September 14, 2024, 10:30 am - An Orca Extravaganza and a Mysterious Humpback

This morning’s whale-watching adventure began with an exciting report: a pod of orcas had been spotted travelling north near Parksville, just on the edge of our northern range. It’s always a thrill to start the day with some fresh intel, so we decided to make the journey up the coast and try our luck.

As we cruised northward, the anticipation grew—and we weren’t disappointed. What we encountered was nothing short of spectacular: a full-blown “T-party!” In whale-watching circles, that’s what we call it when multiple pods of transient orcas (Bigg’s orcas) come together. Today’s party included the T002Cs, T075Bs, T060 brothers, T023s, and T035As.

T002C Tasu ♀ (1989)
T002C1 Rocky ♂ (2002)
T002C3 Lucy ♀ (2011)
T002C5 (2020)

T023 Janice ♀ (≤1964)
T023D Axle ♀ (1993)
T023D3 Robin ♂ (2012)
T023D4 Sixx (2015)
T023D5 (2019)

T035A Lester ♀ (1998)
T035A1 Opal ♀ (2010)
T035A2 Topaz ♂ (2013)
T035A3 Garnet (2018)
T035A4 ♂ (2022)

T60D Onca ♂ (2004)
T60E Lynx ♂ (2008)

T075B Pebbles ♀ (1995)
T075B2 Jasper ♀ (2015)
T075B3 Rubble ♂ (2017)
T075B4 (2021)

The scene was electrifying. These gatherings are always special, but today’s was full of action. The orcas were in high spirits, breaching out of the water with powerful grace, slapping their tails with thunderous splashes, and using their massive pectoral fins to send spray in every direction. It was a display of raw energy and social bonding, a reminder of the complex relationships that transient orcas share. As they travelled swiftly together, it was hard to know where to look—each pod seemed to be adding its own flair to the gathering.

Watching orcas during a T-party is truly a unique experience. These apex predators usually hunt in small, family-based groups, but during these larger meetups, they seem to relax and enjoy each other's company. The behaviours we witnessed today are often associated with socializing and play. Their fast, coordinated travel also suggested they were on the move with a purpose, likely covering ground together before splitting off to hunt later in the day.

After about an hour of this incredible display, we left the orcas to continue their journey north and shifted back into search mode. As much as we could have stayed and watched them all day, the Salish Sea is vast, and we were eager to see what else was out there.

Our next sighting came as we moved south, near Hornby Island. There, we encountered a humpback whale. Humpbacks are a regular feature of these waters, especially during the summer feeding season, but this one was a bit of a puzzle. After taking a few photos and observing its behaviour, we tried to match it with known individuals in the humpback catalogue. No luck.

One of the most exciting things about whale watching is the unpredictability—every day brings something new. Could this be a new individual? A young whale venturing into the Salish Sea for the first time? We’re eager to keep an eye out in the future and hopefully match this whale to our catalogue.

After spending some quality time with our mysterious humpback, we set our course for home. The trip back to Nanaimo was a peaceful end to an action-packed day, allowing us to reflect on the sheer diversity of marine life we’re fortunate enough to see in these waters.

From the high-energy orca T-party to the serene, solitary humpback, today was a perfect reminder of why we love the Salish Sea. It’s a place of constant discovery, filled with dynamic wildlife and awe-inspiring natural beauty. We’re already looking forward to what tomorrow will bring!

Stay tuned for more updates from the water, and as always, photos from today’s trip were captured by our onboard marine naturalists Aly Kohlman and Lucy Willis and can be viewed below!

T075B3 Rubble surfacing under a rainbow. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T035A2 Topaz with their younger sibling T035A3 Garnet. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T035A Lester with T035A4. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T002C1 Rocky showing off his saddle patch. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T035A Lester has a notch at the top of her dorsal fin. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T002C1 Rocky throwing his tail. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A tail slap beside T075B2 Fifi. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Two cartwheels at different points. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

One of the whales waving their tail beside a grebe (the bird on the right). Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T002C3 Lucy putting her face out of the water. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T075B4, T075B Pebbles, T023D3 Robin surfacing together. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T002C1 Rocky breaking the surface. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Big tail and little tail. So cute! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T023 Janice breaking through the waves. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A breach from one of the youngsters. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T075B4 surfacing beside T075B2 doing a big tail slap! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Tail slap! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T075B Pebbles breaching. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Another big breach from T075B3 Rubble. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A full breach from one of the whales! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T075B Pebbles surfacing beside T075B2 Fifi breaching. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T023D3 Robin with his tail up! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Swimming upside-down! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Tails up. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T023 Janice. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T002C1 Rocky surfacing with another behind him. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

One of the males tails! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T060E Lynx surfacing behind T002C1 Rocky. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T035A2 Topaz, T060E Lynx, and T002C1 Rocky. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T060E Lynx. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Breaching in front of Qualicum Beach. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T075B2 Fifi and T075B Pebbles. Photo by Lucy Willis.

T035A Lester, T075B2 Fifi, T075B4 and T075B Pebbles. Photo by Lucy Willis.

T075B2 Fifi tail lobbing. Photo by Lucy Willis.

Another baby breach. Photo by Lucy Willis.

Tail slaps. Photo by Lucy Willis.

A pectora fin in the air. Photo by Lucy Willis.

One of the whales swimming sideways. Photo by Lucy Willis.

Harbour Seals hanging out on the rocks. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A haul-out of Harbour Seals. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Cormorants spending time on the rocks. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Steller Sea Lions in the water. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

The Mystery Humpbacks Dorsal fin. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Underside of the Mystery Humpbacks tail. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Mystery humpbacks dorsal as the arch to dive. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Scarring from a recent entanglement. Photo by Aly Kohlman.