August 11, 2023, 3:30 - T002Cs, T137s, and some humpbacks!
This afternoon was a truly stunning evening on the water. With calm conditions and sunny skies, our team headed south through Dodd Narrows and into the gulf islands, as we heard reports of a group of Orca heading our way from Sansum Narrows. We encountered them just North of Chemainus. It would have been pretty hard to miss them! Clearly we caught these guys after a successful hunt, because there was a lot of celebration going on, including breaching and tail slaps. We quickly figured out it was two families travelling together. Todays pods include:
T002C Tasu (1989)
T002C1 Rocky (2002)
T002C3 Lucy (2011)
T002C5 Zippy (2020)
T137 Loon (~1984)
T137A Jack (2002)
T137B Tempest (2006)
T137D Wright (2012)
These families are well known to us, and are fairly easy to Identify thanks to the two very large males present in each of these groups, T002C1 Rocky and T137A Jack. After they finished their celebration, the two families decided to continue their trek north, nothing leisurely through the water. It was a phenomenal evening, with the water like glass, and only sound coming from the blows of the orca. We shut off the engines, and guests and naturalists alike sat in silence as the T party swam by. Once we spent some time with the families, we decided to leave the calm waters of the gulf islands and head out to try and find some humpbacks.
First, a quick stop at Stinky Rocks! This is a great little rocky outcrop perfect for watching the Steller Sea lions and Harbour Seals. Both these species are part of the pinniped family, which means “fin-footed”. Pinnipeds have both front and rear flippers, and are semi-aquatic, having their babies on land while spending the majority of their lives in the water. These guys are always a pleasure to watch, and are fantastic to photograph. Check out the great shots below!
After hanging out with the pinnipeds for a little bit, we decided to head out to the strait to look for some humpbacks. Nearby, just southeast of Entrance Island, we came across Moresby (BCY0342 calf 2022) and Sherwina (BCY0961). Typically, humpbacks migrate between the warm waters of the breeding grounds and return to specific areas in colder waters known as the feeding grounds. Often whales return to the same area year after year, rarely changing regions. But Sherwina is an interesting lady! Also known as Dreamer, she spends her time between two different feeding grounds, travelling between the Salish Sea and California, while also frequenting the warm waters of the Hawaii breeding grounds. Generally, these areas attract different populations, but Sherwina wants to see the world!
Moresby is also a whale coming to us from Hawaii. This young one is the newest calf of Big Mama, a pretty famous whale in our area. Check out the blog from the 10:30 tour to read more about her! Born in 2022, Moresby is just a yearling, so it’s super exciting to see them back in our waters. This is the first year they had to make the trip without their mom, so it’s always amazing when they’re successful.
What a great way to finish up the day!
All photos today were taken by Marine Naturalists Vanessa Vereschahen and Desarae Poier.
T002C1 Rocky surfacing beside a log. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
A tail from one of the whales. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
One of the orca jumping for joy! Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
From this angle, you can see a wound on the tip of this whales rostrum. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
Breach for the sky! Photo by Des Poier.
Another tail slap from their celebration. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
T002C5 Zippy. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
A T002C family photo! T002C3 Lucy is in the lead with T002C1 Rocky blocking the others. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
T137A Jack with his two distinct dorsal notches. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
T137 Loon surfacing with their son T137A Jack. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
Check out those scars and scratches on T002C1 Rocky. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
Our semi-covered vessel Kula chatting while watching the whales. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
T002C Tasu going for a dive. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
Tail slap! Photo by Des Poier.
That’s a lot of whales! T137B Tempest, T137A Jack, and T002C1 Rocky. Photo by Des Poier.
T002C3 Lucy, T002C5 Zippy, and T137B Tempest. Photo by Des Poier.
3 of the 4 members of the T137s: T137 Loon, T137A Jack, and T137D Wright. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
A sleepy Sea Lion. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
Scratch scratch. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
Look at the little ears on this Steller Sea Lion. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
this bird stole the show from the Harbour Seals. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
Look how cute the Harbour Seals are! Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
Sherwina arcing her back to prepare to dive. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
Sherwina diving. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
The underside of Sherwina’s tail flukes. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
Sherwina diving below the surface. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.
Moresby going for a dive. Photo by Des Poier.
Moresby’s dorsal fin. Photo by Des Poier.
Moresby going for a dive. Photo by Des Poier.