May 15, 2025 - Current-ly attempting to cross through Dodd Narrows!

We left the dock and headed into the Southern Gulf Islands, where the lighting perfectly captured the moody beauty of a West Coast day. Our Naturalists were especially excited; this type of light makes for stunning photographs.
Two of our vessels were out on the water today: Kula, our semi-covered boat, and Cascadia, our open vessel. We sent them off in slightly different directions to cover more ground in the search. After travelling for what felt like quite a while - heads turning and eyes scanning the horizon for fins or blows - we finally spotted something incredible. Nearly 40 nautical miles from where we started, a young orca breached high into the air! It’s hard to miss when they launch themselves like that. This energetic little one was Tide, the two-year-old calf of Tread, a true joy to witness!

The whales present today were:

T046C2 Sam ♀ (2009)

T046B1 Tread ♀ (2003)
T046B1A Tsakani ♀ (2015)
T046B1C ♂ (2022)

It’s not uncommon to see younger whales experiencing the "whale zoomies." Without the thick layer of blubber that adults have, these energetic bursts of movement help them warm up in the frigid waters of the Salish Sea.
Just like human children, young orcas have plenty of energy to burn, especially since their mothers and older siblings take care of the hunting. Tide is no exception. His mother, Tread, ensures he’s well-fed, as food is frequently shared within the pod. That said, Tide isn’t completely off the hook. Mothers begin training their calves early on, but for now, let’s just say Tread is doing most of the heavy lifting.
Today, she had an extra set of fins to help keep an eye on little Tide. Her cousin Sam was travelling with them too. Sam has quite a story. In 2013, when she was just four years old, she became trapped in a lagoon. Researchers eventually coaxed her out using a floating line and playback of transient orca calls outside the harbour.
Unfortunately, it appeared she had become separated from her pod. While we can’t say for sure why she never returned to her mother, we wonder if she might still hold a grudge for being "abandoned" in that lagoon. After spending time with these orcas, it was time for us to part ways, as we began our long journey home.

But the day had one more surprise in store!

Just as we reached the mouth of Dodd Narrows, we had no choice but to pause. Two male orca were navigating the powerful currents rushing through the narrow channel! They were identified as Cooper and Spinnaker:

T124C Cooper ♂ (1992)
T037A3 Spinnaker ♂ (2013)

Tidal changes in this area can cause the water to surge at speeds of up to 9 knots! The Narrows, about 80 feet across and 70 feet deep, create a natural funnel, intensifying the flow. Spinnaker seemed to be struggling a bit in the strong current, as it took him nearly 20 minutes to push through. Cooper, being larger, older, and probably stronger, didn’t seem to have as much trouble. It even looked like he might have been hanging back to encourage his friend. Once both made it through, it was our turn to take on the Narrows. Fortunately, our powerful engines had no trouble carrying us through. It’s always exciting to feel the swirling eddies tug at the boat and watch the water spin around us.

Along the way, we also spotted some of the Salish Sea’s most abundant marine mammals hauled out on the rocks, our beloved “rock sausages,” better known as Harbour Seals. These curious creatures are year-round residents and even breed in our backyard. With about 50,000 harbour seals in the Salish Sea and 85,000 in the Pacific Northwest, they’re clearly thriving! Our final stop of the day was to visit their larger cousins, the California sea lions. These impressive animals migrate north to feed and return to California to breed. Many of them lounge on the log booms near Dodd Narrows, a prime fishing spot. We’ve even seen them take advantage of the strong currents to catch disoriented fish swept up in the swirls!

Please enjoy the photos below taken by Marine Naturalists Aly Kohlman and Hayleigh Hilbert.

T046B1 Tread followed by T046B1C Tide with T046C2 Sam beside him. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

T046B1 Tread with T046B1C Tide just surfacing with T046C2 Sam behind him. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

T046B1C Tide with whale zoomies! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T046B1C Tide, although a little out of focus the way whales bend is interesting! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T046B1C Tide breaching up a storm. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Look at those cute little pectoral fins, hard to believe one day they will be around 6 feet long and 4 feet wide! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T046B1C Tide looking very well fed by mom! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T046C2 Sam followed by T046B1 Tread and little T046B1C Tide. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T046B1A Tsakani with her distinct large eyepatch. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T046B1 Tread with T046C2 Sam making a splash behind her! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T046B1A Tsakani with T046B1 Tread and T046B1C Tide behind her. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T046B1 Tread with her cousin T046C2 Sam behind her. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T046B1 Tread with T046C2 Sam behind her. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T046B1 Tread with T046B1C Tide taking a breath beside mom and T046C2 Sam behind them. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T046B1 Tread, can you see the tire tread marks on her saddle patch? Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T046B1 Tread with T046B1C Tide. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T124C Cooper. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T124C Cooper fighting the flow! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T124C Cooper. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T037A3 Spinnaker. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T037A3 Spinnaker in the current. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

T124C Cooper. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Can you see the scars on T124C Cooper’s saddle patch? Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Harbour seals lounging around. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A fuzzy nap time. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Some chubby little harbour seals. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A sleepy California Sea Lion. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

He caught us watching him! Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.