May 8th - T-party near the Mainland!
There was an early morning report of whales hanging out off the Sunshine Coast so Kula, loaded up with excited guests and eager staff, pushed off the docks and headed out to see what whales were in the neighbourhood.
As they approached the whales we could tell it would be a great afternoon as they were in for another T-party! We’ve been fortunate to see several T-parties already this year and we’re hoping it’s a sign of a very whale-filled summer to come.
This particular party was a little bigger than the ones we’ve seen so far this year, and it took us a long time to work out exactly who was present on this sunny, but choppy, afternoon. After many photos we were able to identify whales from 7 pods! With a grand total of 25 whales (so far) it was every whale-watching guest's dream. The whales were in a social mood it seemed, with plenty of tail slapping, barrel-rolling, tail lobbing, a few breeches, and a sea snake or 2.
Today’s photos were taken by Marine Naturalist Janine Van Der Linden.
big boy Jack is always the star of the show, even when other large males like Noah, Rush, and Lagoon are around.
The pods present today were:
T023’s
T023 (♀)- Janice, 1964
T023D (♀)- Axle, 1993
T023D2 (♂)- Robin, 2012
T023D4 - Ross, 2015
T023D5 - 2019
T036’s
T036 (♀) - Flapjack, <1970
T036B (♀)- Tattertip, 1998
T036B1 (♀)- Bhotia, 2009
T036B2 (♀)- Greenfelder, 2013
T036B3 (♂) - Chip, 2018
T037’s
T037 (♀)- Rocky III, 1979
T037B (♀)- Harald, 1998
T037B1 (♂) - Lance, 2012
T049A1 (♂) - Noah, 2001 (travelling separately from the rest of his family again!)
T086A’s
T086A (♀) - Eider, 1988
T086A1 (♀)- Nahanni, 2001
T086A3 (♀)- Tyndall, 2011
T086A4 (♀) - Akia, 2016
T101’s
T101 (♀)- Reef, <1969
T101A (♂) - Rush, 1993
T101B (♂) - Lagoon, 1997
T137’s
T137 (♀)- Loon, ~1984
T137A (♂) - Jack, 2002
T137B (♀)- Tempest, 2006
T137D (♀)- Wright, 2012
T036B1 Bhotia
T036B1 Bhotia
Bhotia (T036B1) is ID’d by the notch out of the middle of her dorsal. She has several doppelgängers in the transient community that have the same notch which can make IDing her a little difficult some days. It’s very helpful when we can get photos of her saddle patch to help us match her up, as very rarely do orcas have near-identical dorsals and saddle patches.
T037B1, Lance, barrel rolling in the waves
One of the most exciting parts of T-parties is looking at the social and family dynamics of the pods present. Is it a family gathering, or unrelated whales? Well, today we had a mix of both.
As female orcas age and begin to have their own calves they eventually leave their mom’s side and travel alone with their offspring. It’s not uncommon for them to return to their moms later on and travel, hunt, and socialize with them, catching up on everything since they last saw their family.
Today T036 Flapjack was enjoying a bit of a family reunion. Not only is Flapjack the mother to Tattertip, and grandmother to Bhotia, Greenfelder, and Chip; but she is also the mother to T137 Loon, and grandmother to Jack, Tempest, and Wright.
None of the other pods present have any known relation to each other, which means it’s an excellent time for the big boys to show off and impress the ladies. There was at least one sighting of a sea snake during the tour, which means one of the boys was really looking to impress the ladies today. With Jack, Noah, Rush, and Lagoon in the mix it’s not surprising. There were plenty of unrelated females that these boys could be looking to mate with. Male transient orca don’t inbreed with family members, so these T-parties are the perfect chance for them to mate and, if all goes well, in about 18 months there will be a new bouncing baby in the pods.
T101A, Rush. That eye patch is super useful in IDing this boy, as his younger brother Lagoon is nearly identical!
Big boy T137A Jack splashing through the waves
T086A3 Tyndall is distinct with that deep cut on her dorsal and the little chunk hanging off.
T023 Janice (back) with 2 others. Janice has a deep notch near the top of her fin that helps us ID her,
Sometimes photos turn out beautifully, and sometimes not so much. In rough weather with so much going on it can be difficult to know where to point your camera, and as it typically happens, when you get all lined up for a good shot facing one way, something exciting happens on the other side of the boat! Orcas don’t let us know ahead of time when they are going to breach, so it’s tough to get a clear photo of the action. Sometimes they turn out just a little out of focus, but it’s always incredible to see it non the less.
“Will we only see whales?” This is a question we get more and more often, and we are happy to say no! There are so many beautiful animals on our coastline, and we want to make sure you get to see as many as possible. This is why we make an effort to stop in with our sea lions and seals whenever possible. We often for bald eagles, blue herons, large flocks of sea birds or anything else than catches our eye during the tour. We love our whales, but the other marine mammals and marine birds need some love too.
“Listen up son, they love when you pose for the camera”
Someone’s clearly thinking about dinner!
Is it just me or is she winking at us?
It’s nice to see the eagles back at the nest!
Nothing beats an afternoon nap on the logs
She’s looking extra long today
Turkey vultures are a common sight on the tours, especially around seal haul outs and the cormorant roost on Gabriola Island
Cormorants are looking very majestic right now, with their big bushy eyebrows right in time for breeding season.
Turkey Vultures dancing at the bluffs
The Salish Sea is calling!
Book your own Salish Sea Adventure and join us to see all the beautiful wildlife BC has to offer.
We are running daily tours at noon for the rest of this week, and on May 15th we switch to 2 tours daily.
You can choose between a 10:30 am and a 3:30 pm tour.
There are also 2 boats to choose from.
The semi-covered vessel Kula has a heated cabin for some extra comfort, as well as a viewing deck to watch the whales from.
The open vessels Keta and Cascadia are uncovered, providing nearly 360 degree views the whole tour.
Both vessels come with a washroom, a captain, and a marine naturalist to answer any of your questions during the tour.
There are 3 ways to book your Salish Sea experience:
Call us at 250-667-5177
Visit our waterfront office at #5 - 90 Front Street Nanaimo
or book directly through our website