Dolphins, orcas delight watchers in Vancouver, Squamish

If you kept a close eye on the waters near Vancouver and Squamish this weekend, you may have seen the dolphins and even some orcas.

At least two podsof Pacific white-sided dolphins were spotted by paddlers, boaters and seawall walkers off Vancouver's West End, in the False Creek area and offKitsilanoonSunday, though many more visited Howe Sound the previous three days.

GregHoekstrawas one of many who recorded the dolphins' movements Sunday near Vancouver, and posted the footage to YouTube.

The day before, around 100dolphins were seen and photographed near Squamish, at the end of Howe Sound in Blind Channel.

Krystal Hansen published this YouTube video showing the dolphins, many of which came in quite closetoNexenBeach.

Leanna Wilson told CBC News that she was out with friends in downtownSquamish on Saturday when she heard the commotion andrushed down to the beach.

The dolphins weren't alone:Wilson says that around 15 orcas were close behind

"The dolphins are pushed backand...the whales were totally dominating them," she told CBC News.

Wilson saidit was clear the killer whaleswere looking for a meal.

"One whale would throw the dolphin and it would land and crash back into the ocean and then two whales would jump up and smash it as it's falling," she said.

Just how many dolphins are around? They're almost too many to count inthisvideoRickRolstonshot in Howe Sound Friday. (Go to the 45 second mark,where theshowreally takes off.)

On Thursday, personnel aboard a Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue vessel estimated that they encountered and recordedclose to 200 dolphins while out on the water in Howe Sound.

• VIDEO:200 dolphins surround vessel in Howe Sound

Herring a draw

Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard, head of the cetacean research program with the Vancouver Aquarium, saiddolphins mostly disappeared from the Georgia Strait around 40 years ago, but have been seen slowly coming back over the last decade.

Still, sightings are pretty rare especially east of the Burrard Street Bridge.

"We had a report of some dolphins in False Creek about five or sixyears ago, just a couple. But it's pretty uncommon, really, in the general scheme of things," he said.

Barrett-Lennard said thedolphins seen around Howe Sound andVancouver waters this weekendwere probablyfeeding on a local abundance of herring, which isa sign that programsto clean up pollution along the local harbours, including False Creek, are working.

"There's been efforts to wrap those pilings up and to protect the fish from exposure to thatcreosoteand that in itself has had a big impact," he said. "You get the small fish, then the bigger fish, then the sea birds and the whales, and it's been a wonderful thing."

Barrett-Lennard said heexpects sightings of the dolphins will become more common.