July 15, 2025, 3:30 PM - The T-Party continues up North
On the afternoon of July 15th, two of our boats departed from Nanaimo Harbour once again, setting off with high hopes. Based on sightings from the morning, we decided to head north—the direction the whales had been travelling earlier in the day.
Our search was briefly interrupted in the best way possible: one of our boats spotted a humpback whale, Dalmatian (BCY0994), feeding near Gabriola Island. Although we didn’t stay long, since Dalmatian was heading in the opposite direction from the orca we were hoping to find, we were still thrilled to log the sighting and get a solid ID before continuing our journey north.
And lucky we did! We relocated the same group of whales we had seen earlier: three transient orca families travelling together.
T037A1 Inyo ♀ (2007)
T065B Chunk ♀ (1993)
T065B1 Birdsall ♂ (2011)
T065B2 Nettle ♂ (2019)
T065B3 Rook ♂ (2023)
T123 Sidney ♀ (~1985)
T123A Stanley ♂ (2000)
T123C Lucky ♀ (2012)
T123D Darcy ♀ (2018)
Despite the calm weather, the orcas were buzzing with energy. These kinds of gatherings are known as "T-parties," a nickname for social meet-ups between transient orcas. Orcas are highly social animals, but since they usually travel in their tight-knit family groups, these interactions with outsiders are rare and exciting. They offer opportunities for social bonding—and even breeding.
While younger males like Birdsall are probably still a few years away from being successful suitors (since in orca society, size and age often matter when it comes to reproduction), a more mature male like Stanley may already be the father of several calves in the transient population. Many of the females present were also of reproductive age, but based on what we observed, this gathering seemed to be more about fun than flirting!
During our time with them, we witnessed an incredible variety of surface behaviours. Several whales slapped their tails against the water, and at one point, T123D Darcy, a younger orca, leapt fully out of the water in a spectacular breach.
On our return journey south toward Nanaimo, we made one more stop at Snake Island, a familiar haul-out site for Harbour Seals. These seals are creatures of habit, often seen on the same rocky outcrops whenever tides allow. They usually stay close to home, travelling just 5 miles on average when foraging. We’re always happy to see them, they’re surprisingly large, reaching up to 6 feet in length and weighing between 250 and 300 pounds, even if they don’t always look it!
After our time with the seals, we made our way back to Nanaimo feeling grateful for another incredible day on the water. Be sure to check out the amazing photos taken by our onboard Marine Naturalists, Aly Kohlman and Jordan Robinson, included below!
Dalmatian’s dorsal fin. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
A fluke waterfall from Dalmatian as he dives. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
T065B1 Birdsall surfacing. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
T037A1 Inyo in the lead, followed by T123 Sidney, and T123C Lucky behind. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
T123A Stanley has an impressively large dorsal fin. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
One of our matriarchs; T065B Chunk. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
T123C Lucky surfacing with part of her eye patch showing. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
You can see some scarring on T123A Stanley’s eye patch. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
Somebody flicking their tail. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
T123A Stanley surfacing with his little sister T123D Darcy in close to him. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
T123A Stanley surfacing with someone’s scarred up tail in the air behind him. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
Someone’s tail in the air, most likely T065B1 Birdsall. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
T065B1 Birdsall (front) and T123A Stanley (back) surfacing together. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
T065B1 Birdsall swimming right at the camera! Photo by Aly Kohlman.
You can see all the scarring on T065B1 Birdsall’s saddle patch really well. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
A great look at T123A Stanley’s eye patch. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
A great look at T123A Stanley. Photo by Jordan Robinson.
Very happy whale watchers and crew onboard Cascadia. Photo by Jordan Robinson.
T065B Chunk surfacing. Photo by Jordan Robinson.
T123D Darncy, T065B Chunk, and T065B3 Rook surfacing together. Photo by Jordan Robinson.
T123D Darncy breaching. Photo by Jordan Robinson.
T123D Darcy breaching, although slightly out of focus, still very cool! Photo by Jordan Robinson.
T123D Darcy coming in for a landing. Photo by Jordan Robinson.
A tail flick. Photo by Jordan Robinson.
T065B1 Birdsall surfacing with another just behind. Photo by Jordan Robinson.
T065B1 Birdsall in the sunset. Photo by Jordan Robinson.
T123A Stanley with another flicking their tail behind him. Photo by Jordan Robinson.
This Harbour Seal seemed to be interested in us as we floated by with how they watched us! Photo by Aly Kohlman.
Some very cute Harbour Seals. Photo by Aly Kohlman.
A comfortable looking gull. Photo by Jordan Robinson.
Some cute Harbour Seals. Photo by Jordan Robinson.
A Black Oyster Catcher on the beautiful sandstone of Snake Island. Photo by Jordan Robinson.