August 26, 2024, 3:30 pm - Humpbacks in the Strait and Orca in Howe Sound!

The rain was coming down in buckets so we were happy to be on our semi-covered vessel Kula where we could tuck inside and stay dry. We had a destination in mind, a report of Orca in the spectacular Howe Sound, but we had a bit of a delay on route.

This delay was a welcome one indeed, it was a blow from a Humpback, but wait not just one blow, so we decided to check it out! The onboard naturalist pulled out her camera to snap a few photos of the tails and dorsal fins for identification. The whales we had were IDed as Chi (BCZ0414calf2021), Dalmatian (BCY0994) and one more who we did not get an identification for. Good thing she did because we got some action shortly after, a breach! This is when the whale propels itself at least 80% out of the water, at 80,000 pounds this is a sight to see indeed! We assume the whale has to dive a minimum of 20 feet and reach speeds of over 20 km an hour to achieve this feat. It also takes a whole whack of calories for our massive humpbacks, about the equivalent of us running an entire marathon.

We also got to see their 16 to 18-foot pectoral fins slapping the surface of the water, making an audible smack for us to hear. We do not know exactly why they do these behaviours, but we have some pretty good guesses, it’s most likely a combination of these theories. It is thought one of the reasons is communication between the whales, as a huge body, large pectoral fin or gigantic tail coming down hard on the surface is loud! The Humpbacks also get numerous parasites hitching a ride, they can have 7000 whale lice and 1000 pounds of barnacles on their skin, so it is thought they may be able to sluff some off and relieve the itching with a good smackdown. It may be just for fun, they have the zoomies. Showing off for the other whales, look how fit I am! It is also thought it could be a threat display, look how big I am, you better stay away! After being fortunate enough to see so much action from our playful Humpbacks we continued on to Howe Sound.

The towering coastal mountains and gorgeous teal water make Howe Sound a favourite destination for our crew! Especially when we get to watch Orca swim through the Fjord. Today the Orca we spent time with were:

T137A Jack ♂ (2002)
T137D Wright ♀ (2012)

T049A1 Noah ♂ (2001)

T099 Bella ♀ (~1984)
T099B Holly ♀ (2007)
T099C Barakat ♂ (2009)
T099D Puck ♂ (2015)
T099E ♀ (2021)

We had a mini T-party by the looks of it, this is when multiple transient Orca come together to socialize! Today our Orca were travelling together, they swim an average of 100 km each day! They are also opportunistic hunters so during these travels they have an eye and ear out for prey and that is why they are usually on the move, searching for that prey. Each orca needs to consume around 300 pounds of it per day, that would be an average of around 12 harbour seals to sustain this group for the day. That is a lot of seals! Good thing they are our most abundant mammal in the Salish Sea around 50,000 call it home. After spending time with our Orca it was time to head all the way across the Strait of Georgia and back home! The naturalist onboard, Aly Kohlman, was quick with her camera and captured a lot of amazing moments from this trip which you can view below!

Chi's tail half out of the water. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Dalmatian doing a chin slap. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Pectoral fin in the air. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

You can see some of the ventral grooves. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Part of Dalmatian's tail. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Dalmatian doing a chin slap. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Chi's dorsal fin. 

T049A1 Noah surfacing in the rain. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T137D Wright in the rain. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T137A Jack in the rain. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T137D Wright has a very distinct notch. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A look at T137A Jack with pat of his eye and saddle patches visible. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A better look at T137A Jack's eye patch. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

The right eyepatch of T137A Jack. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A nice look at T137A Jack. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T099 Bella along the shoreline. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T099B Holly has some distinct notches in her dorsal fin. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Matriarch T099 Bella. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T099B Holly in front of T099E and T099D Puck. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T099D Puck ad T099E. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T099E showing off their eye patch. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T099B Holly surfacing with someone else breaking the surface beside her. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T099B Holly and T099D Puck surfacing. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T099C Barakat surfacing in the rain. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Full boat leaving the Nanaimo Harbour. Photo by Aly Kohlman.