It was a beautiful afternoon as our boats headed north from Nanaimo to search for whales. The waters between Nanaimo and Parksville have been a hotbed for humpbacks lately. This proved true once again as our boats found Strike the humpback slowly traveling north near the Winchelsea Islands. Strike is a large female humpback that we’ve watched a few times this year, and every year previously. Her rounded dorsal and unique tail make her fairly easy to ID on the water. Today while we watched we had a sneaking suspicion she may have taken an afternoon cat-nap.

It always amazes us how comfortable these giant animals are around the vessels. We do our best to reduce our noise and give whales plenty of space, but it’s still reassuring to see an animal comfortable enough to rest near us. It’s well known that wild animals change their behaviour when they are anxious or frightened. Wild animals will rarely eat or sleep near potential threats, as this is when they are most vulnerable. Having whales sleeping next to us on tours, while not the most exciting thing, is a reassurance that they are comfortable with our presence. We often have whales decide to take a quick nap around us or even have a snack.

Did you know humpbacks sleep with one eye open? More accurately they also sleep with half their brain on! When land mammals sleep they shut down completely, breathing subconsciously and completely vulnerable. Whales, however, do not have that luxury. Whales are conscious breathers, they have to actively think about surfacing to breathe, or else they would drown. In order to prevent this, they keep half their brain on, which provides enough control to remind them to surface and breath. Having half their brain on means they can also keep moving, like going on autopilot, and one eye remains open to watch for prey or predators.

After her name Strike went on a few dives, making sure to show off that beautiful tail for us as she did.

Below are some of the photos taken by our marine naturalists Rebeka Pirker, and Carmen Murphy.

July 13th 3:30 PM - Strike the HB off Winchelsea Islands

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