Today was a gorgeous day to be on the water! The sky was clear, the waters were calm and the whales were out!
In the morning we hung out with T2C’s near Snake Island. These guys were catching a morning nap, surfacing slowly and hanging out close to each other. This pod consists of 5 whales! T2C is the matriarch, Tasu. Tasu is 30 years old this year. She travels with her eldest son Rocky (T2C1) who is 17, her second sun Tumbo (T2C2) who is 14, her daughter Lucy (T2C3) who is 8 and her youngest one Kano (T2C4) who is only a year old!

Tasu (T2C), Rocky (T2C1) and Tumbo (T2C2). Photo by Rebeka Pirker (10.30)

Orcas are very emotional animals and the T2C pod is a perfect example of how important family is to an Orca.
Tumbo was born with Scoliosis and has a pretty good curve in his spine. This makes him slower than the rest of his pod, and unable to keep up during hunts. Any other animal with this problem would often be left behind by their family or maybe even killed. But in an Orca pod everyone takes care of everyone!
Tumbo’s pod is know to travel a but faster than him, sometimes leaving him up to a km behind, but they always loop back to check on him. They also bring him food! Since Tumbo can’t keep up, he can’t hunt with his pod, but they make sure to bring him some every time they complete a hunt!

Today they were resting near Snake Island and Tumbo was staying close to his mom, Tasu, and his older brother, Rocky.

Rocky (T2C1, Left) and Tumbo (T2C2, Right). Photo by Rebeka Pirker (10.30)

Tasu (T2C) and Rocky (T2C1). Photo by Rebeka Pirker (10.30)

Rocky (T2C1), Tumbo (T2C2) hanging out with their sister Lucy (T2C3) by Snake Island. Photo by Rebeka Pirker (10.30)

We found a pair of Bald Eagles hanging out on the islands at the south side of Gabriola. Then we came up to our Harbour Seals, who were hanging out on a small rock near the eagles. One of these seals in particular demonstrated how effective his camouflage was, as he blended into the sea weed and rocks very well!

Steller Sea Lions on Entrance Island. Photo by Rebeka Pirker (10.30)

We finished off our morning trip with a stop at the Cormorant Rookeries along Gabriola. The chicks are getting pretty big! We got some great shots of our Pelagic Cormorants (top picture) and a great shot of the Double Crested Cormorant (bottom photo).

Cormorant Nests. Photo by Rebeka Pirker (10.30)

Double Crested Cormorant perched on Gabriola Island. Photo by Rebeka Pirker (10.30)

In the afternoon we headed out towards Point Roberts and found the T65B’s traveling through the Apex (the point of the USA/Canada border). These 3 were moving fast, but we still managed some great photos during some of their closer passes.

Chunk (T65B). Photo by Rebeka Pirker (3.30)

T65B2 is a brand new member of the pod! Born earlier this year, we still don’t know their gender. But they sure are a cute! Riding practically onto off momma Chunk in this photo. Photo by Rebeka Pirker (3.30)

Chunk, Birdsall and T65B2. Photo by Rebeka Pirker (3.30)

We see all kinds of amazing wildlife on our tours, so if you want the chance to see some with us, as well as learn about our beautiful ocean ecosystem, call our office at 1-250-667-5177 to book your own whale tour today! You can also book online through our website, or come down to see us in person!

See a whale on your tour or your next tour is free!

July 12th - T2C's at Snake Island and T65B's at the Apex!

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