May 5, 2025 - Our First Double-Species Day of the Season!

It was a beautiful, sunny day as we had all three of our vessels push off the dock and head out into the Salish Sea to find out what was in store for us today. Not only did today end up being our first double species day of the season, but it felt like a whale-sized party was being thrown in our honour.

This excitement started out with two different encounters with whales by each of our boat types, with the semi-covered boat, Kula, finding a pair of orca travelling together in Northumberland. These two whales turned out to be the wayward T049A brothers, Noah and JudeIt was a beautiful, sunny day as all three of our vessels pushed off the dock and set out into the Salish Sea to discover what surprises awaited us. Not only did the day turn out to be our first double species encounter of the season, but it felt like a whale-sized party was being thrown in our honour.

The excitement began with two separate whale encounters, each experienced by a different boat type. The semi-covered boat, Kula, found a pair of orcas travelling together near Northumberland. These two whales turned out to be the wayward T049A brothers: Noah and Jude.

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

The brothers usually travel alone, away from the rest of their pod, but every so often they will get together and travel as a pair, perhaps sharing their tales of adventure. Noah, in particular, is quite well known along Vancouver Island, since he has an affinity for travelling inside major Harbours. He has made appearances in Horseshoe Bay, Nanaimo, Comox, and Victoria in recent years. His brother doesn’t seem to share his love of harbours, but Noah has been known to drag Jude along with him once in a while. Today, though, they continued south, heading towards Dodd Narrows where we left them.

During their encounter with Jude and Noah, the open boats found some whales of their own! One look at he group gave away who it was, since there was one big bent fin, and one tall wavy fin belonging to males in the group…it was the T019s!

T019 Nootka ♀ (~1965)
T019B Galiano ♂ (1995)
T019C Spouter ♂ (2001)

This trio used to be a quartet, but the oldest member, T018 Esperanza, hasn’t been seen since mid-last year. At 69 years old, she was the oldest member of the transient population and is presumed to have passed. It's often difficult to confirm a whale's death, as most carcasses sink and become an important nutrient source for the ocean floor ecosystem. Occasionally, a body may float or wash ashore, but this is rare. More commonly, repeated sightings of a pod without a particular individual allow researchers to infer a loss. However, this isn’t always final—some orcas have reappeared after being presumed deceased. While we’d love for that to be the case with Esperanza, we won’t hold our breath.

Nootka and her sons appear to be doing well without Esperanza, although her absence has shifted their family dynamics. While the open boats observed the trio moving closely together, by the time the semi-covered boat arrived, they had spread out across the channel, likely in search of food.

After leaving the T019s, the open boats followed up on a shore-based report of a larger group of orcas further out in the Strait of Georgia. It didn’t take long before they spotted the activity in the distance—it was a big T-party! Our initial estimates suggested about 15 individuals, but that number quickly climbed as more pods were spotted in photos. By the end of our encounter, we estimated around 23 whales. Back at the office, photo ID confirmations revealed an incredible 26 individual orcas from nine different pods!

T071B Hood ♀ (2000)
T071B1 Zengo ♀ (2013)
T071B2 Tasli/Nemo ♂ (2018)

T086A Eider ♀ (1988)
T086A4 Akia ♀ (2016)
T086A5 (2024)

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

T065B Chunk ♀ (1993)
T065B1 Birdsall ♂ (2011)
T065B2 Nettle ♂ (2019)
T065B3 (2023)

T087 Harbeson ♂ (~1962)

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

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

T124A2 Elkugu ♀ (2001)
T124A2A Agafia ♂ (2013)
T124A2B Litton ♀ (2016)

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

That’s a lot of whales! And they were putting on quite the show—a true T-party celebration. When large groups of Bigg’s orcas come together like this, the most common behaviour observed is socializing. That means lots of pec slaps, tail slaps, breaching, rolling, physical contact, and vocalizations.

Typically, Bigg’s orcas need to stay stealthy while hunting intelligent prey like seals, sea lions, and other cetaceans. So, seeing them this animated is rare. But when socializing is the priority, all bets are off. These large gatherings are important, not just for fun, but also for inter-pod interaction and, sometimes, breeding. Since orcas usually travel in their own family groups, meetings like these are crucial for genetic diversity. Even when breeding isn’t involved, social development, especially for the younger whales, is likely supported by these events.

We soaked in the incredible displays of social behaviour until our time was up. As always, we limit our viewing time to avoid disturbing the whales. Even on a day like today, leaving them behind is a decision made with their long-term well-being in mind.

But the day wasn't over yet! After departing from the T-party, we made our way to Halibut Bank, where a pair of humpback whales had been spotted earlier by another vessel. These young whales, Specter (BCX1333calf2023) and Moresby (BCY0324calf2022), appeared to be feeding in the area, understandable after their long migration

Both whales have been matched to Hawaii as their breeding ground, where they spend the winter months. Down south, they don’t feed; instead, they rely on fat reserves built up during the summer. Now, back in our nutrient-rich waters, they can start replenishing their energy stores. We enjoyed some peaceful time with them in the calm waters of the Strait before beginning our journey home.

On the way back, we made a few final wildlife stops, spotting sea lions at Entrance Island, seals near Gabriola, and seabirds nesting along the Gabriola Bluffs. We truly couldn’t have asked for a more life-filled day!

Please enjoy the photos below, taken by Marine Naturalists Aly Kohlman, Cheyenne Brewster, and Val Watson throughout the tour!

T049A1 Noah and T049A2 Jude