September 17, 2025 - Humpback soup in the Strait, and a T-party off of Gibsons!

We started extra early today, bright-eyed and beaming, ready to adventure and see where the day would take us. With two of our boats heading out (Kula and Cascadia), we spread out, scanning as we travelled. We didn’t have to go very far, though, as we spotted blows and flukes off of Five Fingers Islands. These two were travelling side by side, diving together as they went. As they dove, they brought their flukes (tails) high up into the air, allowing us to get perfect shots to confirm their IDs. These two were Twinning (BCX1207) and Crater/Mensa (BCX1565), two individuals regularly spotted in the Salish Sea. As we observed this pair, they began rolling around, occasionally slapping their pectoral fins (side fins) on the surface of the water, and tail lobbing at the surface.

After departing Twinning and Crater, we continued southbound. After rounding the corner of Gabriola Island, we approached Thrasher Rock, a popular area for whales to feed. This was a perfect place to peek at, as another three whales were spotted fluking and diving! Our Naturalist on board our open boat, Cascadia, began snapping away and confirmed this trio as Poptart (BCY1014), Frankenstein (BCX1358), and Trooper (BCX1854). Similar to Twinning and Crater/Mensa, these three were busy travelling and fluking, likely diving down into the water column to fill their bellies.

The whale adventures for the day weren’t over, though, as we headed out into the Strait of Georgia. We had caught word of an early sighting of Orca near the Sunshine Coast, and we were eager to go and try and locate them. With none of our whales sporting trackers or tags, locating whales (even when you have an idea where they were last spotted) can be tricky. That is why we always recommend you continuously scan all around you when we are travelling, as you never know where they will show up!

After making it to the other side of the Strait, we saw what we were looking for - a vast sea of black dorsal fins slicing through beautifully calm waters. Once more, our Naturalists began working on identifying which whales they were with. With so many whales present, identifying each individual can be quite the task. After looking at our photos, we confirmed that there were an astonishing five matrilines present, for a total of 17 unique orca:

T023C Cindy ♀ (1990)
T023C3 Durban ♀ (2009)
T023C4 Bunzie ♂ (2013)
T023C5 Grym ♀ (2018)
T023C6 Cascade ♂ (2023)

T100 Hutchins ♀ (~1979)
T100C Laurel ♂ (2002)
T100F Estrella (2014)

T101 Reef ♀ (≤1969)
T101A Rush ♂ (1993)
T101B Lagoon ♂ (1997)

T065 Whidbey II ♀ (~1971)
T063 Chainsaw ♂ (~1978)

T124D Field ♀ (1996)
T124D1 Salish II (2014)
T124D3 Lupine ♀ (2022)
T124D4 Dune ♂ (2024)

These pods were zipping back and forth, popping up close together as they ventured along. As highly tactile animals, orca will regularly socialize by brushing their sides and fins together. At a couple of points during our encounter, the matriarchs could be seen travelling together, while the younger individuals played together by themselves. Often, the large males were seen stalking around the outskirts of the gathering, seemingly uninterested in socializing at the time. However, besides socializing, T-parties (gatherings of multiple Transient orca parties together) are also a perfect opportunity for mature whales to mate. There may have been some mating occurring today, because there was at least one instance of a ‘sea snake’ being visible, as a male travelled along, with his belly breaking the surface of the water.

We watched the party continue onwards, pointing southward, before we said our goodbyes and continued on our way, back into the Strait of Georgia.

Of course, there are plenty of other creatures to see in the Salish Sea besides whales, and we always strive to show our guests as many species as possible. Besides the orca and humpbacks, we also stopped at known pinniped haulouts, where we observed Steller Sea Lions nestled up and sleeping the day away, and rotund Harbour Seals galumphing along. Our Stellers were spotted in two uniquely different areas today: on the Halibut Bank ODAS buoy, a manmade structure, as well as up on Stinky Rocks, a naturally rocky island formation off of Valdez Island. The difference in haulouts showcases how well these animals can adapt to their environment.

Soon the day was up and we had to head back to Nanaimo, crossing back across the Strait of Georgia, and making our way back into the Nanaimo Harbour, wrapping up a beautiful Double Species day out on the water on an equally beautiful day.

Please enjoy these photos taken by Marine Naturalists Aly Kohlman and Hayleigh Hilbert!

Waving their pec around. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Rolling and feeding away at the surface. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Twinning’s fluke. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Crater/Mensa’s fluke. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Making waves! Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Crater/Mensa’s unique dorsal fin. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Crater (left) beside Twinning (right). Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Crater (left) and Twinning (right). Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Twinning going for a dive. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Tail lobbing away. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Trooper’s dorsal fin. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Frankenstein’s fluke. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T124D4 Dune and T124D1 Salish II. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T063 Chainsaw, T023C5 Bunzie, and T100C Laurel. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T023C6 Cascade and T101B Lagoon. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T023C5 Bunzie and T100C Laurel. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T063 Chainsaw, T023C Cindy, and another to the right. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T023C Cindy (front) and T100 Hutchins (back). Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Travelling all together! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Steller Sea Lions lounging around. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Seals snoozing in the surf. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Harbour Seals hauled out on the rocks. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

A Cormorant floating by. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A cuddle puddle of Steller Sea Lions. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Dreaming away on the ODAS buoy. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Author: Cheyenne BrewsterSeptember 17, 2025WhalesComment