We cruised all the way south through the Gulf Islands on June 23rd searching for our whales.
Why do we call our islands “Gulf Islands” when we are in the Strait of Georgia? When this area was first being mapped and explored by Captain George Vancouer, the man who “discovered” the Pacific Northwest, it was actually thought the Strait of Georgia was a Gulf, not a Strait. What’s the difference? A Gulf can be thought of like a giant bay, with one end opening to the ocean, whereas a Strait is open to the ocean on either end. Vancouver BC, Vancouver Washington, and Vancouver Island were all named after George Vancouver. Many older mariners still refer to the area as the Gulf of Georgia. The Strait of Georgia was named as such by George Vancouver in 1792, in honour of George III, the King of Great Britain and Ireland.

As we approached Active Pass - the narrow channel between Galiano and Valdez Islands - we spotted 2 blows. 2 Humpbacks were diving along the shores, likely looking for a tasty meal. We were quick to ID these two as Nike and Hydra.

Nike is a confirmed Male humpback who winters down in Mexico. He’s been seen in the Salish Sea year after year since 2009. Nike is very easy to ID, with a large white check mark scar on the right side of his tail, the same mark that earned him the name Nike.

Hydra is a Hawaii whale, and a confirmed female, having brought 2 calves back to the Salish Sea, one in 2017 and another in 2019. Unfortunately, Hydra lost her 2019 calf to a ship strike in 2020. This tragic event helps to highlight the importance of being aware on the water and watching for our gentle giants. Humpbacks are large and slow-moving animals that can surface without warning, but if you’re vigilant and know what you’re looking for you can avoid collisions and help protect our humpbacks.

We got to hang out with these two for an hour, watching them gracefully dive and lift their tails high in the air. After we left our gentle giants we travelled back towards Nanaimo, stopping for Pacific harbour seals, bald eagles and nesting cormorants along the way.

Photos by Marine Naturalists Rebecca Stirling and Vanessa Vereschahen.

Nanaimo Vancouver Island Whale Watch Ecotourism Pacific Ocean PNW Salish Sea Wildlife Tour Nanaimo Tourism Humpback Nike Hydra — Left to right: KEY0005 Hydra, KEX0003 Nike. Photo by Rebecca Stirling.

June 23rd 10:30 AM - Nike and Hydra

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