On June 2 we headed out in the Strait of Georgia and headed North in search of some whales. We decided to focus our search along a shelf that runs through the Strait since areas like this create high productivity which our whales tend to like. The humpbacks will be found in these areas since it directly affects what they are searching for prey, and the orca will sometimes be found there since their food source will be chasing what the high productivity brings in.

Shelves are areas where the sea floor suddenly drops off, creating what’s basically an underwater cliff. When the tide change pushing water up or down the Strait of Georgia, areas like this force the colder, deep water to the surface which causes a couple of things to happen. First of all, the deeper water is colder than that at the surface, and cold water can dissolve more oxygen, so when the cold water surfaces it becomes more oxygen saturated than the warmer water. The deep water also has more dissolved nutrients in it. When this oxygen and nutrient-rich water surfaces that’s when the second thing happens, the sunlight can now reach it. Tiny microorganisms will be using nutrients and oxygen to reproduce and grow. These microorganisms will then be eaten by zooplankton, and then small fish will eat that, and so on up the food chain it goes.

Today it was the humpbacks that we found using the area. Humpbacks are unique since they feed low on the food chain, eating krill and other plankton, as well as small schooling fish. Today’s humpbacks were KEZ0009 Kelpie and Ghost’s 2021 calf! These two have been among the “regulars” we’ve been spending time with for the last week or so. Today these two still appeared to be primarily feeding below the surface, but we also saw some surface activity from them! Although we weren’t able to capture it on camera, the whales threw their tail through the air in what is called a cartwheel! While this could be a way to potentially stun their prey, our best theory is that it’s fun for the animals. We usually see other playful activities at the surface around the time we see things like cartwheels or breaching. Surface activity gets more common the further into the year you get since the humpbacks will have more stored fat and therefore more energy.

After our time with the humpbacks was up, we headed off to see some other wildlife. This wildlife included Steller Sea Lions at the White Islets, Cormorants at the Gabriola bluffs, a look at our Baby Bald Eagles, and some adorable Harbour Seals.

All the photos from this day were captured by our onboard naturalists Carmen Murphy and Vanessa Vereschahen and can be viewed below.