August 23, 2025, 10:30 AM - Sixteen springy whales on the Salish Sea

Our three boats pushed off the dock this morning, anticipation brewing at the prospect of what another day on the Salish Sea may bring. We made our way across the Strait of Georgia, scanning the horizon in search of whales, and it wasn’t too long before an eagle-eyed passenger spotted the big, bushy blow of a Humpback Whale! And what was that beside it? A smaller blow! We had stumbled upon a mom and calf pair!

In order to identify our humpbacks, the easiest way is to examine the underside of their tails as they lift them out of the water. Each tail is uniquely shaped, has distinct colouring, and occasionally bears scarring that allows us to tell individual whales apart. The crew made quick work of figuring out the identity of this pair, as the mom has one of the most recognizable tails in our humpback population. Evidence of an orca attack has left our whale with rake marks decorating the edge of her flukes and she even has an entire chunk of her tail missing! Thankfully, she lived to tell the tale and was awarded the name Valiant (BCX1773) as a result! With her was her 2025 baby, the very first calf Valiant has ever brought to the Salish Sea, so new it hasn’t yet been named. It certainly seemed to be a cause for celebration as the pair were full of activity this morning. It started with Valiant repeatedly slapping her tail on the surface of the water, followed by both Valiant and her calf cartwheeling in sync, and as a finale, the positively bouncing baby fully launched itself out of the water, performing a huge breach.

This display of acrobatics must have burned off a lot of energy as the activity died down and we got to enjoy some tranquil time with the humpbacks before we left. Valiant’s calf was tucked in very close beside her and appeared to be rolling on its side, leading us to believe they may have been feeding from mom towards the end of our encounter. In order to feed, humpback babies will use their rostrum to nuzzle mom’s belly beside her mammary slits, prompting her to release milk into the water. Due to the high krill content of a humpback’s diet, their milk is actually pink! The milk of the Humpback Whales is also incredibly rich in fat, so it does not dissipate in the water, allowing the calf to then channel it into their mouth. As a comparison, human milk has a fat content of 3-5% whereas Humpback Whale milk has a fat content of a whopping 35-50%. This high-calorie milk means humpback calves can gain over 100lb in weight in a single day! We left our duo to their snuggles and began our search anew with the knowledge that we likely wouldn’t be able to top our wonderful encounter with these whales.

The continued search efforts took us to Howe Sound, a network of fjords north of Vancouver. Howe Sound is one of our favourite places to visit during our tours due to the stunning scenery and rich array of biodiversity we can see here, but this hasn’t always been the case for the region. This area was previously described as an industrialized wasteland wherein sulfuric pulp mills, a leaky chemical plant and a copper mine were leaching chemicals into the water, decimating a lot of the life. Thanks to recovery efforts overseen by local municipalities, the Squamish Nation (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw), the provincial government and environmental groups, the area is what it is today.

Along the shoreline of Anvil Island, a flurry of activity was visible. Upon approach, we began to make out the unmistakable dorsal fins of orcas. Before we knew it, more and more dorsal fins were popping up! Transient Killer Whales typically travel in matrilines (a group consisting of a mom and her children), but occasionally, multiple matrilines will gather together to socialize. We got to work identifying the group and were able to recognize three different families, consisting of a combined total of 14 whales:

T036 Flapjack ♀ (≤1970)
T036B Tattertip ♀ (1998)
T036B1 Bhotia ♀ (2009)
T036B1A Maple ♀ (2025)
T036B2 Greenfelder ♀ (2013)
T036B4 Auk ♂ (2024)

T090 Eagle ♀ (1980)
T090B Piglet ♂ (2006)
T090C Tigger ♀ (2010)
T090D Kanga ♀ (2017)

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

We describe these social events as a T-party, and partying they were! We couldn’t believe our luck as we got to watch the whales porpoising, spy-hopping, tail slapping, pec slapping and breaching their way along the channel together.

Seeing breaching whales on our tours is a rarity, happening on only around 5% of the trips we take out on the water. Seeing breaching from both species of whale in one tour is much, much rarer, with even our most experienced staff being able to count only a handful of times they’ve been lucky enough to witness this, so days like today are incredibly special for everyone involved.

Within our big group of whales were even more bouncing babies. The T036 matriline consists of four generations of whale! Tattertip had a calf in 2024, and her daughter Bhotia gave birth to her own calf in 2025. Another of our matriarchs, Field, also had a calf in 2024. T-parties will play an essential part in the lives of these young whales, facilitating the development of strong social skills. Orca brains are uniquely structured for complex social and emotional intelligence. The paralimbic system, which is associated with emotion and cognition, is significantly more developed than a human's, featuring an extra lobe of tissue and a more complex, folded structure. This increased development is thought to contribute to their complex social structures, enhanced emotional depth, sophisticated communication, and powerful spatial reasoning and memory skills.

All too soon, it was time to make our way back across the Strait to Nanaimo, where we returned with our whale cups overflowing. Please enjoy the photos from today’s tour, taken by onboard Marine Naturalists, Val Watson, Jordan Robinson and Hayleigh Hilbert.

Valiant upside down, throwing her fluke around. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Valiant with her calf, both throwing their weight around. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Valiant with her flukes high up in the air. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Travelling along. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

A tiny baby pec up in the air. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Valiant’s big beauitful fluke. Photo by Jordan Robinson.

Valiant’s calf headstanding with mother Valiant blowing beside them. Photo by Val Watson.

A nice clear view of Valiant’s calf’s fluke. Photo by Val Watson.

The topside of Valiant’s fluke. Photo by Val Watson.

T090B Piglet with T090C Tigger behind him. Photo by Val Watson.

T036B Tattertip and little T036B4 Auk behind her. Photo by Val Watson.

Excitedly dashing through the water. Photo by Val Watson.

T124D3 Lupine full of scars. Photo by Val Watson.

Throwing water. Photo by Jordan Robinson.

A side stroke. Photo by Jordan Robinson.

A party in the Salish Sea. Photo by Jordan Robinson.

T124D Field and T124D4 Dune. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

T090 Piglet cruising along. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

T090 Eagle and T036 Flapjack. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Waving their pecs around. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Peeking above the waves. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

T036B Tattertip, T036B1 Bhotia (tip of dorsal fin), T090D Kanga. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

T124D Field, T036B1 Bhotia, Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Picking up speed! Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Surfacing together. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Family photo. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

The party continues. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

How many orca can you spot in this photo? Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Author: Hayleigh HilbertAugust 23, 2025WhalesComment