June 18th - Double species day with the T46s and Slate and calf!

On June 18th we headed South in search of some whales! We ended up locating the T46’s travelling along the East coast of Galiano Island. This pod includes 5 individuals - matriarch Wake (T046/Female), her 3 confirmed children Strider (T046D/Male), Thor (T046E/Male), and Loki (T046F/Male), and a fifth member, Centeki (T122/Female), who is suspected to be Wake’s daughter. Centeki’s number does not match the rest of the matriline because she was likely originally spotted travelling alone. She has since been spotted trekking with Wake and the others regularly, leading to the belief that she is one of Wake’s children.

Thor (T046E). He earned his nickname from the lightning bolt shape missing from his dorsal.

After leaving the T46s, our boat located a Humpback cow-calf pair Northeast of Active Pass. This duo was ID’ed as Slate (BCX1210) and her new calf. This calf did a very close pass-by of our vessel and also proceeded to barrel roll beside us, showing off its tummy and giant pectoral fins! Playful behaviour in young calves is quite common - just like human babies, they are very curious about the world and everything in it!

Mother Slate (BCY1210) and her new calf!

Black Oystercatchers enjoying the sun.

Harbour seals having a snooze.

All regulations regarding Marine Mammal safety were followed during this encounter - when the whale approached the vessel, all motors were shutdown to allow for safe passage for the whales.

All photos by Marine Naturalist Rebeka Pirker.

We are currently running daily 12PM tours from Nanaimo and will be switching to two daily tours (10:30AM and 3:30PM) as of July 1st. Come on down to our beautiful office located right along the Nanaimo harbourfront to book a tour with us today today!