Aug 11th - Humpbacks all around!
August 11th was quite the day for humpbacks. When we were heading out, we got a report of humpbacks near Galiano Island so we headed towards there. Our boats Keta and Kula arrived on scene and was surrounded by humpbacks. We stuck with the two humpbacks called Divot and Strike, but there were 3 others not far from them.
Near Galiano Island is a popular spot for the humpback whales since that is where the the Fraser River reaches the ocean, where the fresh water mixes with the ocean water to form a thin plume of buoyant brackish water. In the early summer the Fraser River carries high sediment loads that mixes with the ocean water, creating a distinct colour change in the ocean. This increases the primary productivity and the biomass of phytoplankton, which attracts Humpback Whales. Primary producers such as phytoplankton and algae form the basis of the aquatic food chain. Phytoplankton are eaten primary consumers such as krill and small fish which in turn are eaten by Humpback whales. Humpbacks travel from warmer waters in the winter to colder, more productive waters in the summer so they can feed as much as they can before they head back to their breeding grounds.
After watching these humpbacks our boats headed back into the dock. Along the way, Keta ran into Orion was also near Galiano Island but more northwards. Our third boat Cascadia (who was running late due to boat maintenance) came up to join Orion. We were able to watch his beautiful fluke multiple times and were lucky enough to get a breach by him!
Check out below to look at some of the awesome pictures our naturalists took!
Orion’s beautiful fluke. Sequence by Cheyenne Brewster.
Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Divot. Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Divot looking majestic. Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Strike’s fluke. Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Mom and her pup. Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Rock sausage. Photo by Ryan Uslu.