October 3rd - Humpbacks in the Strait!
They sky was clearing as our boats set out to find some whales at noon on October 3rd. It wasn’t too long before we got a call that there were Humpbacks in the Strait of Georgia and we headed out of the gulf Islands to try and find them. Along the way we found a different pair of whales, Sherwina and her Calf, just outside of Porlier Pass. We watched mother Sherwina and her calf as they dove through the waves. The calf was in a bit of a playful mood, doing some high tail lobs and occasionally practicing their side stroke, lifting pec fins out of the water and showing off half their tail as they swam on their side.
One of our boats had missed Sherwina and Calf but found the first whales we were heading to. It turned out to be Graphite, Slate’s 2019 calf, and a friend playing near the Apex, a point in the Strait of Georgia where the Canadian American border takes a sharp turn South.
Graphite and their friend were playing in the waves, doing high flukes, barrel rolling and they even breached a few times for us.
Please enjoy these photos taken by Naturalists Rebeka Pirker, Cheyenne Brewster, and Brad Farrow.
Graphite tail lobbing. Animation by Cheyenne Brewster.
Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
Sherwina. Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
The tip of Graphite’s fluke underside. Can you spot the white markings we used to ID him with? Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Sherwina’s calf practicing it’s side stroke - our humpbacks look very similar to orca when they do this! Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
Graphite tail swiping in the waves. Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Graphite diving with Vancouver in the background. Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
Rainblows! (Rainbow blows). Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
Did you know Humpbacks are so magical they exhale rainbows! Just kidding, they don’t actually exhale rainbows. But we often do get beautiful rainbows in their blows when the light hits just right, as it did today she Sherwina would surface.
Big tail lob from Graphite. Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Sherwina’s calf. Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
Sherwina - she has a very distinct shape to the back of her dorsal. Can you see it? Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
Mom and calf, side by side. Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
Rhinoceros Auklet. Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
Curious Rock Sausages. Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
Harbour seals, Cormorants, and Seagulls lounging in the evening light. Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
A trio of Harbour Seals, balancing above the water. Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
Male Sealions - Stellar (left) and Californian (right). Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
Our sea lions always pose so dramatically! Photo by Brad Farrow.
Blep! Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
Photo by Rebeka Pirker.
Surf Scoters. Photo by Brad Farrow.