We had a lovely day full of humpbacks! We started our morning tour heading north, just offshore of Neck Point park. We soon came across a familiar humpback to us, Hawaii girl Anvil (BCZ0410)! Anvil always gives really great flukes, which makes IDing her on the water very easy.Today was no different, with guests getting a nice clear shot of her signature white fluke. Did you know that part of the ID process comes from the coloration on the underside of a Humpback fluke print? Humpbacks are assigned into three different categories: X,Y, or Z, based on the percentage of white under the fluke. X animals have approximately <20% white coloration, Y animals have 20-80% white coloration, and Z animals have >80%. Anvil is a great example of a Z-category animal!

After we spent some time with Anvil, we decided to head into the serenity of the Gulf Islands. We heard reports of another Humpback in between Thetis and Valdez Islands, so we headed through Dodd Narrows and continued on south. Suddenly, we saw a splash in the distance. A breaching Humpback in the Trincomali Channel! We came in closer to find Holey Moley (BCX0870 calf 2018), a young whale feeding in the waters between islands. There wasn’t much more activity out of this youngster, as they decided to circle around for longer and longer periods. Humpbacks are notorious for zig-zagging around, and Holey Moley gave our captains a bit of a challenge this day! After enjoying some time with this evasive young whale, our boats decided to pop through Gabriola passage out to the strait, to go to one our favourite spots: Stinky Rocks!

We always see a ton of wildlife on this bustling rocky outcrop, and it’s a fantastic place to see Stellar Sea Lions, Harbour Seals, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures, and sometimes even River Otters!

What a great way to start the day!

Fresh off the excitement of the morning, our crew headed out to the strait to try and continue our luck in the afternoon. And it sure paid off! We came across Prowler (BCX1660) and Barracuda (BCY0649), and just north of Lantzville. These two are great examples of X and Y category animals, respectively. Barracuda is a known female, bringing calves back to our waters in both 2020 and 2022! We got a little bit of action from Prower, with some circling, feeding, bubble blowing, and even a tail slap. While these two were spotted together, they didn’t appear to be hanging out super closely, just in each other’s vicinity.

After spending some time with our humpbacks, we continued on our way to see more wildlife. Our area is rich in biodiversity, so we often see a variety of our species on the tours. We visited Stinky Rocks to see what we could find, and it never disappoints! Guests love the Harbour Seals, and Stellar Sea Lions. Today we also saw quite a few Turkey vultures. A cool fact about these guys is that they lack a syrinx, or bird vocal organ. This means that these guys don’t have a “call” like other birds, they only communicate through grunts or hissing! Look for those signature red heads when you see them circling overhead.

There are so many cool animals to see on our tours, not just whales! After a quick stop off at the Bluffs, we headed back to the harbour, another day done spent with the animals of the Salish Sea.
Today’s photos were taken by Marine Naturalists Vanessa Vereschahen, Carmen Murphy, and Des Poier.

July 21, 2023 - X, Y and Z Humpbacks!

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