We set off eager as always to push off the dock. The wind was not particularly cooperative today blowing hard in the Georgia Straight, lucky for us we can sneak past that wind and hide in the Southern Gulf Islands. That is just what we did, but the whales also had plans to hide today too!

They were not really hiding from us, but we did not spot them on this trip. The Transient/Bigg’s Orca are who we were searching for today, they are here year round! Why didn’t we spot any today if they are always here? Well, it’s because this ecotype has a huge range! They can be spotted from Alaska to California and anywhere in between.

Since our whales are wild and choose where they want to go, that means they are not always in our range, or sometimes we just can’t find them even if they are! These whales travel hundreds of miles each day in search of food, with each whale needing to eat around 300 pounds per day. The mammals that they eat are also intelligent and will figure out the hunting tactics over time, so by using their entire range and visiting different hunting spots at seemingly random times they can use this in their favour. Ambush hunting is much easier for them once those seals and sea lions let their guards down.

Another tactic we have seen these orca use is a pretty clever one if you ask us! They will attempt an ambush and if noticed and the prey is alerted to them, they make a big production of them leaving. We see tails splashing, sometimes they will vocalize like “Look at us everyone we are leaving”! They then either circle back to try again, or one has been waiting behind in silence, pouncing once the opportunity arises. These techniques are then passed down from generation to generation.

During our search, we travelled through the breathtaking Southern Gulf Islands and met some other wildlife along the way. Spring is definitely in the air, as we saw so many different species of birds enjoying this sunny day. We also saw arguably the cutest member of the pinnipeds, the Harbour seals who were happy to be out suntanning on the rocks.

In addition, we got to see both the Steller Sea Lions and California Sea Lions during this trip! Finally, the last exciting wildlife was the majestic Bald Eagle! Getting to see all of this amazing wildlife is part of what keeps things exciting, even when the whales elude us. Since we didn’t find them, everyone onboard received a voucher that they can use to come back any time and try again for free!

Enjoy photos from the trip below, taken by Marine Naturalists Chy Brewster and Vanessa Vereschahen.