It was another lovely morning with overcast skies as we had all three of our boats returning to the water to search the area for whales. The Strait of Georgia has been a hotspot for them lately, so both boats headed out into the more open water of the Strait to start their search.

They travelled out over the top of Gabriola Island, searching along the coastline until we spotted the sign of whales in the distance: Blows!

Two of our boats ended up watching the same whales first, which we were quickly able to ID as Vanta (BCX1730) and Niagara (BCY0057). Vanta has a very dark fluke, as an X-type whale, and she has a pretty unique dorsal fin as well. Niagara is also quite well known and recognizable, thanks to the white “waterfall” mark close to the center of his tail. Interestingly, although Niagara is classified as a “Y” whale, most of his tail is black on the underside, with just the waterfall mark being white. He is also unique in having a white spot on the top of his fluke which can help identify him if the angle isn’t right for the bottom of his tail. These two seemed to be in travel mode when we found them, spending some time at the surface before dipping under, lifting their tails as they went.

The other boat found a different pair of humpback whales that they were able to ID as Dalmatian (BCY0994) and Trooper (BCX1845). These two are also very unique and easy to ID. Trooper gets his name due to his survival of a bad injury that occurred in 2018. He was unfortunately hit by a vessel in Howe Sound which left him with a large wound on his dorsal surface, just behind the fin. Thankfully, he has healed up nicely since the injury and now is seen frequently in our waters. The scar left from this ship strike does make him very easy to pick out, even when we don’t get his tail which is quite often. Dalmatian is mostly recognizable from the beautiful pattern on the underside of his tail, which he is named for. With lots of circular scars left behind from barnacles, the names were reminded of the spotted breed of dog! Some folks think that there is also a shape of a puppy visible in the tail. Can you spot it in the photos below? These two seemed to be having some fun, slapping their pectoral fins and tails on the water as we spent time with them. It was an impressive sight to behold!

The first two boats ended up leaving Vanta and Niagara to their travels since they had spotted more whales in the distance. They headed over and recognized two more whales travelling together. It was Notcho (BCX1700) and Kappa (BCX0158)! These two were a little sleepy when we first found them, logging at the surface in rest. It’s called logging since they sit with their bodies just at the surface of the water, looking nearly identical to a log. When they rest like this, even their breath is less obvious since they aren’t breathing as deeply as they would be if they were diving. Soon enough, it seemed like their nap had given them some energy since these whales started breaching out of the water, slapping their tails around, and slapping their pectoral fins on the surface. It’s always an amazing sight when the whales start jumping since it is a huge amount of energy. We know that Kappa is an adult female, due to her age (at least 27 years old) meaning that she would be fully grown. The females get to be larger than males, so she is likely the full 17 meters long, and weighing up to 44 tonnes. The energy it takes for her to throw herself out of the water is the equivalent of a human running a marathon! Quite impressive. They continued like this for a little while, before going back to resting and feeding, so we left them to it.

The final pair of humpbacks that we got to see was Yakima (BCX2182) and Thunderbolt (BCX1675 calf 2023) spending time together. These two were also being a bit playful in the water, doing some pectoral fin slapping and swishing their tails about. We ended up seeing something else super interesting which was a moon-walk from these whales! It looked like a normal surface, but entirely in reverse! The tail came out first, followed by the rest of the body and an exhale. Although not the most active thing that happened today, it might have been the most exciting for all the staff onboard!

Finally, the tour finished off with a stop at Stinky Rocks to see the Steller Sea Lions and Harbour Seals hanging out on the rocks. It was a great end to a great day! You can enjoy all of the photos that were taken by the onboard marine naturalists Aly Kolhman, Des Poier, and Hayleigh Hilbert below!

August 20, 2024, 10:30 am - Humpback Whales in the Strait of Georgia

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