May 22nd 10:30 AM - T-party time continues near Sangster Island!

We had a huge T-party near Lasqueti on the morning of the 22nd. Our 2 boats got to enjoy watching 4 pods, totalling 18 whales, playing and traveling through the Salish Sea

T086A’s

T086A - Eider (34)
T086A1 - Nahanni (21)
T086A3 - Tyndall (11)
T086A4 - Akia (6)

T090’s

T090 - Eagle (42)
T090B - Piglet (16)
T090C - Tigger (12)
T090D - Kanga (5)

T100’s

T100 - Hutchins (~43)
T100C - Laurel (20)
T100D - Tharaya (13)
T100E - Estrella (8)

T124A’s

T124A - Kittiwake (38)
T124A4 - Sabio (12)
T124A4A (<1)
T124A6 - Kasuun (6)
T124A7 (<1)

T124A1 - Bonapartes (26)

These whales were travelling and playing, as is common in T-parties. With 18 whales I’m sure the 4 matriarchs had a lot of catching up to do while the youngsters played with each other. 6 of these whales are all pre-pubescent, with 2 of them being under one year old! These little T-parties are a great way for the young whales to meet each other, as these will be the whales they grow up with and likely travel with when they separate from mom and travel with their own pods later in life.

One thing worth noting in this party is that T124A1, Bonepartes, was present. Bonepartes separated from her mom some time ago, becoming a very rare thing in our waters - a lone female. Very rarely do female orcas travel alone for extended periods of time. Usually by the time they have split from mom they have several calves of their own to be travelling with, while Bonepartes split from Kittiwake without any calves. At 26 she should have already had several of her own calves, which has led experts to suspect that she is either infertile or not interested in male orca. Either way, Bonepartes has returned to her mom’s side for the time being. She is probably back to great her new sibling and newest niece, as both Kittiwake and her daughter Sabio gave birth late last year. T124A4 is Sabios first calf, at the young age of 12 Sabio is getting an early start at motherhood, while T124A7 is, as suggested by their ID number, Kittiwakes 7th child. Having 2 calves born so close together is probably putting some extra stress on the moms, so having a mature female like Bonepartes around to help raise them is great.

Enjoy the photos of this encounter taken by marine naturalists Keagan Sjolie and Rebecca Stirling.

Nanaimo Vancouver Island Whale Watch Orca Killer Whale Salish Sea Tourism Whale Watching Tour — Photo by Keagan Sjolie.

Jilann LechnerMay 29, 2022Comment