July 1, 2023 10:30 - T-party with the T065As (-A5) and T099s!

It’s usually an exciting time when pods get together to socialize, and today that was definitely the case. We left Nanaimo on the morning of July 1st and headed east to a report of orca in the Strait of Georgia and they were relatively easy to find thanks to all the activity being displayed at the surface. This was a pretty large group of orca, with two pods present, 10 whales total. Telephoto lenses make IDing the whales easier since it allows us to zoom in and view the details on their dorsal fins and saddle patches. These whales were quickly IDed as the T065As (-A5) and the T099s partying together. All those present were:

T065A Artemis ♀ (1986)
T065A2 Ooxjaa ♂ (2004)
T065A3 Amir ♂ (2007)
T065A4 Ellifrit ♀ (2011)
T065A6 Callisto ♀ (2018)

T099 Bella ♀ (~1984)
T099B Holly ♀ (2007)
T099C Barakat ♂ (2009)
T099D Puck ♂ (2015)
T099E ♀ (2021)

These whales seemed to be very happy about seeing each other as there was lots of breaching, tail slapping, cartwheels, and more happening throughout our time watching them. It’s rare to see so much activity out of the whales while watching them. Our time spent with the whales is just a brief hour-long look into their lives so you never know what you’ll end up seeing. On days like today it reminds you of why it’s so important to protect these amazing animals and keep them wild and free.

Our naturalists onboard this trip were able to capture some amazing moments from the tour which you can view below. All photos were taken by naturalists Aly Kohlman, Carmen Murphy, and Vanessa Vereschahen.

T099C Barakat surfacing in the Strait of Georgia. Photo by Aly Kohlman

T099C Barakat and T065A2 Ooxjaa surfacing side by side. Photo by Aly Kohlman

Happy guests watching the adventure unfold. Photo by Aly Kohlman

T065A6 Callisto breaching. Photo by Aly Kohlman

Another breach during the T-party. Photo by Aly Kohlman

Tail lob! Photo by Aly Kohlman

T099C Barakat. Photo by Aly Kohlman

Another whale breaking the surface of the water. Photo by Aly Kohlman

Tail lob! Photo by Aly Kohlman

Look at all that activity. T099D puck with his face out of the water followed by a couple others. Photo by Aly Kohlman

One of the boys with his pectoral fins out of the water. Photo by Aly Kohlman

One of the young whales jumping out of the water! Photo by Aly Kohlman

T065A2 Ooxjaa Spy hoping. Photo by Aly Kohlman

Long orca is long. Just kidding, this is T099D Puck’s face in from of T065A2 Ooxjaa doing a tail slap. Photo by Aly Kohlman

T099 Bella out of the water. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen

Another boat full of happy guests with a breaching orca. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen

Little tail flick from one of the young whales. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen

Breaching orca with the costal mountains in the background. Photo by Carmen Murphy

T099B Holly, T065A Artemis, and T099 Bella synchronized surfacing. Photo by Carmen Murphy

Harbour seal on the rock with it’s claws on display. Photo by Carmen Murphy

Harbour seal with it’s head and butt out of the water. Photo by Carmen Murphy

Fat Harbour Seal hauled out on the rocks. Photo by Carmen Murphy

Steller Sea Lions on Stinky rocks. Photo by Carmen Murphy

Stinky Steve with the smaller sea lion around him. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen

Peregrine Falcon! Photo by Aly Kohlman

Freddy and Pinecone on their nest. Photo by Aly Kohlman

An Adult Bald eagle perched on an Arbutus tree. Photo by Aly Kohlman

A mix of adult and juvenile Cormorants on the Gabriola Bluffs. Photo by Aly Kohlman

Pidgeon Guillemot with a fresh catch. Photo by Aly Kohlman