After a whale-filled morning, we were eager to get out and try our luck this afternoon. With reports of a large congregation of humpbacks socializing near Bowen Island on the far side of the Strait, we pushed off and excitedly began crossing.
The seas were ideal conditions, with a near mirror-like surface, it was a stunning evening on the Salish Sea. As always, we scanned along the way, but it seemed like the whales were too busy partying near Vancouver to be hanging out by themselves further out in the waters.

Once we arrived on scene, we began snapping photos. There were whales in all directions, so ID’ing them was going to be a bit tricky! With some of them cooperating and giving us good fluke angles, and others giving less-than-ideal angles, we were able to identify five humpbacks, including Poptart’s 2023 calf (BCY1014 calf 2023), Graphite (BCX2077), Mammoth/Ocean (BCY1710), Checkmate (BCY1104), and Achilles (BCX2075 calf 2023).

Poptart’s 2023 calf is a perfect example of how dramatically a fluke can change as it ages. We have included their entry in the latest Keta Coastal Conservation Catalogue beside their fluke shot below. A lot of calf flukes will go from having what is known as ‘milky white’ pigmentation on them to a more solid white as they age. Some of the milky white might also fade and turn into a solid black instead. Identifying calves on their 2nd or 3rd year of life can be very tricky for this reason, and sometimes we have to use pigmentation alongside trailing edge comparison to confirm who they are.

While not as dramatic as Poptart’s calf, Graphite also has some pretty interesting fluke changes going on. He has several long gashes along his right fluke, which we will now be able to use to help confirm his identity when we locate him. While we aren’t sure what happened to cause them, it is likely Graphite either rubbed against some sharp rocks, was entangled in something, or potentially was fighting with other males in the breeding grounds to try and woo a lady.

Some whales, such as Mammoth/Ocean, are a bit easier to identify. Besides having a unique fluke pattern, Mammoth was at one point sadly struck by a boat, leaving propeller scar marks on her left side. If she ever has a day where she isn’t fluking, this set of 4 scars on her left dorsal can easily help us confirm it’s her. Mammoth is a reminder of the importance of giving our gentle giants space, and to always be aware of your surroundings when boating on the ocean. While resting, our humpbacks sit very low in the water, making them nearly invisible to the unobservant.

Checkmate and Achilles were not as cooperative as the previous humpbacks, fluking at not-so-perfect angles, but still fluking where we could see enough details to confirm who they were. Achilles’ fluke has two distinct features: rake marks on the left side, likely from an orca trying to go after them when they were very young, and a large notch on the right side. Besides that, their fluke is nearly perfectly black, with very few distinct markings. Checkmate earned their name from the “chess piece”-shaped marking on their left side. Checkmate also has some new scrapes and scratches along their fluke, which could potentially also be caused by fighting in the breeding grounds just like Graphite.

After an exciting time with our humpbacks, we left to check in on a report of orca closer to the east side of the Strait of Georgia. Our early morning orca had hopped into the Strait from their morning adventures in the inside. We started looking around, scanning side to side, and then we found them! It was the T046B1s and T046C2 again:

Just like this morning, these four were just travelling along when we were observing them. This time, they were spread out. It is possible they were busy searching the area for any signs of seals in the water, blissfully unaware, which they could catch for dinner. Between the four whales present, they have to hunt a couple of seals every day to keep their body weights up, meaning a huge portion of the day is spent either travelling, looking for food, or actively hunting said food.
They were heading in a southeastern direction as we observed them, pointing towards the Canada-USA border. This pod had been seen travelling up through the inner Southern Gulf Islands earlier today, and it seems like their plan was to finish the huge loop of the islands and head back south.

Soon, our time with whales was up for the day, and we had to wave goodbye to our orca. We started making our way back to Nanaimo as the sun was setting. We cruised back along the perfect seas, back into home port, ending another great Double Species day out on the water!

Today’s photos were taken by Marine Naturalist Desarae Poier - please enjoy!

June 15, 2025, 3:30 PM - Another helping of soup please - the Humpback kind!