The waters were calm and there was a mix of sun and cloud as our semi-covered boat Kula departed the dock at noon. Earlier in the morning we’d heard reports of a pod of orca near Gabriola Island, but it had been hours since anyone had seen them. We had a big search ahead of us!

After heading south through Dodd Narrows and out through Gabriola Pass, we scanned the rocky shores and calm horizon for any sign of a blow or black fin. We knew they were around somewhere but we couldn’t seem to locate them! We took a break from searching to watch harbour seals hauled out on the island’s intertidal zone. We had a mix of young and old to observe, some curious about the passengers onboard, and others too committed to their afternoon siesta.

We headed south to start the search again, ducking into Porlier Pass and heading north again to Gabriola. On our second attempt, we found them!! A family of six Bigg’s killer whales nicknamed the T49A pod. Head of the pod is matriarch T049A “Nan” and following her are her 5 offspring T049A1 “Noah”, T049A2 “Judy”, T049A3 “Nat”, T049A4, and T049A5.

Noah is the eldest offspring, born in 2001, and is now a mature bull with a large, tall, straight dorsal fin. He is easily the most recognizable in the pod helped us to make the initial group identification. His fin is unique from other males because of the nick it has about 2/3 of the way down and he has a pattern of scarring in his saddle patch (the grey area behind the dorsal fin) that is unique like a fingerprint.

A breach in front of Mt. Baker! Photo by Rebeka Pirker.

Typically killer whales will live in matriarchal societies where they follow and learn from the eldest female of the pod for their entire lives. With this ecotype of killer whales, the marine-mammal hunting kind called “Bigg’s”, often the eldest female sibling will depart when she reaches reproductive age to mingle and perhaps create her own pod.

After watching the orca hunt, mill, and socialize (we saw a breach!!), we headed back towards Nanaimo. Not without one more wildlife stop though! On the northwest side of Gabriola Island there is a cormorant rookery and these beautiful birds and in full nesting mode. Both the Double-crested and Pelagic cormorants have their breeding plumage and are busy making their nests out of sticks, seaweed, and guano (poo!). Typically the male finds the material and the female does the building. If you spend some time watching you might catch some sneaky birds stealing nesting materials from others!

Here are some of the best photos taken throughout the tour by our marine naturalists. We are running daily tours at 12pm and we guarantee whale sightings!

Look at the beautiful green/blue/purple sheen to these feathers. Photo by Rebeka Pirker.

We are so fortunate to be able to watch this cormorant rookery so close to Nanaimo! Photo by Rebeka Pirker.

BC’s intertidal zone is full of life and colour! Photo by Rebeka Pirker.

April 29th - A tranquil day with the T49As, plenty of pinnipeds and cormorants!

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