The air was crisp, and rain drizzled down, but that didn’t dampen our spirits as we set off on our semi-covered vessel, Kula! We turned south and began scanning the horizon, trying to spot any dorsals that may pop up along the horizon.
Our first wildlife encounter was not with whales but with another Pacific Northwest icon—the majestic Bald Eagle. This year, we've been thrilled to see so many of these incredible birds, both juveniles and adults, soaring over our shores. Once on the brink of extinction due to DDT, their population has made a remarkable comeback. We now have many nests that have Eagle pairs return to them every year!

After a bit of travelling, our guests spotted a couple of fins so we stopped and started scanning, wondering where they would pop up next. Suddenly, a large black and white body popped out of the water! It was a huge bull orca spyhopping, or bringing their head and pectoral fins out of the water to peek at the world above the water’s surface.

After snapping some photos, we identified this big male as T090B Piglet, who was travelling with the rest of his pod, the T090s:

T090 Eagle ♀ (1980)
T090B Piglet ♂ (2006)
T090C Tigger ♀ (2010)
T090D Kanga ♀ (2017)

The big spy hop from Piglet was likely celebrating a successful hunt - or in other words, he got excited about his lunch being ready! Meal time is important for our orca as they are a social species, and every successful hunt is split between all members of the pod. They must have done this fast though, as shortly after Piglet’s big “entrance” they switched back to travel mode!

At 45 years old, Eagle may have entered menopause, meaning she is unlikely to have more calves - especially since she hasn’t been seen with a newborn since Kanga’s birth in 2017. Piglet will likely remain by his mother’s side throughout her lifetime (orca males tend to be huge momma’s boys), while Tigger is expected to eventually establish her own matriline once she has a couple of calves of her own. First-time orca mothers typically stay with their family until they successfully raise a calf or two, as the support of their mother and siblings greatly eases the challenges of nurturing a young orca.

For now, we relish every moment spent with this close-knit pod as they navigate our waters. The overcast sky provided the perfect dramatic backdrop, allowing us to capture some quintessential West Coast shots as the pod travelled along.

Once our time with the T090s was up, we cozied up and began the journey back towards home port. We had to go pretty far south today, but such is the life of watching wild whales - you never know how close (or far) they will be that day!

We journeyed up the inside of the Southern Gulf Islands, through Satellite Channel northbound. On our way, we took a quick peek at a couple of sea lions swimming along, and we also had a couple of other bird sightings along the route as well! As we neared the harbour, we reflected on the day's unforgettable moments - we were grateful for yet another spectacular day on the water!

Please enjoy these photos by Marine Naturalist Val Watson!

February 21, 2025 - The T090s partying by Victoria!