August 9, 2023, 10:30 - Humpback Party with Sherwina, Nova, Niagara, Europa, calf, and Beak!
Today was a humpback kind of day! Our boats pushed off the docks and headed out into the Strait of Georgia. Today was a lucky day as we spotted 6 different humpbacks in a single tour!
We spotted the following whales during the trip:
Sherwina (BCY0961), Nova (BCY1178), Niagara (BCY0057), Europa (BCX0854), her 2023 calf, and Nuage/Beak (BCX1606)!
These whales were “popcorning” today - meaning they were breaching all over the place! While breaching isn’t a very common activity as it burns a lot of precious calories, every once in a while they celebrate like this.
One of our most commonly asked questions is “Why do Humpbacks breach?”. The truth is, we don’t know! There’s a lot of speculation as to why this behaviour happens though. Some of the top theories are:
For communication - every time a humpback lands, it creates a huge splash. These splashes are accompanied by giant sound waves that can travel huge distances throughout the water, which could help alert nearby whales to potential danger or give them a heads-up about a potential giant buffet of krill they could come over and share with them!
Parasite removal - when a whale launches itself out of the water, things such as barnacles and sea lice could potentially be plucked off of their body as they become airborne - think of it similar to us giving ourselves a spa day!
For fun - humpbacks are very intelligent creatures, so it is entirely possible that these gentle giants just breach as a form of play!
Whatever the reason, it was an absolute blast getting to see these magnificent animals enjoying their time today. Our Humpbacks are a growing population meaning their numbers are increasing every year. This is very significant as they were critically endangered only 30 years ago. Since then, we have experienced what has lovingly been dubbed the ‘Humpback Comeback’ as their population has grown exponentially.
Photos from this tour were taken by Marine Naturalists Des Poier and Cheyenne Brewster.
Sherwina showing off her distinct dorsal fin. Photo by Des Poier.
Sherwina Lifting her tail for a dive. Photo by Des Poier.
Nova diving. Photo by Des Poier.
Scratchy has a new look to her dorsal fin this year. Photo by Des Poier.
A gull peaking above the wave. Photo by Des Poier.
Nova lifting his tail for a dive.
Nova diving. Photo by Des Poier.
Nova doing a high fluking dive. Photo by Des Poier.
The underside of Europa’s tail. Photo by Des Poier.
Europa further into her dive. Photo by Des Poier.
Europa’s calf doing a fun cartwheel. Photo by Des Poier.
A lovely chin slap from Europa’s calf. Photo by Des Poier.
Europa jumping for joy. Photo by Des Poier.
Finishing the jump. Photo by Des Poier.
Pec slapping. Photo by Des Poier.
Niagara going for a dive. Photo by Des Poier.
The underside of Niagara’s tail flukes.
Beak going for a dive. Photo by Des Poier.
Some Seals Hauled out on the rocks.
The one closest is a pup! Likely with mom in behind. Photo by Des Poier.
A Turkey Vulture near the Gabriola Bluffs. Photo by Des Poier.
The vultures having a nice snack on some less lucky cormorants. Photo by Des Poier.
Interesting feeding method of having the baby stick it’s whole head into the parent’s mouth. Photo by Des Poier.
Another mom and pup Harbour Seal. Photo by Des Poier.
Cormorants on the Gabriola Bluffs. Photo by Des Poier.
The lovely sandstone of the Gabriola Bluffs. Photo by Des Poier.