March 29, 2024 - An orca extravaganza!
There was excitement in the air as we pushed off the dock. We had already caught wind of an early report of orca crossing through Dodd Narrows and we were hopeful we could catch up to them. We pushed off and turned northwards, scanning all around. It didn’t take long for us to locate the pod travelling close to North Nanaimo, a large male being the most distinctive member among them. After snapping some photos we were able to ID this pod as the T123s:
T123 Sidney ♀ (~1985)
T123A Stanley ♂ (2000)
T123C Lucky ♀ (2012)
T123D Darcy ♀ (2018)
This pod has been on our minds a lot lately after the unfortunate demise of T109A3 Spong via beaching last week. Similar to Spong, T123 Sidney and T123A Stanley ended up beached on a sand bar back in 2011. It is believed they accidentally beached while chasing seals, just as Spong did. Sidney and Stanley were able to be successfully refloated once the tide came back in, and we later found out Sidney was pregnant with her third child, Lucky, at the time of the beaching.
Strandings for whales is a very serious matter. Their bodies are not designed to be on land or out of the water for extended periods of time. When they are on land like this, the difference in pressure starts causing damage to their bodies. They are also at risk of overheating as they do not have the cool ocean water around them. This is why it is common to see whales covered in damp towels during beachings to try and prevent overheating.
The video below shows photos and videos of the T123s stranding.
The T123s weren’t up to much today - just travelling along. This is a very common behaviour to witness, and while it isn’t super exciting, it’s always amazing to see these magnificent creatures with your own eyes.
After departing the T123s our attention turned northwards once more. We had heard rumours that there were more orca just further north. They had been seen by French Creek about an hour previously and were said to be travelling fast southbound. Once again luck was on our side, as it didn’t take long for us to locate this second group of whales! This group turned out to be a T-party, or a group consisting of multiple matrilines of Transient (Bigg’s) whales. This party contained the following pods:
T036A Leland ♀ (1990)
T036A1 Tierna ♀ (2005)
T036A1A (2022)
T036A2 Kailas ♀ (2012)
T036A3 Storm/Mike III ♂ (2015)
T036A5 ♂ (2021)
T100 Hutchins ♀ (~1979)
T100C Laurel ♂ (2002)
T100F Estrella (2014)
T124A Kittiwake ♀ (1984)
T124A6 Kasuun ♂ (2016)
T124A7 ♀ (2021)
T124A1 Bonapartes ♀ (1996)
T124A1A (2024 calf)
T124A4 ♀ Sabio (2010)
T124A4A ♀ (2021 calf)
The T124As is another amazing pod. T124A1 Bonapartes is believed to currently be raising her first calf at 28 years old. This is VERY old for a female orca to start reproducing, as most females give birth to their first calf in their teens. On top of reproducing so late in life, Bonapartes used to be considered a Lone Female as she would often travel by herself. In recent years she seems to have given up this habit as she is now regularly being spotted with her family members once again.
All together we spotted 20 different orca today! Now THAT’s a lot of whales!
After we spent time with our whales we headed back toward Nanaimo to see who else we may find out and about today! We also got to see some of our cutest mammals in the Salish sea, our harbour seals hauled out on the rocks. Among them we found a couple of sea lions sunning themselves as well. Next a stop at the Gabriola Bluffs to check out who’s returning to nest this year! Cormorants and some gulls are starting to return, and our bald eagle pair has returned this year too! After a stop at the Harmac log booms to see, hear and smell the California sea lions we headed back to the dock!
Photos were taken on this tour by Marine Naturalists Val Watson and Vanessa Vereschahen.
Photo by Val Watson. T123A Stanley, can you see the scars on his saddle patch?
Photo by Val Watson. T124A4 Sabio.
Photo by Val Watson. T036A1 Tierna with her unique dorsal fin.
Photo by Val Watson. The newest member T124A1A making a splash!
Photo by Val Watson. T036A1 Tierna.
Photo by Val Watson. T100C Laurel.
Photo by Val Watson. Our open vessel Keta.
Photo by Val Watson. T100F Estrella travelling closely with 3 others.
T124A Kittiwake travelling with her youngest calf T124A7. Photo by Val Watson.
Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen. T123A Stanley showing off his large dorsal fin!
Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen. T123A Stanley.
Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen. T123A Stanley followed by his sister T123C Lucky.
Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen. T036A Leland surfacing.
Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen. T036A Leland.
Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen. A peak above the waves.
Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen. A spy hop in the distance from T036A1 Tierna as we departed our whales!
Harbour Seals doing what they do best, looking cute!
Can you spot all the animals in this photo? There is a Steller Sea Lion, Gulls and a bunch of Harbour Seals blending into the rocks!
Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen. An interesting pose from a Harbour seal.
Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen. Cute little “rock sausages” Harbour Seals.
Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen. A pair of Canadian Geese.
Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen. Surf Birds coming in for a landing.
A juvenile Bald eagle keeps watch.
A puddle of California Sea Lions, with a few Steller Sea Lions in the in the mix.
Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen. A very blond California Sea Lion relaxing in the sun.
Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen. Sea Lions always have something to say!
Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen. A wave goodbye from a Sea Lion!