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Our first adventure out of Tofino was up to Hot Spring Cove...had the springs all to ourselves - sunset to starlight. |
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One of the Nu'cha'nulth natives operating the ferry, who had a keen eye for wildlife spotting. |
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Sea lions seen from the ferry |
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A pod of six Grey whales that we and others stopped to observe. |
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Whales take four to six short breaths before they make a deep dive that lasts for 20 minutes. |
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The Long Beach Unit of Pacific Rim National Park had incredible interpretive walks, and just as many massive banana slugs as the West Coast Trail Unit of the park. |
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The Ucluelet Mini Aquarium touch tanks, and a squishy sea cucumber! |
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These sea squirts are ~2 cm in diameter and shoot sea water up at you when you touch them. These ones were living in a giant barnacle shell. |
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Yikes! Urchins can move their spines and pinch prey! |
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Featherduster worms live in hard tubes and filter sea water with....feather-like dusters, which disappear when you touch them. |
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These sculpin, little 'fish' that live in tidepools, looked just like mini-seahorses! |
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Erin is digging a moonsnail out of the sand in this tank - what you see is the snail's muscle-y foot. A hungry sea star watches from the floor of the tank. |
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Petting a ten-legged sea star. |
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These ufo's were not in a touch tank! |
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