June 22nd - Total T Party in the Strait of Georgia!

What an awesome day with multiple pods of transient (Bigg's) orca! We zipped through the strait of Georgia, almost into American waters, and caught up with the T137s, plus more!

After stopping by Entrance island to have a look at the world's largest sea lions, the Stellers, we turned South to follow a report of several families of transient (Bigg's) killer whales.

We caught up with the T137 family, including one of our favourite whales, T137A "Jack"! Jack is a 16 year old male with a distinctive dorsal fin, so he's easy to identify.

Check out T137A "Jack's" dorsal fin. See the two nicks? Photo by Jilann Lechner Campbell

The whales were moving slowly enough that we were able to shut down our vessels as they passed by. On the quiet seas we all listened to the distinctive "PHWOO" sound as each individual came up for a breath of air!

Our open boat "Cascadia" with her engines shut down as the pods of transient "Bigg's) orca pass by. Photo by Jilann Lechner Campbell

Suddenly, some excitement erupted at the surface as one of the whales started tail slapping at the surface! Perhaps the whales had caught something below!

A transient (Bigg's) orca tail slapping in the Strait of Georgia. Photo by Val Watson

Just before we left these families of whales, we got a glimse of one of their youngest members surfacing at the stern of our vessel.

The white markings on young orcas like this one, are darker than the adults because their blubber is much thinner. Photo by Jilann Lechner Campbell

As evening set in, we headed back toward our dock in Nanaimo, stopping for harbour seals and a bald eagle near Poirlier pass. 

We consider ourselves very fortunate to witness marine life on our wild coast every day! If you'd like to join us on our next adventure, feel free to get in touch with us anytime.