Spring on the West Coast can be unpredictable, so we were glad to see some blue skies mixed with the usual cloud cover as we left Nanaimo. Our two boats spread out, heading into the Strait of Georgia to see which whales might be travelling in our range today.

We headed East across the Strait of Georgia towards North America’s southernmost Glacial Fjord: Howe Sound! Earlier in the day there was a pair of orca spotted from shore, so we decided to see if we could spot them as well! As we crossed we saw the towering skyscrapers of the City of Vancouver growing on the horizon. The skyline with the Coastal Mountains in the background was a reminder of how interwoven humans and wildlife are here in BC. This connection continued as we spotted the orca! Their tall black fins suddenly appeared close enough that our semi-covered boat was able to spot them and let the open boat know where they were.

The two dorsal fins were very distinct, one with a large notch and a slight lean, and the other very straight and narrow with a small notch 1/3 of the way down; it was T087 Harbeson and T124C Cooper!

These two have been on-and-off travel companions for many years, showcasing the long-lasting connections with our orca, even outside of their own family groups. Typically orca will travel within matriarchal pods, meaning that a female will be traveling with her own offspring. Typically males like Cooper and Harbeson would stick around with their mom for their entire lives, but both have had their mothers pass away. Females usually outlive their sons since the life span between the genders is so different. While females have been known to live to an average of 60 years old, the male’s average lifespan is about half that. That being said, there are exceptions to this average. Harbeson is the best example since he is the oldest male in the Biggs Orca population! At 63 years old Harbeson is an impressive whale!

No one quite knows why Cooper and Harbeson like to spend time together, but we do know the complexities of the orca’s social behaviour are likely more complex than we know!

After spending time with these two, both boats headed back across the Strait to a rocky island we have dubbed “Stinky Rock” thanks to its smelly inhabitants; the Steller Sea Lions! Sea Lion numbers have been recovering in BC after a targeted cull in the mid-1900s that reduced their numbers greatly. This was done in an attempt to boost the salmon numbers, although unsuccessfully. Looking at the haul out now, you might never guess that these pinnipeds were only removed from the endangered species list in 2013.

In addition to the more boisterous Sea Lions here, we also spotted some Harbour Seals on the smaller island nearby. Although they mostly get along, physiological differences make it so they typically haul out in slightly different environments. Namely, Sea Lions can get onto much steeper slopes since they can prop themselves up on their flippers whereas the Harbour Seals can’t. While these pinnipeds were the highlight of this stop, there was also a few bird species that caught the attention of everyone onboard such as the strikingly colourful Harlequin ducks floating by and resting on the rocks, and the Gulls. We didn’t notice it in person, but looking back on the photos there was a funny sight: a gull was halfway through eating an Ochre Star! These tough echinoderms have a hard exoskeleton and a shape that doesn’t make it easy for them to go down, but gulls are very persistent and will wait for the shape to change enough to make it down their throat. See if you can spot it in the photos below!

Finally, both boats returned to Nanaimo after a great day on the water! The Naturalists onboard both boats, Cheyenne Brewster and Val Watson, were snapping photos of all the wildlife and scenery along the way which can be enjoyed below!

March 17, 2025 - Spending time with Harbeson and Cooper by Howe Sound