Our boats headed out across the Strait of Georgia in search of Biggs orca during our July 25th adventure. Once we approached the scene, we discovered that we were watching the T137's and a couple extra friends! Jack (T137A) was easy to spot among his pod members - his dorsal fin has two distinct notches out of it that are entirely unique to him! We also spotted his youngest sibling Wright (T137D) swimming right alongside big brother Jack, and their mother Loon (T137) just behind them. The pod was also being visited by Kailas (T036A2) and Mike III (T036A3).

In 2019, Jack suffered a severe injury to the side of his peduncle (the area between the dorsal fin and the flukes/tail). While we are not certain what caused this injury, we were not sure if he was going to pull through. For a couple of weeks after he sustained his injury he was unable to keep up with his pod members - they had to hunt and bring him food because he was travelling too slow to accompany them at speed. We are very glad this big boy has made a full recovery and can now been spotted zooming along with his pod around the Strait of Georgia.

Once we left our orcas, our vessels headed back out across the Strait in search of other wildlife. They located some sleepy Stellar Sealions, Harbour seals basking in the sun, Cormorants maintaining their nests, and even a Pigeon Guillemot right after a successful fishing trip! While we have seen Pigeon Guillemots occasionally along Gabriola’s coastline, this is the first year we have been able to confirm that they are nesting in the cliffsides facing our harbour.

Please enjoy the trip’s photos below by Marine Naturalists Rebeka, Cheyenne, and Ryan. All photos have been taken with a telephoto lens and cropped for social media.

Kailas (T36A2) and Mike III (T36A3). Photo by Rebeka Pirker.

July 25th - Killer whales in Vancouver!

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