August 1st - The T124 Sisters travel south while Orion and Divot circle the Strait of Georgia

Mount Baker looming over the Salish Sea. 3:30, photo by Vanessa Vereschahen

Today started out on a bit of a wild goose chase! As our boat left the harbour in search of whales we were keeping tabs on shore sightings and what other boats had found already. We stopped to check on a sighting of Orion but sadly he was doing deep dives and didn’t reappear for us, so we left to check out a report of orca. This time the whales cooperated! We found sisters Elkugu and Sabio travelling with their families south through Navy Channel between Mayne and Pender islands.

In the afternoon our boats left in search of Divot, a female humpback whose been hanging out near the Coal Docks outside Vancouver. Our Semi-covered boat managed to get over to see her while the two open vessels got stopped midway by Orion! He finally decided to poke his head above water for us. We got to watch our humpbacks circling through the middle of the Strait, likely feeding on schools of Krill and small fish after their long migration home.

Along with our whales, we also got to see plenty of other wildlife, including harbour seals and sea lions.
Enjoy the photos of the wildlife taken by marine naturalists Val Watson, Rebeka Pirker, and Vanessa Vereschahen.

surface tension in water can create some stunning images as the whales surface! 10:30, photo by Vanessa Vereschahen

T124A2A Agafia. 10:30, photo by Vanessa Vereschahen

T124A4 Sabio.10:30, photo by Vanessa Vereschahen

T124A2B Litton. 10:30, photo by Vanessa Vereschahen

T124A2B Litton with mom Elkugu right behind.10:30, photo by Vanessa Vereschahen

T124A4 Sabio and her daughter T124A4A10:30, photo by Vanessa Vereschahen

T124A2 Elkugu 10:30, photo by Vanessa Vereschahen

T124A4A with mom Sabio T124A4, T1242A Agafia following behind. 10:30, photo by Vanessa Vereschahen

Agafia and Sabio side by side with their kids. 10:30, photo by Vanessa Vereschahen

Divot. 3:30, photo by Vanessa Vereschahen

Humpbacks are often thought of as solitary animals, it’s not uncommon to find them travelling and feeding alone. However, we see things a bit differently than they do. Humpbacks can communicate over long distances underwater, so while Divot and Orion were about 20 km away from each other they could have very well been in contact with one another while they had their dinner.

Orion. 3:30, photo by Vanessa Vereschahen

Orion with Vancouver in the background. 3:30, Photo by Rebeka Pirker

Seal pups have really stolen our hearts this year. 3:30, Photo by Rebeka Pirker

Steller sea lions. 3:30, Photo by Rebeka Pirker

Scratch that itch! 3:30, Photo by Rebeka Pirker

Sea lions have their claws a few inches back from the tips of their fins. 3:30, Photo by Rebeka Pirker

Chubby baby seal pup! 10:30, photo by Vanessa Vereschahen

Cormorant practicing their flamingo pose. 3:30, Photo by Rebeka Pirker

Juvenile Pelagic cormorant.3:30, Photo by Rebeka Pirker

juvenile bald eagle eating lunch! 3:30, photo by Val Watson

Adult bald eagle. 10:30, photo by Vanessa Vereschahen

Turkey Vulture. 10:30, photo by Vanessa Vereschahen

Jilann LechnerAugust 2, 2022Comment