July 23, 2024, 10:30 am - Humpbacks at Halibut
We had two boats out this morning, and both the open boat Cascadia and the semi-covered Vessel Kula were eager to get off the dock. We have to start from scratch every day when finding whales, as none of our animals are tagged or tracked. We headed out to the Strait to see what we could find. We always send the boats in different directions to maximize our chances of finding whales. Often that means that when one boat finds them, the others will join, but sometimes we end up finding different animals. This was the case today!
Cascadia found a pair of humpbacks close to Halibut Bank - these two were Prowler (BCX1660) and Valiant (BCX1773). Nearby, Kula found Beak (BCX1606)! Halibut Bank is a popular spot to find humpbacks because they like to feed on the smaller schooling fish that hang out in this region. Most of the Strait of Georgia is between 200 and 400 meters deep, but Halibut Bank is a shallower region of the Strait being only about 45 meters or so deep. It is a hotspot for wildlife - we can find our Humpbacks, Harbour Porpoises, and sometimes Harbour Seals here! We also use the buoy there to determine wind and waves to see the sea state before every trip!
We watched these humpbacks for a while, and when we spotted blows in the distance, we decided to go see who was hanging out there! Kula found Malachite (KEY0047), Wolf Eel (BCY0940), and Pingu (BCY1110). You’ll notice these names and ID numbers are underlined. If you click on these, they’ll bring you to the individual’s Happywhale page! Happywhale is a global database of humpback whales. If you have a fluke of a humpback, you can submit the photo and Happywhale will ID the whale for you. It is particularly useful when matching whales to breeding grounds. We provide the link for the individuals we see on tour so our guests can see what the whales do later on!
While Kula watched these three whales, Cascadia found Malachite’s sibling Graphite (BCX2077). Graphite had plans, and proceeded to mug Cascadia! Mugging is a behaviour where whales become interested in a boat, circle it for a while, dive under it, and maybe roll around a bit too. It’s always a treat for us when the whales decide to come close on their own terms!
After we had watched the humpbacks, we left them with their food at Halibut Bank and went to find some other wildlife. We were lucky to come across some little Harbour Seals, and when we got back to the dock, we were treated to our resident River Otters! We would say today was a successful day!
Photos today were taken by Marine Naturalists Aly Kohlman and Hayleigh Hilbert.
BCX1606 Beak. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
Beak’s fluke. The white mark just to the right of their median notch is super useful for identifying them. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
Beak splashing a little bit. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
KEY0047 Malachite’s flukes! Photo by Aly Kohlman.
BCY0940 Wolf Eel. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
BCY1110 Pingu at a very awkward angle. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
Wolf Eel’s cute dorsal fin! Photo by Aly Kohlman.
Wolf Eel creating a fluke waterfall. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
BCX1773 Valiant arcing for a dive. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
Valiant has a very pointed dorsal fin with a white dot, making them easy to identify even without a fluke. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
Valiant’s flukes with a beautiful waterfall. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
BCX1660 Prowler. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
Prowler is most often identified by the notch on the right. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
BCX2077 Graphite. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
A good shot of Graphite’s blowholes as they come towards the boat! Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
Graphite’s pectoral fin! Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
Graphite’s fluke sinking into the water. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
A close-up of Graphite’s dorsal fin. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
Graphite’s pectoral fin. Look at those little wrinkles! Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
The left tip of Graphite’s fluke. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
We wonder what those wrinkles are? Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
That white circular mark is from a cookie cutter shark! Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
Starting to dive! Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
We love a good fluke waterfall! Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
A beautiful ID shot of Graphite’s flukes. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
This red stuff is whale poo! Whale poo is extremely important for the environment. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
If not friend, why friend-shaped? Photo by Aly Kohlman.
This river otter looks like they were caught doing something they shouldn’t have. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
Some great details for this guy! Photo by Aly Kohlman.
Can you see their little claws? Photo by Aly Kohlman.