After the tedious hours of our flight, the ferry ride toVancouver Island, with its promise of majestic scenery and fresh sea air, was an enticing prospect. To reach our first destination, we boarded the service that runs from Tsawwassen inVancouverto Swartz Bay inVictoria, a 95-minute trip that glides through Active Pass, a picturesque strait separating the Galiano and Mayne islands. During our ride, we encountered a pod of orcas.