Sunny skies and gorgeous conditions led to an amazing trip out into the Salish Sea! Today, we headed south down into the Gulf Islands to see what we could find. Making our way through Trincomali channel, we soon saw blows in the distance. Can it be? Yes, an early-season humpback!

This whale was identified as Wisp (BCY1464), the 2021 calf of one of our regularly sighted humpbacks, Ghost! Wisp has been a frequently spotted whale in our area over the years. While we have not cross-matched them to a breeding ground, their mother, Ghost, has been matched to the Hawaiian breeding grounds, so that likely is where Wisp goes as well. These gentle giants are a migratory species, so we always get excited when we finally see them back in our waters! Humpbacks will head to the warmer waters of Mexico and Hawaii in late fall, making the long journey to mate and give birth in these breeding grounds. In the spring, they begin their long trek back to our waters. Once arrived, they spend the summer feasting on the plentiful food sources here, such as juvenile herring and krill. Young Wisp is too young to participate in the activities of the breeding grounds, so they likely made the journey back to get a head start on feeding season! This is common for young humpbacks, who we usually see return first. In the next few months, we will gradually see the return of the younger whales, followed by mothers and calves, and finally the established males.

While a frequent ‘swimmer’ in our area, Wisp has gone unidentified several times when we have observed them. Why? As Humpbacks go for a dive, they often lift their flukes in the process. Because Wisp rarely does a full dive, we can’t see the flukes needed to easily identify them. The underside of a Humpback whale’s tail is highly unique, and we look for distinctive colours, markings, and scars to identify the individual animal. So what do we do when we have a notoriously non-fluking whale around? We usually rely on a secondary feature - the dorsal fin. ID’ing from dorsal fins is very challenging, as they may become damaged and deformed as they age. This is one of the main reasons why it is so important to take ID shots of every whale we come across - and if possible, a full set of photos for each whale. This includes both sides of the dorsal fin and the fluke. This way we can catalogue changes in colour, scarring, or things such as boat strikes.

But it’s not just whales we see on tours! We always see a great variety of wildlife here on the coast, and today was no exception. Guests were treated to the dazzling sights of our pinniped friends, including Steller Sea lions, California Sea Lions and Harbour Seals! Today, we also had an incredible menagerie of bird species! Our Naturalists spotted Bald Eagles, Cormorants, Bonaparte’s Gulls, Canadian Geese, Crows, and even some Rhinoceros Auklets!

Rhinoceros Auklets are distinct-looking birds with a characteristic horn on the upper bill. This horn does more than look cool, it even glows under black light! This species is highly selective of their mates, and it is believed that the fluorescent horn aids in attracting the perfect partner. With many bird species able to detect similar ultraviolet pigments, it’s safe to assume the bird world is even more colourful than we can imagine! This unique species is also known as the Rhinoceros Puffin, and they are closely related to other puffins in the Alcidae family. The Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata) is the only remaining living species in the Cerorhinca genus, with all other members existing in fossil records. What an exceptionally cool species to see!

After an incredibly fulfilling day, we headed back to the dock. All photos taken by onboard Marine Naturalists Aly Kohlman, Val Watson, and Vanessa Vereschahen. Check them out below!

April 17, 2025 - A Wisp-er of whales!