August 2nd 3:30 PM - Divot at Point Roberts
This afternoon we had two boats leaving again in search of whales. This time soon after we left the dock we got word that BCX1057 Divot, a female humpback whale was spotted near Point Roberts. We headed in that direction and were pleased when we saw the blows in the distance! We had made it to Divot!
We know Divot is a female because she has been seen in the SOG with calves in the past. She has been recorded with 4 calves since she was first spotted in 2008. She had Zephyr in 2011, a calf in 2014, Olympus in 2018, and another calf in 2021. Zephyr is also female and has brought two calves back to the Salish Sea, making Divot a grandmother!
Humpbacks don’t have much familial association, aside from the first year that a calf travels with its mom. They will usually be travelling solo or sometimes in pairs, with the rare occasion of being in larger associated groups. They are here in the waters of British Columbia because of their high productivity. There is lots of food for the whales here which they use to build their fat reserves for when they migrate south.
Divot spends her winters down in Hawaii which is the breeding ground for some of our humpbacks. Others go to Mexico instead, and some switch between the two. We know where the whales go based on cross identification between the two areas. IDs are done by getting photos of the bottom side of the humpback’s tail flukes and comparing them against known photos of the whales to match slight differences in colouration, shape and notches. Divot can be easily IDed by her namesake divot missing from the trailing edge of her right fluke.
Today she was travelling solo doing feeding dives off of Point Roberts showing off her large tail flukes as she went beneath the surface for her food. It’s an amazing sight to behold as the tail flukes are huge and usually create a stunning waterfall when lifted out of the waters.
After watching Divot for a while we left and started to head back towards Nanaimo, spotting other wildlife along the way such as seals, sea lions, and cormorants.
Our naturalists Cheyenne Brewster, Beka Pirker, and Vanessa Vereschahen got some amazing shots during their encounter with Divot and the other wildlife along the trip which you can see below!
Divot (BCX1057). Photo by Beka Pirker.
Divot (BCX1057). Photo by Beka Pirker.
Divot (BCX1057). Photo by Beka Pirker.
Divot (BCX1057). Photo by Beka Pirker.
Divot (BCX1057). Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Divot (BCX1057). Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Divot (BCX1057). Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Divot (BCX1057). Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Divot (BCX1057). Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Divot (BCX1057). Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
Divot (BCX1057). Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
Mt.Baker. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Mom & baby kisses! Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.
Photo by Cheyenne Brewster.