May 10th - T125A and T128 "Exotics" and then the T123's, what a day!
Two groups of killer whales and perfect weather, what more could we have asked for!
Cascadia departed from Nanaimo at 12pm and headed south through Dodd Narrows towards confirmed reports of two bull transient killer whales. They were spotted from shore earlier that morning and a boat was already on scene with them. What a way to start the day!
The two males were the same “exotic” transient killer whales we saw 5 days earlier down near Victoria, T124A and T128. Typically these two brothers spend their time way north of here, in Haida Gwaii. Maybe they’ve been finding lots of prey around here and will stick around, or maybe they are heading north back to their usual stomping grounds as we speak! Either way, it was a treat to see these remarkable fins cruise through our local emerald green waters.
After following these two through the Narrows our boat went around Gabriola Island and into the Strait of Georgia where whale watching boats were with more transient killer whales. One of our favourite groups to watch, the T123’s, were traveling across the Strait. We’ve had a lot of windy days over the past few weeks so it was wonderful to see the Strait flat as glass and to see the T123’s various fin sizes pop up in front of the stunning backdrop of the Coastal mountains.
The T123’s are a family pod of 4 whales. In killer whale societies there is no father figure, it is the mother who plays the role of matriarch and raises and directs the pod. Matriarch T123, “Sidney”, was born in 1985 and has three offspring varying in age from 19 years old to 8 months old! The big impressive fin in the pod belongs to her eldest, T123A “Stanley”, and the calf everyone was cooing over belongs to the newest addition, T123D “Darcy”. What is cuter than a baby orca? Nothing!
Here are some of the best photos taken by marine naturalist Val Watson. Tours are departing every day out of Nanaimo at 12pm, give us a call or book online if you’d like to join!
The dorsal fin of a male killer whale can get up to 6 feet tall! These two brothers both have tall, unique fins, making them easy to identify.
“Darcy” the baby orca pops up between mom and sister
Matriarch T123 in flat conditions in the Strait
We aren’t just whale watching!
8 month old calf travels beside mom in front of snow capped mountains on the mainland.