April 4, 2023 - Jude and Neilson right off Nanaimo!
Today was another beautiful day on the water. We had multiple reports of Orca in all different areas of our typical range. So we were all really excited to push off the dock and get going!
Toasty warm in our suits and excitement in our steps we boarded Keta one of our open vessels. We headed south into the Gulf Islands to begin our search. We cruised through Dodd Narrows at slack tide, giving the guests a chance to experience fairly calm waters at Dodd. Next, we headed into Stuart Channel scanning the shores of De Courcy Island before passing through Ruxton Passage into Pylades Channel. We continued along Valdes Island before crossing into the Strait of Georgia via Porlier Pass, to scan the east shore of Valdes.
While the scenery was beautiful along the way, we still had not spotted our whales. Just then the report came in - orca were spotted from Rathtrevor Beach in Parksville! We promptly turned around and headed in the opposite direction. Back through Porlier Pass, back through Dodd Narrows, this time giving our guests a chance to experience the tide rushing through! It’s always a sight to see as the Narrows is only about 1 km wide and 4 km long with a depth of 70 feet. The currents here can reach speeds of 9 knots! Good thing we have twin engines to cut through the tides like butter!
From here we passed the towering Gabriola Bluffs. We spotted many birds perched along the cliffs and then back into the Strait we go. We scanned the shores of Pipers Lagoon and Neck Point Park as we head north.
Then, as we approached Parksville, we spotted a pair of black dorsal fins cutting through the water! It was T049C Neilson travelling with his nephew T049A2 Jude. Nielson has a massive dorsal, roughly 6 ft tall. Jude is starting to grow but he isn’t quite as large as his uncle. His dorsal fin is likely around 4 ft tall.
But wait… suddenly there were more of them! We had a quick surface with another group of Orca, but then they vanished. However, we got to spend time with Nelson and Jude and got to witness some breaching and a lot of tail slaps.
Why do Orca tail slap (also known as lobtailing)? The answer to this is we don’t really know! There is a lot of speculation as to why this behaviour occurs. Here are some of the most common theories:
Communication - That big tail makes a loud “slap” on the water when they lob it about, which can be very effective in communicating to other pod members or friends
Celebration - We often observe this action when the whales are in close contact with their pod or grouped together with other pods. It has also been observed after a successful hunt.
Stunning their prey - As you can imagine that tail has a lot of power and strength behind it, it can definitely pack a punch! This viral video demonstrates that power perfectly as a stingray is slapped by a passing orca. Watch until the end to see the clip in slow-motion
Reliving an itch - The Orca may slap that tail to relieve a pesky itch or rid itself of parasites that could be stuck to its skin
Playing/entertainment - It is not known if this is aggressive or friendly behaviour, but it sure seems playful to us
So even though we can not say for sure, we have some pretty good guesses as to why they slap those tails. We were very fortunate to be able to not only see but also hear it on our trip today!
All photos were taken by Marine Naturalist Vanessa Vereschahen. Enjoy them below!
T049A2 Jude.
T049A2 Jude.
T049A2 Jude tail slapping.
T049A2 Jude tail slapping.
T049A2 Jude’s tail.
A surprise visit! One surface from these guys then they were gone.
T049C Nielson.
T049A2 Jude and his uncle T049C Nielson.
A gull.
T049C Nielson in front of the Hudson Rocs Ecological Reserve.
A gull in flight.
T049A2 Jude and T049C Nielson.
Look at the lean to Jude’s dorsal fin compared to the straight fin of his uncle!
T049A2 Jude.
A Bald Eagle in flight.