Tofino, Vancouver Island, sea wolves, boat photography

[Gov]

My family (four adults) is headed to Tofino to look for wolves. We will be on a small boat with a guide. It is my understanding that the timing of our trips will be based on the tide, but it looks like we will be able to get out in the morning and again in the evening. The guide says most of our photography will be from the boat, although there may be a chance to jump out and wade ashore. Weather and old age will be a factor. We will be lucky to see wolves, but there are also bears, birds, whales, and orcas. I've shot whales from a small boat in calm water (500PF was too long, zoom was one more thing to adjust before shooting), but not targets on land in choppy waters. If we see wolves they are likely to be distant. I have read the threads here on zodiac photography and protection of equipment on a boat. I have a dry bag. My lenses 800PF, 600PF, 180-600, 1.4 teleconverter, and 24-120. (Also have 600F4 but don't use it much anymore due to weight and size.). My plan is to take the 800, my primary lens (I like birds) and the 24-120. Should my third lens be the 600pf or 180-600? Any advice about this area and boat photography with these potential subjects would be appreciated.

 

[wotan1]

Depends somewhat on the type of camera you are using. IBIS helps but does not solve the problem

I am familiar with the Tofino area and a lot depends on where you will be going. The West coast of Vancouver Island faces the open Pacific Ocean and it can get pretty windy and stormy out there. At the same time there are many sheltered areas where the water should be relatively calm.

I would think that longer focal lengths like the 800mm might be pretty rough to get something stable. 400mm or shorter woudl work better if you can get close enough.

I would also want to know what kind of boat will you be on and how much proteciton there is from salt spray. Does it have an enclosed cabin or will you be out on a zodiac type boat? You can get a lot of spray traveling through the rough stuff.

There is a famous hot spring area that is only accessible by boat. When I was there we went to the hot spring area but to get there had to go into the rough stuff. I would get more information from the guide.

 

[CoyoteCreationsNW]

I had an opportunity to shoot coastal wolves, not on Vancouver Island but along the B.C. coast. In a small zodiac even in relatively protected water there was a lot of movement. I shot mostly at 560 mm with the 400 TC 2.8 on a Z9. Full overcast early morning and evening meant wide open at f/4 with shutter speeds below 1/200 sec and the ISO was still higher than I like to use. Shoot in bursts and trust VR to help you out. I set VR - Sport. I had a hydrophobia rain cover on my kit even when it was not raining. A Zemlin lens cover helped keep spray off of the front element when traveling between sites. Thee experience with the wolves was well worth the equipment risk.

 

[Gov]

Depends somewhat on the type of camera you are using. IBIS helps but does not solve the problem

I am familiar with the Tofino area and a lot depends on where you will be going. The West coast of Vancouver Island faces the open Pacific Ocean and it can get pretty windy and stormy out there. At the same time there are many sheltered areas where the water should be relatively calm.

I would think that longer focal lengths like the 800mm might be pretty rough to get something stable. 400mm or shorter woudl work better if you can get close enough.

I would also want to know what kind of boat will you be on and how much proteciton there is from salt spray. Does it have an enclosed cabin or will you be out on a zodiac type boat? You can get a lot of spray traveling through the rough stuff.

There is a famous hot spring area that is only accessible by boat. When I was there we went to the hot spring area but to get there had to go into the rough stuff. I would get more information from the guide.

Thanks! I plan to take my z9 and z8.

 

[wotan1]

I concur with the recommendation to shoot in bursts at 20 fps so bring big cards. I got carried away one time shooting bursts and went through a 165gb card in about three hours.

 

[Replytoken]

My family (four adults) is headed to Tofino to look for wolves. We will be on a small boat with a guide. It is my understanding that the timing of our trips will be based on the tide, but it looks like we will be able to get out in the morning and again in the evening. The guide says most of our photography will be from the boat, although there may be a chance to jump out and wade ashore. Weather and old age will be a factor. We will be lucky to see wolves, but there are also bears, birds, whales, and orcas. I've shot whales from a small boat in calm water (500PF was too long, zoom was one more thing to adjust before shooting), but not targets on land in choppy waters. If we see wolves they are likely to be distant. I have read the threads here on zodiac photography and protection of equipment on a boat. I have a dry bag. My lenses 800PF, 600PF, 180-600, 1.4 teleconverter, and 24-120. (Also have 600F4 but don't use it much anymore due to weight and size.). My plan is to take the 800, my primary lens (I like birds) and the 24-120. Should my third lens be the 600pf or 180-600? Any advice about this area and boat photography with these potential subjects would be appreciated.

Are you on a zodiac? And how big is the zodiac/craft you will be on? I was on a zodiac in Hawaii for whale watching and the amount of storage we were provided was extremely small. You may want to check to see how much room you have, how close to others you will be, and if you are allowed to move about. And don't forget your Dramamine if you are prone to sea sickness. And the back part of a zodiac tends to be the most stable, so you may find shooting there to be best as the bobbing is not as extreme.

Good luck,

--Ken