It was another wonderful day of whale watching, with three of our vessels heading out from Nanaimo. First to depart was Kula, our semi-covered vessel, which began the day’s search for whales.

Kula made its way into the Strait of Georgia, taking a short route along the east side of Gabriola Island before spotting distant blows. They had found whales! Not long after, our open boats set off in the same direction to join in on the sighting.

As the vessels approached, they were treated to the unmistakable sight of large, bushy blows, followed by massive bodies breaking the surface. The small humped backs and short dorsal fins confirmed it: it was a pair of Humpback Whales!

With humpbacks, we typically rely on the unique markings on the underside of their tails to identify individuals, although they don’t always cooperate by showing them off. Dorsal fins can help, but due to their smaller size and limited variation, they’re less reliable. Fortunately for us, these whales eventually lifted their 20-foot-wide tail flukes, allowing us to confirm their identities as Scuba (BCY1225) and Calypso (BCY1226)!

Interestingly, both whales are six years old and were first brought into the Salish Sea by their mothers in 2019. While we sometimes wonder whether whales prefer to associate with others of a similar age, this usually applies more broadly, juveniles versus mature adults, rather than those born in the same year. The social dynamics of humpbacks are still being explored. Not long ago, these whales were believed to be mostly solitary, usually seen alone unless accompanied by a calf during its first year. Today, however, it’s much more common to observe humpbacks in pairs or even larger groupings.

This shift in behavior likely stems from the rebound in population following the era of commercial whaling, which drastically reduced humpback numbers and, in turn, the frequency of social interactions. Limited feeding opportunities in the past may have also created more competition, encouraging solitary behavior.

Now, with a healthier population, we’re learning just how social these animals can be, and how important they are to the ecosystem. Humpback whales are what scientists call “ecosystem engineers.” This means their presence actively shapes and improves their environment. By feeding at depth and defecating at the surface, they move nutrients through the water column, earning them the nickname “nitrogen pumps.”

These nutrients benefit the entire food web. During our tour, we also encountered Sea Lions and Harbour Seals, both of which benefit from a richer environment. Since humpbacks feed low on the trophic scale, primarily on krill and small schooling fish, their activity increases food availability not just for themselves, but also for everything else that preys on those same species. More small fish mean more large fish, which supports healthy populations of seals and sea lions. And in turn, more of these pinnipeds supports apex predators like the Transient Orca. These positive ripple effects cascade through the ecosystem and even benefit humans, both those of us in ecotourism and those in commercial fisheries, as biomass and biodiversity increase.

Even the smallest animals we observed, such as the cormorants nesting on the Gabriola Bluffs, are part of this intricate web. These seabirds dive for fish and, like humpbacks, defecate at the surface—also contributing to the transfer of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus in the ecosystem, albeit on a different scale.

Thinking about how interconnected all the animals we saw today are, Scuba, Calypso, sea lions, seals, orca, seabirds, is a humbling and inspiring reminder of the health and complexity of our marine environment. Our onboard marine naturalists, Aly Kohlman, Desarae Poier, and Jordan Robinson, captured some incredible photos of the day’s sightings, which you can enjoy below!

June 3, 2025, 10:30 AM - Calypso and Scuba hanging out near Thrasher Rock