August 6, 2024, 3:30 pm - A wonderful afternoon with giants!
We left the harbour on this beautiful sunny afternoon in search of giants. Our boats split to cover as much ground as possible while looking for these behemoths. Kula immediately headed towards the Strait while our 2 open boats began their search in our Southern Gulf islands. After combing the islands for a bit, the zodiacs popped their noses out into the Strait afterward to meet up with our semi-covered vessel “Kula” where who had found 2 whales.
When we arrive on scene with any whales one of the first things our naturalists do is try to determine who the individuals are. We can do this in several ways. The easiest way to figure out who’s who is by seeing the ventral (underside) side of the fluke. The fluke (or tail) is used for propulsion and though we often refer to it as one thing, whales have 2 flukes (a left and a right). When a whale “flukes” this means that they are bringing the flukes out of the water and often means they are about to go for a deep dive. This is the best time for us to ID the whales because the ventral side will range from all white to all black often with markings and scars that make their flukes as unique as a human fingerprint. The pigmentation on the tail is genetic while the markings often come from minor scuffs and scrapes as well as barnacles throughout the whale’s lifetime. After examining the ventral side of the 2 whales’ flukes we determined we were with Harpy (BCZ0503) and Fader (BCY0195).
After spending some time with this duo we started making our way back towards Nanaimo. On the way back one of our open boats stumbled on a single humpback identified as Wisp (BCX1333 calf 2021). Our semi-covered boat also stumbled on something else, but rather than finding another whale, we found a small capsized boat. While this doesn’t happen very often, our crew knew exactly what to do and immediately began searching the water for any signs of human activity while the captain called into the Coast Guard. After determining that there was no one in the water we continued on our way back to Nanaimo. We are happy to report that the man who was piloting the capsized boat did make it back to land safely before we got there.
As well as whales, we were fortunate enough to spot a wide variety of other animals on today’s tour including some sleepy harbour seals, some loud stellar sea lions and quite a few bird species. Amongst the birds were bald eagles and cormorants but perhaps the most interesting feathered sighting of the day happened for one of our zodiacs so found a peregrine falcon! You can see photos from today’s adventure below by Marine Naturalists Aly Kohlman, Hayleigh Hilbert, and Des Poier!
Can you see the 2 types of barnacles on the tail? Photo by Aly Kohlman.
Fader going for a deep dive. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
We can identify whales by looking at the ventral side of the fluke, this is Harpy. Photo by Des Poier.
Fader has a mostly black fluke with bits of white. Photo by Des Poier.
Harpy about to go for a deep dive. Photo by Des Poier.
Fader’s dorsal. Photo by Des Poier.
A humpback’s fluke can be 18 feet across. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
Evening photos are some of our favorites! Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
Water dripping off the fluke. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
Flukes up! Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
Wisp has been hanging out by himself. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
Wisp with a cartwheel. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
A final goodbye for the evening. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
Steller sea lions trying to get the best spot on the rock. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
Sea lion looking back at us. Photo by Des Poier.
This sea lion is doing its best little mermaid impression. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
Harbour seals enjoying some sun. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
Cormorants sunning their wings. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
Bald eagle sitting on a branch. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
A rare sighting of a peregrine falcon. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.
Baby cormorants in their nest. Photo by Aly Kohlman.