March 22, 2024 - The T090s and T124A2s sleepily cruise through Howe Sound
As we pushed off the dock on this chilly day, we began heading Eastward towards an early whale report on the other side of the Strait of Georgia. While crossing we caught wind of an update - the whales had turned and had been spotted by Horseshoe Bay, a bay at the edge of Howe Sound.
We started our search just north of Horseshoe Bay, scanning all around in search of their signature black dorsal fins. This can be difficult in areas such as Howe Sound where there are many islands the whales could loop around and out of sight. At first, we were unable to spot them. Our hopes were high, however, so we continued our search!
Howe Sound is the epitome of everything beautiful in British Columbia - surrounded by snow-tipped mountains, we took a brief moment to take in the gorgeous sights all around us before continuing our quest for whales. It is always hard to capture the scale of mountains in photos, but trust us when we say that you feel incredibly small when surrounded by those massive peaks!
After our scenic stop, we turned further into the Sound to continue the search. We cruised along the shorelines until we finally caught sight of them off the coast of Gambier Island. They were nestled very close to shore, causing their dorsal fins to blend in with the rocky coastline.
These whales were being very sleepy - they barely moved the entire time we were with them! At first, we believed there were only 4 whales present, but after reviewing our photos we discovered there were 7 whales in the area! It seems like they were taking turns napping as most of the time only 1 or 2 whales were at the surface together. There were 2 pods present, consisting of the following 7 whales:
T090 Eagle ♀ (1980)
T090B Piglet ♂ (2006)
T090C Tigger ♀ (2010)
T090D Kanga (2017)
T124A2 Elkugu ♀ (2001)
T124A2A Agafia ♂ (2013)
T124A2B Litton ♀ (2016)
T090B Piglet did wake up briefly once and was seen spyhopping. It’s believed that whales spyhop to bring their eyes above the surface of the water and to check out their surroundings.
After departing our whales we began crossing back towards Nanaimo (our home port). Before heading in, however, we made a quick stop at Entrance Island to see some other wildlife. While our sea lions weren’t very cooperative, we were able to spot a young Bald Eagle stretching its wings at the tip of the island. Entrance Island is known for its iconic white and red lighthouse which can be easily spotted while on board the Duke Point - Tsawwassen ferry.
After leaving Entrance Island we turned back towards Nanaimo and back into port after another successful day of whale watching!
Photos taken by Marine Naturalist Cheyenne Brewster.
The Matriarchs - T090 Eagle (left) and T124A2 Elkugu (right).
Matriarch T124A2 Elkugu cruising the shoreline.
T124A2B Litton - she is already heavily scarred, and she is only 8 years old!
T090C Tigger has a very distinct pointy dorsal fin as seen here.
T090C Tigger beginning to dive while the rostrum (nose) of another orca comes up behind her.
T124A2A Agafia - while still small, he will likely start sprouting in the next couple of years.
Matriarch T090 Eagle. Even from this odd angle you can spot her distinct bump on the side of her dorsal.
Matriarch T124A2 Elkugu.
Matriarch T090 Eagle going for a dive.
Matriarch T090 Eagle - besides ID’ing from her dorsal fin, we could also use her eyepatch (white ovular shape on the side of her face) to confirm her ID.
T090B Piglet. He’s getting so big now!
The back ridge of one of the orca, with many rake marks visible on its skin.
T124A2B Litton with her signature notch and new tip notch visible.
A young whale (likely T124A2B Litton) surfacing very close to T124A2 Elkugu, with T090C Tigger off to the right.
A little tail slap from T124A2A Agafia.
T090B Piglet spyhopping, his large pectoral fins partially visible.
The tip of T090B Piglet’s nose!
One of the many peaks towering over us in Howe Sound.
Look at how perfect that snow looks!
Tranquil and serene, Howe Sound is always an amazing place to adventure around.
A final look at Howe Sound before we headed back to Nanaimo.
The M. Charles was also seen while we were in Howe Sound.
A young Bald Eagle perched at the tip of Entrance Island.
Off it goes!
Steller sea lions were eyeing us up along the coast of Entrance Island.