Join a team of researchers as they unlock the secrets of the humpback whale. Dive under the sea and get ready for an up close view like never before.
Written By: Gretta Kennedy, Traveling Islanders
Location: Victoria, BC
Photo Credit: MacGillivray Freeman Films
We believe there is great value in occasionally taking our kids out of their classroom at school and plopping them into a different classroom with us.
Out there. In the world.
I want my kids to love learning and to discover it everywhere.
So last week we took our kids out of school for a family school trip to Victoria and had a whale adventure theme day!
First we started with a fabulous whale-watching trip with Orca Spirit Adventure and after a picnic lunch at Fisherman’s Wharf we made our way to The Royal BC Museum and IMAX to watch Humpback Whales.
After watching whales dance and spout all morning, it was wonderful to sit back and learn about these fascinating creatures in the comfort of a cushy chair and HUGE screen, the largest in all of British Columbia to be exact.
Narrated by Ewan McGregor, this 45 minute movie took us into the mysterious world of the humpback whale. After being hunted nearly to extinction just 50 years ago, humpback whales have made an astonishing recovery, though they are still on the endangered species list.
Humpback Whale Fact: They migrate up to 16,000 miles round-trip every year, the longest of any migrating animal in the world.
Every year we learn more and more about these beautiful, acrobatic sea mammals that live in every single ocean in the world. Every. Single. One. Did you know that? I didn’t.
Photo Credit: MacGillivray Freeman Films
They are probably most known for their intricate 10-20 minute long songs, set on repeat. And as scientists continue to study these songs, they learn that humpback whales in different oceans of the world tend to have slightly different accents to their singing…much like people.
Humpback Whale Fact: Humpbacks can hold their breath for up to 45 minutes.
Watching these creatures on the IMAX screen sure makes it all the more real.
As much as I love watching and learning for myself, I delight in seeing my own children’s eagerness to learn too.
They sat in awe as we all watched humpbacks join together as a team and make a ring of bubbles to “net” herring in order to get a bigger mouthful to eat.
We watched together and learned how a baby whale learns from a mama whale by playing copycat. Now that’s giant whale cuteness right there!
Victoria IMAX brings it all to life. It’s definitely worth a trip to see, learn and be in awe of these massive sea animals as they swim right by you on the BIG screen.
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