July 8th - Killer whales in the Strait of Georgia

We were in for an exciting day as we set out for the Strait of Georgia to visit the T124A orca family! The whales treated us to breaches, spy hops, and more as we got to enjoy the scenic views of the Southern Gulf Islands. 

Two members of the T124A family surfacing for a breath. Photo by Jenna Keen.

Check out the youngster in the front surfacing! Photo by Jenna Keen.

Our guests on board Cascadia, our open zodiac, took off in the morning in search of whales. As they travelled south through the Strait of Georgia, they met up with the pod of 5 whales right near the Apex! The border dividing Canada and the U.S.A. in the middle of the strait. 

Orcas surfacing just in front of the Vancouver Terminals. Photo by Jenna Keen.

The T124A family includes a 34 year old grandmother (T124A), three of her offspring (17, 12, and 8 years old), and a grandchild (5 years old). The female transient killer whales have a dorsal fin height of under 1m usually and a slight curve towards the back. When identifying juvenile males and females, particular attention needs to be paid to the underside, specifically the genital slits, in order to correctly recognize the sex.

Transient Orcas surfacing. Photo by Jenna Keen.

While on scene with the orcas, the guests got to enjoy many surfacing instances and were able to hear the deep sounds of their blows as they came up for air! The family spent most of the time milling, moving around without any real direction. You can see this in the picture below where the two orcas on the left are headed in one direction and the orca on the right in another direction! Lucky for us, we also got to see a spy hop with amazing views in the background! 

3 members of the family milling. Photo by Jenna Keen.

Beautiful spy hop with the snow covered mountains as the backdrop! Photo by Jenna Keen.

Come out and enjoy a trip for yourself! Call or book online and join us this summer to see some whales!