After a successful afternoon, our two open boats headed back out to the strait to see what we could find. We headed north towards Sechelt, out to the middle of the strait where the humpbacks like to hang out. We didn’t have to go too far before we ran into not one, not two, but three humpbacks hanging out together! Today’s whales include Geometry (BCX0338), Nuage/Beak (BCX1606), and Valiant (BCX1773), all whales we’ve seen a fair bit already this season. It looks like Valiant was in a bit of a playful mood, with kelp strewn across their dorsal after going for a frolic through the kelp beds. It’s always great to see Valiant, and they have a very distinctive fluke that is super easy to identify. They are also one of our sticker whales! We have picked a few of our favourite animals and have their fluke prints featured as stickers in our shop.

We also got a good amount of surface activity from these guys, getting a nice glimpse of the mouth of one of our Humpbacks- check out the photo below! See all the small bumps on the mouth? These round bumps are called tubercles - an important sensory organ for whales. These bumps possess small sensory hairs called vibrissae, which provide extra touch sensitivity for the animal. They can help the whales detect vibrations in the water, which is believed to help aid their ability to find prey. Cool!

After spending time with our Humpbacks, we got a report of Orca heading into Howe Sound, not too far from us. We found them just east of Keats Island, hanging out near the coastline. Today’s pod consists of:

T137 Loon ♀ (~1984)
T137A Jack♂(2002)
T137B Tempest♀ (2006)
T137D Wright♀(2012)

These guys were out for a leisurely swim through the Howe Sound, on the prowl for a good meal. We stayed with them as they coasted through the islands, with no success on the hunting front. Watching big boy T137A Jack, who is a full-grown mature male, next to his mother T137 Loon and younger sisters is always impressive. You can really see the size difference between their dorsals! We watched the family mill around Howe Sound for a little while longer before we left them for the rest of their evening.

We headed back towards our side of the Strait, to check out a few rocky outcrops to see some more wildlife. We love to see the Harbour seal pups that are abundant right now! We are right in the middle of pupping season, so there are lots of little babies perched on the rocks with their moms. Did you know that Harbour seals keep their coat pattern for their whole life? That means that researchers can use the spot patterns to identify individual animals throughout their lives. We also saw some cormorants with their wings outstretched, clearly drying off from a long dive to hunt for fish. We get to see a ton of different species on our tours, not just whales, so there’s always something for everyone!

All in all, it was a beautiful and successful evening spent in the Salish Sea.

Photos today by Marine Naturalists Aly Kohlman and Carmen Murphy.