June 16, 2023 3:30 - A fan-favourite Humpback and their friend
We are getting fully into humpback season here in the Salish Sea! So far our tours have seen 29 different humpback whales this year, including two new calves! We can’t wait to see who else shows up for us this year. The two humpbacks that we saw during today’s tour were Eros (KEX0070) and Mammoth/Ocean (BCX1710)!
This was the first sighting of both of these two whales during our tours this year. Mammoth is very easy to ID from a propeller scar that is on her left side. She has healed up nicely since the incident, although it caused a slight lean to her dorsal fin, maybe from the scar tissue. She was more camera shy than the humpback who we saw during this tour: Eros! Eros is a well-known humpback in the area thanks to his interaction with a small dinghy off of the northern part of Vancouver Island. Eros and a second humpback, KC held a small boat captive for over an hour. This is a behaviour that Eros exhibits often since both times we saw him during a tour last year he also held our boats captive as he interacted with them. This happened on September 5th and September 9th. Today was no different, as we approached he was interacting with a different whale-watching vessel, then as we shut down our engines and watched from a safe distance, he changed direction and headed our way. This behaviour is known as “mugging”. It’s not very common for our whales, and not something we encourage since close encounters with boats can lead to harm becoming the animals if the boat drivers are inexperienced and don’t know how to act in these situations. Lucky for us, our captains stay calm and collected, and just wait it out with our engines turned off.
The thrilling experience of having this whale just meters from the boat got both the guests and staff’s heart racing! Truly a once in a lifetime experience.
Our Naturalist, Des Poier, captured some amazing photos from the experience, as well as photos of the other wildlife we viewed during our time on the waters which you can view below!
Humpback Eros (KEX0070) coming up for a breath.
Eros KEX0070
The mist from the blow caught in the late afternoon sun.
Cheeky Eros surfaces just off our boat.
Eros fully shows off that dorsal!
Can you spot the barnacles nestled at the edges of Eros’ fluke?
Eros (KEX0070)
A top fluke shot of Eros (KEX0070
Eros (KEX0070) going on a dive
Eros (KEX0070)
Eros (KEX0070)
Eros (KEX0070)
A clear shot of the underside of Eros’ (KEX0070) fluke. Great for ID’ing!
Two Bald eaglets poke their heads up, hoping for a snack.
The juvenile colouring of this baby eaglet is on full display!
Mom and Dad watch over our boats carefully as we snap some shots of their little ones.
The perfect place for Steller Sea Lions to lounge on a nice sunny evening.
Enjoying the sun and the cuddle puddle!
A big yawn.
Look at those teeth! Although far enough away to avoid stinky sea lion breath.
Pelagic Cormorants sitting on their nests at the Gabriola Bluffs.
Social distancing still appears to be in full effect.