The sun was shining, with a bit of waves here and there, as our boats began today’s adventure. As per usual, all three vessels headed out in slightly different directions to cover as much ground as possible and to increase our chances of locating whales. Today’s trip took us around Gabriola Island, a hotspot for sightings this month.

Our first whale sighting happened very quickly - not even half an hour after departing the dock! Our wonderful guests actually happened to spot them as we were travelling along!

Before we even began taking photos, we could tell who we were travelling with. These orca are arguably the most well-known orca in the Salish Sea, Chainsaw and his mother, Whidbey II:

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

Chainsaw’s tall dorsal fin has two distinct notches in it, making him identifiable even from a distance. Funnily enough, his mother, Whidbey II, also has two notches, but they are significantly smaller and much, much harder to spot.

These two were being a bit tricky, spread out and covering a significant amount of ground between them. Our boats decided to stay with Chainsaw, the legendary male that you can find on our logo and merchandise. Chainsaw was travelling along, occasionally lifting his face up and out of the water as he surfaced and blew. These two were heading northwest as we watched them, travelling along with no clear goal visible as they went.

After travelling with Chainsaw for a bit, we said our goodbyes and continued the day’s adventures. Our next goal was to try to locate a humpback, and we were travelling in the perfect area to do that! After a bit of searching, we spotted a fluke, made our way over, and began watching our second type of whale for the day!

Our first humpback was being a bit fluke-shy as we observed them. Usually, we try to obtain a clear photo of the underside of their tails to compare with our catalogues and confirm their identities. For this whale, though, we had to be a bit more creative. Using a combination of their dorsal fin and the side angle of their fluke shots, we were able to confirm them as Seltzer (BCY1274). Seltzer is a relatively new whale to our area, with their first confirmed sighting being in 2021. Unlike orca, humpbacks do not have any particular physical qualities that change as they age, causing us to label most larger whales as ‘adults’ without a defined birth year. On top of this, humpbacks show minimal sexual dimorphism, so most of the time, we don’t know if they are male or female. Typically, humpbacks remain an unknown gender unless we spot them with a calf (then we assume they are female) or if they are spotted tail lobbing/breaching at such an angle that we can get a photo of the underside of their peduncle (the muscular section that connects the fluke to the body). Here, there is a tiny ‘bump’ known as the hemispherical lobe. While scientists are still unsure what this bump does, they do know that it is only found in females - much more subtle than the massive dorsal fins of orca males vs the small dorsal fins of orca females!

Not long after, we spotted another little humpback nearby! This one was a bit more cooperative, giving us a slightly better fluke shot. They were identified as BCY1474, the 2021 calf of Sherwina (BCY0961). Seeing young whales return to our area is always exciting, as it helps confirm the importance of site fidelity to humpback whales. Young whales will continue to return to the areas they learnt were safe and bountiful, and then they will participate in the annual migration, following the routes their mothers taught them, to their breeding grounds in the winter.

Once we concluded our time with the humpbacks, we began heading over to our next point of interest. Stinky Rocks, a group of small rocky islets outside Gabriola Pass, was teeming with wildlife. Our Steller Sea Lions were all grumbling, growling, and huddling up together at the southern point of the islands, while our Harbour Seals were spread out, sunning and enjoying themselves closer to shore. Haul-outs like Stinky Rocks provide safe and comfortable spots for our pinnipeds to rest before they go back to exploring the murky, frigid depths of the Salish Sea.

We also had a bit of a surprise when a River Otter floated by along the edge of Stinky Rocks! River Otters can be a bit confusing to spot on our tours, as we are travelling in seawater, but interestingly enough, they will head out to saltwater areas to fish and crab. Around Nanaimo, Sea Otters are still considered extirpated (locally extinct) because they were extensively hunted during the fur-trading era. Their coats are the thickest in the world, with up to a million hairs per square inch of skin, and have incredible insulating properties. Amazingly, a male Sea Otter was spotted floating through Dodd Narrows last year in October, which was the first confirmed sighting in a century! Hopefully, this is an indication that the population is beginning to recover, and within another couple of years, we may see Sea Otters in our area regularly again!

We departed Stinky Rocks and began the journey back to Nanaimo. Crossing into Gabriola Pass, we cruised through the Southern Gulf Islands, crossing beautiful Dodd Narrows and entering into Northumberland Channel. From Dodd Narrows, it was just a short zip across the channel and back into harbour, wrapping up an excellent wet and wild adventure through the Salish Sea!

Please enjoy these photos taken by Marine Naturalists Val Watson, Hayleigh Hilbert, and Jordan Robinson!

August 22, 2025, 10:30 AM - Surfing around Gabriola