This trip’s wildlife sightings started nice and early - we were able to spot a River Otter waddling along the docks before we even got down to the boat! This very pregnant female should be giving birth any time now, so we are excited to see baby otters in the area soon!

Once we pushed off the dock we headed on out, eager to continue where we left off from the morning’s trips. Having multiple sightings to reference we had quite a few options for directions to go, but we turned Northeast and headed towards “Humpback land”. While we always keep scanning all around us for whales, typically we are looking for flukes (their tails) or their blows. Today was a bit different though - we got to find them breaching (jumping out of the water), chin slapping (bringing their front half out of the water and slapping it back down), and pec slapping (slapping their side/pectoral fins against the surface of the water)!

When whales are being active like this, it can sometimes be tricky to figure out IDs. However, all three of these individuals cooperated perfectly and gave us nice clear fluke shots to ID from. They were identified as Coyote (BCX0837 calf 2021), Smoke/Squirrel (BCX2183), and Deca (BCY1229).
These three young whales (3 years old, 4 years old, and 4 years old respectively) were very excited today. While they were not interacting super close together for most of the encounter, they were near enough to each other that it was clear that they were communicating back and forth. Coyote was the most active of the bunch, repeatedly chin slapping and breaching away.
At one point Smoke/Squirrel began breaching, and it appeared that they were trying to get Deca to come over. This appeared to work, as Deca came over and joined the party shortly after.
While there’s no solid consensus about why whales breach, there are several theories, including:

Communication - When a large whale jumps out of the water, it’s going to end up making a very loud THUMP at the surface once it comes back down. This impact’s sound can travel very far through the water and could be a very efficient way of communicating with other individuals in the area, whether it is to warn them of potential danger or to invite them over for a snack break!
Pest removal - Humpbacks tend to have a lot of “hitchhikers” on their skin, ranging from barnacles to whale lice. While barnacles have a commensalism relationship with whales (the barnacles benefit, the whales do not benefit nor are harmed), sometimes the load gets a bit much and they need to dislodge some of their unwanted clingers. Quickly forcing their bodies out of the water can help pull old barnacles or pests off, helping the whales stay healthy and happy.
Observation - Whales may breach to get a look at their surroundings above water, to help them better understand where to go and what to avoid.
Attracting potential mates - While the main focus for our humpbacks in our area is to put weight on before heading to the breeding grounds, some individuals may try and woo the ladies ahead of time by breaching to show off their strength and agility.
Fun - It is widely believed that some breaches may simply just be for fun!

After an exciting hour with our whales, we said our goodbyes and left to find other wildlife. We journeyed over to “Stinky Rocks”, a small rocky islet group that is a very popular sea lion haulout spot. Amongst the sea lions was one extra interesting individual - a large male with a brand along his side. These brands help provide scientists with valuable information about where individuals travel and reproduce. This male was branded way back in 2001 in Rogue Reef, Oregon on Pyramid Rock, a critically important Steller sea lion area and home to one of the largest pupping sites for the species in the world!

Once we left our sea lions behind we went for a leisurely cruise back towards our home port. The trip wasn’t quite over though, as we needed to make one last stop at the Gabriola Bluffs to visit our Cormorant Rookery.
In the past years, the biodiversity at the Bluffs has been increasing and we are seeing more and more species returning to this area. The Bald Eagles now have a rival predator species that occasionally resides here - a pair of Peregrine Falcons sometimes nests deep inside the crevices of the rocks. We are excited to see what other new species might call the rocks home in the coming years!

Just before we returned to port, we took a quick peek at our favourite little Eaglet. This little one is now becoming quite large - we wouldn’t be surprised if it fledges in the next few weeks!

As the sun was starting to set we cruised back into the Nanaimo Harbour after an exhilarating day at sea!

Today’s photos were taken by Marine Naturalists Aly Kohlman and Hayleigh Hilbert.