April 9, 2024 - T101s, T100s, T036As and T049A3 having a T-party

It was a bright sunny day with flat calm water and we were excited to get going! We pushed off the dock onboard our open vessel Keta and headed towards Entrance Island where we had a report of possible whales from the morning. From here we searched along the shores of Gabriola Island, and even though we did not spot the whales we got to see some other wildlife during our search. First up, we saw the shadow, it was a Bald Eagle soaring high above, more than likely scanning the water for fish. The next stop is one of our favourites, we affectionately have named this spot “Stinky Rocks” and you bet it lives up to its name! This is because it is crawling with Steller Sea Lions this time of year, and they do not have the best hygiene. Something of interest we noted was a suckling sea lion, which is not a very common sight at the haulouts. A haulout is an area used for resting when the sea lions are not out foraging for food. Sea Lions do not breed at the haulout as they are migratory, this is reserved for what is known as a rookery. Rookeries are terrestrial sites used primarily from May to August where the sea lions mate, give birth and nurse. It is speculated that “Stinky Rocks” may one day become a rookery as the Stellers expand their range. Our fingers are crossed, because who doesn’t want to see adorable babies in our backyard? Spotting a nursing female may be a good indication our theory may be correct! Speaking of adorable we also got to spend some time with our Harbour seals on the rocks close to Stinky. These Harbour seals are here all year round and do breed in our backyard, those little pups can be born right into the water and can swim instantly! From there we decided to tuck into the Gulf Islands and try our luck, we travelled along the inside before shooting back out into the Strait of Georgia via Active Pass. We were glad we did because not one, not two but 13 Transient Orca were having what we call a T-party, when multiple families come together to socialize! The whales present today were:

T101 Reef ♀ (≤ 1969)
T101A Rush ♂ (1993)
T101B Lagoon ♂ (1997)

T100 Hutchins ♀ (~1979)
T100C Laurel ♂ (2002)
T100F Estrella (2014)

T036A Leland ♀ (1990)
T036A1 Tierna ♀ (2005)
T036A1A (2002)
T036A2 Kailas ♀ (2012)
T036A3 Storm/Mike III ♂ (2015)
T036A5 (2021)

T049A3 Nat ♂ (2011)

It is always very exciting to stumble upon a T-party because we usually get some surface activity and today was a lucky one! We got to see a lot of different behaviours today including pec slapping, tail slapping, fluke waving, back dives, a few spy hops and even a breach! A pec- slap is when the orca slaps its pectoral fin onto the top of the water. Tail slapping is exactly what it sounds like when an orca slaps their tail on the surface often a few times in a row! Fluke waving is when they bring their tails high out of the water and hold that position for a second or two. A back dive is when they leap and return to the water on their backs. A spy-hop is just a curious whale putting its head above the water to see what's going on above the surface. Finally, the breaching even though the breaching could only be seen in the distance as our T-party was very spread out today it is always a treat when they leap out of the water! After spending time with our orca it was time to head back as we had a way to go to get home. One last stop to see and hear our California Sea Lions at the Harmac log booms. Overall a fantastic day on the water!

Photos from today’s tour taken by Marine Naturalist Vanessa Vereschahen.

Can you spot both Harbour seals and both purple Sea stars?

A wink from a “Rock Sausage” better known as the Harbour seal.

Steller Sea Lions, can you see the large males mane?

That’s because this Steller is a mother!

Some socialization happening! We have a pectoral fin surfacing in front, with T036A Leland surfacing next to it, the tip of T036A2 Kailas is showing (can you see the chunk missing from the top?) followed by another.

T049A3 Nat surfacing with another beside and someone is swimming on their back preparing to lift a tail behind, and one swimming upright along side him as well!

Left to right: T100F Estrella, T100 Hutchins and T049A3 Nat.

T101B Lagoon with T101A Rush his big brother behind him.

T101 Reef surfacing in front of her son T101B Lagoon.

T101B Lagoon with T101A Rush following him again.

A cuddle puddle of Sea Lions on the log booms.

Jilann LechnerApril 9, 2024WhalesComment