from foraging and quietly to "the pursuit" - and the females are not always willing participants. Captain Neil captured one such occasion.

"The pursuit" lasted for more than 2 hours up a mountain and back. Photo: N Shearar

Crew noted "lots of bears" and "lots of mating" this year – a good indicator that we will be in for more incredible bear viewing Khutzeymateen Grizzly Sanctuary will in 2020...  ;)

Northern Great bear/ Khutzeymateen expeditions take place in late May/ June. Check out the sample Itinerary for more information on this unique wildlife expedition. BOOK NOW!

www.bluewateradventures.ca

A Remote Refuge

A Remote Refuge...

Photo: Neil Shearar

It is one of those remote places that is barely on the map. It’s name, Khutzeymateen – pronounced “Khootz-ee-mah-teen”, is a Tsimshian word meaning “confined space for salmon and bears”. The protected area consists of over 44,000 hectares and contains the largest concentration of bears in Canada . Although British Columbia passed a law forbidding trophy hunting of grizzlies, the Sanctuary is off limits to visitors, unless you have a permit. This manages the number of people that visit per year minimizing stress for the bears.

The Khutzeymateen is located in the Northern reaches of the Great Bear Rainforest. With Prince Rupert, BC as our port, guests board Island Roamer in quaint Cow Bay before heading north towards this very important and remote refuge.  Award winning writer, Phoebe Smith, captures her experience in the Khutzeymateen wonderfully in her article published this summer.

Photo: Erin Boyle

We sail through changing landscapes on this expedition. Past wildfower-dotted islands with white sand beaches and others that are mountainous with incredible, hanging bogs. While keeping watch for transient (Bigg's) orca and humpback whales, we may silently travel under sail - one of the benefits of traveling on a sailing vessel. Our compass then turns to the Khutzeymateen Inlet. It is the catchment for salmon bearing streams, important to local First Nations like the Lax’Kwa’alaams and the Metlakatla, as well as the bears and the rest of the ecosystem..

Photo: Neil Shearar

Late May is breeding season for the bears of the Khutzeymateen. Typically, the large male bears prefer to forage in areas away from humans. But breeding season brings them to the estuaries in pursuit of females (and oblivious to us), resulting in some rarely witnessed behaviour.

Few have visited this special place because it is about as easy to find as it is to pronounce. If you are drawn to "off the beaten path" places, then this experience is for you. Escape the masses and immerse yourself in BC’s Northern Great Bear Rainforest. 2020 Dates available for booking now.

Questions? Shoot us a quick email - explore@bluewateradventures.ca

Or, give us a call - 1-800-877-1770 / 604-980-3800

Hunting Skills of the Orcas

Each year, Bluewater partners with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society from the UK for some amazing adventures on the BC Coast. Their guide who joins us each year, Rob Lott - has a great article in the online World News today! Check out his great photography here

Photo by Rob Lott, Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
We are looking forward to getting Rob back on the Pacific Coast to see our BC Orcas and share his wealth of knowledge with our guests.