September 12th 10:30 - Humpback whale "Fader" and "Zephyr" and calf!

Our boats departed Nanaimo at 10:30 and headed south into the Gulf Islands to see what they could find. After ab out an hour and a half of travel and searching, we came across some humpback whales just outside of Porlier Pass!

The first individual we were able to identify using dorsal fin and fluke markings was “Fader”. Fader’s more official name is BCY0195 and it can be found in local humpback ID catalogues under that name. Keta Coastal Conservation is a local non-profit that researches local humpbacks and they have a free downloadable catalogue full of flukes and dorsals. If you’re a local boater or you like to search for whales from shore, this is a great resource to have on hand! (https://www.ketacoastalconservation.org/keta-catalogue-the-salish-sea)

Although we are seeing humpbacks locally in great numbers now, it has only recently been that way. Humpbacks were hunted to the brink of extinction and it has taken decades for their population to slowly recover. Only in the past 7+ years have we been seeing them consistently on whale watching tours, and those encounters are growing exponentially which is amazing!

Later that morning one of our boats found humpback whales Zephyr and her calf. The calves are born down in the warm waters of Hawaii and Mexico and then they spend the first year of their lives traveling to the feeding grounds up north with their mom, and then back down again. We’ve been fortunate to have so many mom and calf pairs visit us in the Salish Sea this summer!

Here are some of the best photos taken during the morning tours by marine naturalists Beka Pirker and Cheyenne Brewster.

Jilann LechnerSeptember 15, 2021Comment