July 19th 3:30 - Afternoon tour with more humpback whales and some Bigg's orca!

On the afternoon of July 19th our vessel Cascadia set out towards the Sunshine Coast and after about an hour of travel they came across a gathering of humpback whales. In our close vicinity were at least three individuals, including Beak/Nuage (KEX0009), and off in the distance there were about 6 more! We call this humpback whale soup!

Typically we see humpback whales feeding in our waters. That is what they’re here for after all! They spend their winters in the warm tropical waters of Hawaii or Mexico breeding and fasting, and then make an incredible migration up to our cold, nutrient dense waters to prey on krill and bait fish. A lot of their foraging takes place deep in the water column so we only see them when they come up to the surface to catch their breath and then lift their flukes to help them dive down again.

However, these animals are incredibly intelligent and social as well, so sometimes we get to see them having a little fun! One whale was doing just that on our tour, splash and slamming its giant fluke repeatedly on the surface! This makes an incredible noise and is very fun to watch!

After this amazing encounter we had a surprise visit with Bigg’s/transient orca as well! We saw a mix of pods travelling quickly together around Passage Island near Howe Sound. The extra cute surprise was that there were some young ones in this group! Killer whales have to spend years teaching their offspring how to survive in our harsh climate, in fact, many killer whales will spend their entire mothers lives by her side! It is a beautiful to witness these incredible bonds between a mother and her offspring, and to watch their relationship progress as the calf ages and learns to hunt.

Enjoy these photos take on the tour by marine naturalist Cheyenne Brewster!