February 18, 2023 - Sea lions Galore!
Today we left the harbour onboard Kula, our semi-covered vessel and started our search for whales! We headed out over the top of Gabriola Island searching the Strait of Georgia to see what was out there today. We continued down Gabriola, past the Flat Top islands, until we got to Porlier Pass.
Right outside the pass is a group of small rocky islands known as the Canoe Islets. This Ecological Reserve is a haul out site for the largest Sea Lion species in the world, the Steller sea lion! There was a large groups of them hauled out on the rocks today. The large adult males stand out from the rest of the group since they are about 3 times the size! Steller’s sea lions exhibit sexual dimorphism, meaning there is a physical difference between the males and the females of the species. You’ll be able to see in the photos the large males compared to the surrounding females and young males present.
After enjoying our time with the Steller’s we continued our search this time going through Porlier Pass and into Trincomali Channel. This is a lovely place to travel while we search, thanks to the rocky shorelines of Galiano island and Saltspring island which line the channel. There is also a number of smaller islands in the area which provide the perfect environment for another pinniped species, the Harbour Seal! Today we stopped near Penelakut Island to see these Little Rock sausages. Although they look quite small compared to the sea lions they are still about the size of a human, being that they are about 6 feet in length (1.6m). Although males typically get larger than females, its not a big enough difference to really notice as we watch them.
Leaving the seals we continued to search inside the Southern Gulf Islands, slowly making our way back north towards Nanaimo. With no whales yet and only one stop left, it’s a good time to mention our sightings guarantee: if you don’t see a whale while on a tour with us, your next trip is free! At the end of the tour you receive a non-transferrable code that can be used to book another tour with us at any point in the future, free of charge! These lovely little codes are good for life! Although we don’t have to hand them out often, it’s nice to know that we will be able to take the guests out again and since each tour is different, you’ll get a whole new experience, hopefully with more whales involved.
This brings us to the final stop of the day with the California sea lions. Lately, they have been hauled out on a small islet in Ruxton Passage, which is something we didn’t see much in the previous years! We are used to these Sea Lions spending time on log booms that can be found secured throughout the Southern Gulf Islands, but this spot must be just as good!
Leaving the sea lions we headed back into the harbour, although there weren’t any whales today, the other wildlife kept us entertained! All the photos from the day were taken by marine naturalist Vanessa Vereschahen and you can see them below!
A fluffed up Belted Kingfisher on a chilly day! Photo by Cheyenne Brewster
A Bald Eagle contemplating lunch
A haulout of sea lions - how many do you think are piled up on this rock?
The agility of these giant pinnipeds is always astounding - they can climb quite high up on the rocks to get to that perfect place to snooze.
In many ways, our Pinnipeds display behaviours similar to cats and dogs - as observed here
Coming to check the other sea lion out.
Boop!
Frozen in time - it’s always great when we get a dynamic shot like this one!
California sea lions - can you tell the difference between the two sealion species?
California sea lions inside Ruxton Passage - not a common spot for them to haul out.
It looks like a very relaxing day for these sea lions!