July 10th 10:30 AM - Humpback whale splash fest
This morning two of our boats, Keta and Cascadia, went out on some choppy waters, heading north of Nanaimo to a reported humpback whale sighting. We headed into the Strait of Georgia and found our first pair of humpbacks, one of which was Ghost (BCX1333), doing a lot of pectoral slapping. They do this by going on the sides and taking the large pectoral fins, which can be up to 5m (16ft) long, and bringing them down on the water creating large splashes and loud noise. This humpback gave us quite a show and in the photos, you can see the all-white pectoral fin with its tubercle. Tubercles are bumps on the fins which help the whale’s maneuverability and improve performance. The tubercles are a passive flow control method (controlling the flow of water without expending energy), which minimizes drag and helps increase the lift. This natural morphological design has inspired engineers to design technology. called Bio-Inspired Technology, and has been applied to technology such as aircraft, ventilation fans, windmills, and watercraft.
After we were done watching these two humpbacks we started heading closer to shore when we saw big splashes ahead of us. Not only did we enjoy these two humpbacks’ pectoral slapping we came across another two humpbacks having a lot of fun. The two whales were Two Spot (KEY0010) and Prowler (KEX0047). They were extremely active and for the full hour of observing them, they were giving us quite a show. They did a lot of breaching, back diving, tail slapping, and pectoral slapping. This was a show between the two that got a lot of “OOHS” and “AAHS” from our guests and even the naturalists. Doing these breaches and dives takes a lot of energy and the reasons for this behaviour is still unclear to scientists. A few theories for this behaviour include the removal of ectoparasites (external parasites), for communication, for fun, and even to signify body condition. Whatever the reason, seeing these magnificent creatures being able to move their large bodies so far out of the water is truly a thing of beauty and leaves us all in awe of the power they possess.
Enjoy these photos taken by our Naturalist Janine Van Der Linden and Ryan Uslu
A beautiful scenic view with a breaching humpback. Photo by Janine Van Der Linden.
Photo by Janine Van Der Linden.
Half a whale out of the water. Photo by Janine Van Der Linden.
I can fly, can’t I? Photo by Janine Van Der Linden.
A breach and a pectoral fin. Photo by Janine Van Der Linden.
Photo by Janine Van Der Linden.
A shower of water from the pectoral fin. Photo by Janine Van Der Linden.
Photo by Janine Van Der Linden.
In this photo you can clearly see the pectoral fin tubercles. Photo by Ryan Uslu.
A wave for the camera. Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Look at those barnacles growing on the tubercles. Photo by Ryan Uslu.
A beautiful angle showing the tubercles on the fin. Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Is it just me or does this fin remind you of Forky from Toy Story 4? Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Can you see the ventral pleats? Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Who can spot the eye? Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Weeeeeee. Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.
See the resemblance to an airplane? Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.
A spy hop. Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Tail lobbing. Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Harbour seal resting on some mussels. Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Harbour seals warming up in the sun. Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Two Turkey vultures at Gabriola Bluffs. Photo by Ryan Uslu.
A nesting pair of Pelagic Cormorants. Photo by Ryan Uslu.
A Glaucous-Winged Gull. Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Look at those tail feathers. Photo by Ryan Uslu.
Pigeon Guillemot with a fish in its beak. Photo by Ryan Uslu.