April 25th - Where are the whales?

Today we explored the Southern Gulf Islands using our open boat Cascadia. Our first stop was at Entrance Island, which marks the entrance to Nanaimo harbour, where we saw Harbour Seals, Steller Sea Lions, and California Sea Lions. Harbour seals are easily distinguished from the sea lions as they are far smaller than the sea lions. Harbour seals grow to an average length of 1.4m (4.5 feet) and weigh between 60-80 kg (132-175 lbs), whereas Steller sea lions range between 2-3m (6.5 - 9.5 ft), with females weighing between 200-300kg (450-650 lbs) and males weighing up to 1100kg (2400 lbs). We had fun observing these mammals as they barked and growled loudly, entertaining us with their comical interactions between each other. All three Pinnipeds (fin-footed mammals) prey on Pacific Herring, Pacific Hake, and various invertebrates, but the sea lions are far less picky on what they eat with Steller Sea Lions feeding on 50+ different species of invertebrates and fishes. Steller Sea Lions are also known to feed on Harbour seal pups and gulls.

Steller sea lions lounging at entrance island

As we continued our search for the whales we traveled south on the eastern side of Gabriola Island, past Valdez Island and entering the Gulf Island through Porlier Pass. Porlier Pass, a short (1.6 km) and narrow (650 m) pass between Valdez Island and Galiano Island, are known for strong tides that can run between 4 and 9 knots.

All photos were taken by our marine naturalist Keagan Sjolie.

“what’s that?” Harbour seals are so curious, always watching what’s going on

Once inside the islands we cruised southbound heading for Active Pass. This passage, like Porlier Pass, has strong currents. These currents flush fresh nutrients to these areas regularly, providing ample food to all kinds of fish and other creatures. This attracts all kinds of birds to the area, as well as our seals and sea lions who can often be spotted lounging on nearby rocks or fishing in the currents. Humpbacks and orc also frequent this pass, either as a means to get from the Strait to the gulf islands or they’re looking for a quick snack.
After leaving Active Pass we traveled up the east bank of Galiano Island and Valdez island to Gabriola Pass. Gabriola pass separates Gabriola Island and Valdez island and has access to the southern Gabriola marina. There are often great blue herons, glad eagles and turkey vultures in this area.
We traveled through the gulf islands, making our way back up through Dodd Narrows before stopping at the Gabriola Island bluffs to take a quick look at our nesting cormorant population, as they get their nests ready for this years clutch of eggs. In total our tour today covered nearly 100 miles (approx. 180 kms) of water, which is a lot of space.

Sadly, though we searched high and low, we couldn’t find any whales today.
Why is it so easy to find whales some days, yet so hard on others? To answer that we have to look at what whales do in the water.
Whales spend their whole lives in the water, traveling, looking for food, and sleeping. Most of this is done completely under water with no signs at the surface. The only time they need to surface is to breath, specifically to inhale. Orca typically do 3-4 shallow dives, breathing every few seconds, before doing a deeper diver that can last anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes on average. They do this all while on the move. Humpbacks will similarly spend time at the surface, doing shallow dives, before going for a deep dive which can last from 5 min to over half an hour. Most feeding and socializing is also done under water, where we can not see.
Whales are almost always moving as well. The recent T-party of the T018’s and T023D pods traveled from Campbell river to Mayne island in 2 days. Traveling over 100 miles a day means lots of time under water traveling and searching for food so they have the energy to keep traveling.
Whales can also travel quickly. While orca cruising at around 12 km/hr on average, they can reach speeds of over 45 km/hr. Humpbacks travel slower around 5 km/hr on average, but can go as fast as 25 km/hr if they need to.

All of this is to say that whales spend most of their life submerged in the water and traveling. That’s why we cover so much area, to ensure we have the best chances of spotting the signs of them when they are near the surface. A lot of whale watching is being in the right place at the right time to catch them surfacing, which is why our staff are always scanning in front, beside, and behind the vessel to make sure we didn’t miss or pass a group of whales. Knowing the signs to look for such as dorsal fins, flukes, and spouts helps our staff find our whales on most trips. Our whales are not tagged or chipped, there are no drones monitoring them, or planes flying over to scan for them. We do not use sonar or other technology to locate our whales, we primarily are relying on our own eyes whale watching companies, ferries, tug boat operators, or people on the land, but these are also sightings made with people’s eyes.

Peek-a-boo I see you

Pelagic cormorants nesting on Gabriola Island

We have over a 90% success rate in find whales, but in the event our guests don’t get to see whales, we don’t want them feeling like they missed out. We know how magical it can be to see these animals, especially if it’s your first time, which is why we offer a whale sightings guarantee!
All our guests on today’s tour received a voucher which allows them to return whenever they can for a free trip to see whales. These vouchers never expire, so whether you rebook for next week, next summer, or you’re not back for 5 years, your voucher will still work.

Our tours currently depart from the downtown Nanaimo harbour every day at 12 noon.
On May 15th we’re starting our double tours! A whole month early. our tours will depart the harbour at 10:30am and 3:30pm every day.

We have 2 styles of boat, an open zodiac and a semi-covered vessel, both have a washroom on board and are staffed by a captain and a marine naturalist to provide you with information about the area and the wildlife you view during the tour.

You can book your own Salish Sea adventure by calling us at 250-667-5177, visiting our waterfront office at #5 90 Front street, or directly through our website.