We received a vague report of orca in Northumberland Channel, so we were eager to cast off and begin the search! The whales in our waters aren't tagged, chipped, or tracked, so we rely entirely on visual sightings — any report is always exciting! With eyes peeled, we headed into the Southern Gulf Islands. Can you guess where we found whales today? If you said Northumberland Channel, you’re absolutely right! We spotted distant blows, then the iconic black dorsal fins slicing through the water. Out came the camera to help identify the individuals — we use features like dorsal fins, saddle patches, and eye patches to tell them apart. And who was it? None other than some of our local favourites — the T049As (well, most of them)!

The orca present were:

T049A Nan ♀ (1986)
T049A3 Nat ♂ (2011)
T049A4 Neptune ♂ (2014)
T049A5 Nebula ♀ (2017)
T049A6 Charlie II ♂ (2022)

Our matriarch, Nan, has six kids — so where were her two eldest sons? Noah, her firstborn, tends to return to Mom’s side fairly frequently. We’ve even seen him trailing behind the rest of the pod from time to time — he’s a bit more of a mama’s boy than his brother. Jude, her second-born, on the other fin, seems to prefer the lone-wolf lifestyle and is often spotted cruising the Salish Sea solo. These two boys are a bit of an exception to the norm. Typically, offspring — especially males — stay with their mothers for life. Females, on the other hand, tend to branch off after having a calf or two and eventually become matriarchs of their own pods. So, while it’s more common for the ladies to separate, they still meet up regularly to socialize with their families, relatives, and friends. We call these reunions T-parties! We speculated that the boys may have been trying to meet up with the rest of the family today and just missed them, as the brothers were spotted on this tour too! Noah and Jude were hanging around near Lantzville, just north of where we found their mom and siblings. We can guess all day long about what they’re up to, but we can’t say for sure if that’s what happened today, though it certainly seemed like it!

The orca present at the second location were:

T049A1 Noah ♂ (2001)
T049A2 Jude ♂ (2007)

We had another surprise worth mentioning on our way to see the brothers, a humpback whale sighting! It was a familiar dorsal fin, one we've spotted on a few tours recently. While we now recognize this little humpback thanks to repeated encounters, it remains officially unidentified. We suspect it's likely a calf from last year that hasn’t yet been added to the photo-ID catalogues. Stay tuned to our blog, as soon as we learn who this whale is, we’ll be sure to share an update! Our best guess is that this young humpback was here to feed after a long migration and months of fasting, they can go up to six months without eating before returning to their feeding grounds. This region is especially productive thanks to an underwater hill that causes upwelling during tidal changes. The swirling water brings oxygen and nutrients to the surface, creating a rich dining experience for a variety of marine life. The area is also a popular haul-out site for sea lions, particularly on the Halibut Bank buoy, and seems to be a favourite hangout for zippy harbour porpoises , we spot them darting around the area from time to time.

After an eventful day with a full family encounter and a double species treat, we were ready to head back home! Enjoy the photos by Marine Naturalist Aly Kohlman below!

May 14, 2025 - Missing your family, literally!