July 12, 2024, 3:30 pm - Some Very Happy Orcas

We had our semi-covered boat Kula and our open boat Cascadia out this afternoon. We headed into the Strait of Georgia, determined to find some whales. We had very little luck out there, but then we got a report of orcas closer to shore. We made our way over and it wasn’t too long before we saw blows! When we did get on scene, we were treated to lots of splashing and tail slaps. At first, we only saw a few whales, so we thought we may only have one pod. It soon became apparent that there were more than we originally anticipated, so we got to identifying who we had.

When we identify whales, we look at the dorsal fin and the white patch behind and below it. That patch is known as their saddle patch. Each fin and saddle patch is different: some fins have notches, some don’t, and the saddle patches can have multiple scratches and scars on them. This also differs between ecotype! Transient Killer Whales have very triangular, pointy dorsal fins and solid-coloured saddle patches. Residents have taller, more rounded fins with almost a 90 degree angle between their dorsal fin and their back. They can also have “open” or “finger” saddle patches. Open saddle patches can look like squiggly check marks, and finger saddle patches are solid-coloured with a small amount of white protruding out of it. Our naturalists used these elements to identify the whales we were watching! We had the T075Bs and T077s.

T075B Pebbles ♀ (1995)
T075B2 Jasper ♂ (2015)
T075B3 Rubble (2017)
T075B4 (2021)

T077 Asja ♀ (1981)
T077C Neftali ♂ (2006)
T077D Alycon ♀ (2009)
T077E Misneach (2016)

We’ve seen the T077s just by themselves over the last month, so it was nice to see them hanging out with the T075Bs! It’s actually suspected that the matriarchs of these two families are siblings, so this may have been a big family reunion! And it sure seemed like they were excited; we were even treated to a breach from one of the T077s. These whales were playing and socializing near Beachcomber Regional Park around Nanoose Bay. There are a couple of islands around this area that shelter it from the wind, so the waters were pretty calm as we watched them. The whales did eventually calm down a bit, but T075B Pebbles spyhopped above the water, and let out a raspberry!

When there’s a big group of whales, we call this a T-party! Often when they’re excited, orcas will let out sounds, known as calls, underwater. But it’s not very often at all that you get to hear them above the water, so we were pleasantly surprised by this! Orcas make sounds with their blowhole and can use a fatty organ known as the melon to direct where the sound goes.

After our time with these excitable whales, there was still more wildlife to see. We made a stop at Snake Island to check out our cute Harbour Seals. We then passed by the Gabriola Bluffs where the cormorants are nesting. Our final stop of the day was at an eagle’s nest. It’s not often we get to see the whole family but today one of the parents was on a tree close by while the other parent sat close to their nest with their youngster. Recently this young eagle has been hopping around the branches near their nest more and more, it’ll soon be time for them to fledge and begin life on their own. We made our way back home and were greeted at the dock by a Great Blue Heron to end our trip.

Enjoy the photos from the tour, which were taken by Naturalists Lucy Willis and Hayleigh Hilbert.

An upside down tail flick. Photo by Lucy Willis.

A fluke wave from one of our whales. Photo by Lucy Willis.

More tail-slapping! Photo by Lucy Willis.

Do you see the chunks missing from this orca’s tail? Photo by Lucy Willis.

A wave of a pectoral fin. Photo by Lucy Willis.

Big splash! Photo by Lucy Willis.

A breach from one of our whales. Photo by Lucy Willis.

Coming in for landing. Photo by Lucy Willis.

Look at the size of those pectoral fins. Photo by Lucy Willis.

One of our matriarchs, T077 Asja. Photo by Lucy Willis.

Two matriarchs surfacing together. Photo by Lucy Willis.

T077C Neftali. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

The youngest member of the group, T075B4. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

T075B3 Rubble arching for a deeper dive. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

T075B3 Rubble. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

T077E Misneach. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Harbour Seals on Snake Island. Photo by Lucy Willis.

Look at that cute face. Photo by Lucy Willis.

Cormorants at the Gabriola Bluffs. Photo by Lucy Willis.

A Pigeon Guillemot with a snack. Photo by Lucy Willis.

A gull relaxing on the calmer water. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

This Bald Eagle has something to say. Photo by Lucy Willis.

A juvenile Bald Eagle on the left and an adult on the right. They don’t get that white head and tail until they’re around five years old. Photo by Lucy Willis.

A Great Blue Heron waiting to greet us at the end of our trip. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.