We often say that we don’t know where our whales will be from trip to trip, and that’s exactly how it went today! We started searching around, always scanning the horizon for blows, dorsals, or flukes. With none of our whales being tagged or tracked, they can pop up unexpectedly in each and every waterway we cross.

We scanned and scanned, and after some searching, we found our first whales of the day - a pair of humpbacks travelling side-by-side, blowing and fluking together. Our Naturalists began taking photos to identify the pair. While we usually use flukes to identify our whales, one of these whales had a highly unique dorsal fin that we could use to identify them. This whale was Split Fin (BCZ0298) - you may see how they got that name from the photos below! Their friend today was ID’d as Hydra (BCY1000).

Split Fin is the 2006 calf of legendary humpback Big Mama (BCY0324). Split Fin has returned to our area of the Salish Sea every year since then, which leads scientists to believe that they are likely a male. At nearly 20 years old, we would have expected Split Fin to have had at least a couple of calves already if they were female. Split Fin’s older sister, Divot (BCX1057), for example, has had five calves herself, and five grand-calves, meaning Split Fin is a Grand-Uncle! Big Momma alone now has 20 known descendants, an incredible growth in a species once believed to be extirpated (locally extinct) from our area a mere 50 years ago!

Big Momma (BCY0324) and her extensive family tree.

Hydra is a known female with confirmed calves in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2024. Sadly, her 2019 calf tragically passed away from a ship strike in 2020. In the Salish Sea, we often use the phrase “If you see a blow, go slow” - meaning if you think you see whales, give them extra space, and traverse along slowly. Following this motto helps protect and preserve our whales, and lets us continue to enjoy their presence. Unlike toothed whales that can echolocate, humpbacks and other baleen whales do not have this evolutionary skill. This causes these gentle giants to surface unexpectedly often, changing directions, and sometimes, unfortunately, placing themselves in the path of vessels. It is much easier to divert course if necessary by travelling slowly rather than fast. Travelling slowly also creates less disruptive sounds in the water. This is important to note, as underwater disruptions have been documented in significantly affecting humpbacks’ ability to forage.

During our encounter, these two were doing quite long dives, likely feeding on krill very deep in the water column. Krill migrate vertically in the water column daily for various reasons. This movement is known as Diel Vertical Migration, or DVM. This behaviour typically means that they will ascend to surface levels in the evening, feed during the night, and descend in the evening to avoid predators (such as our Humpbacks). After a few surfaces with the duo, we headed on out, once again searching the waters for more signs of whales, leaving the pair behind to continue foraging for their dinner.

Not too far from where Hydra and Split Fin were foraging, we found another little whale travelling along by itself. This little one was travelling quite quickly, making identifying them tricky. Once we compared their dorsal fins to our catalogues, we confirmed that this was Vector (BCX2485), the 2021 calf of Scoop (BCX0870), another prolific female. Vector is one of Scoop’s five confirmed calves.

Vector made headlines last year when they were spotted severely entangled. Entanglements are very dangerous for humpbacks, as they can lead to injuries, infections, and can prove fatal if left unchecked. Vector was a scary case, as their initial sighting, confirming the entanglement, was on June 28th, and a disentanglement at that time was not possible. Vector was again briefly seen on July 23rd, but no action was taken, leaving us to wonder and hope for the little whale’s life. It appears that Vector was able to disentangle themselves though, as they are now swimming free, though they do have the scars to prove their entanglement a year prior.

Alongside our whales, there were a couple of other wildlife species to see. Our Harbour Seals, one of our most abundant pinnipeds in the Strait of Georgia, were spotted lounging and stretching up on the rocks. With an estimated population of around 39,000 (as of 2008), Harbour Seals are thriving in our area. These seals do not migrate and can be found meandering along our coastline at all times of the year. They are quite ungraceful on land, moving along in a fashion known as galumphing, or moving clumsily. This term originated from the 1871 book Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll and is believed to be a combination of the words ‘gallop’ and ‘triumph’. Once they reach the waters, though, these rotund pinnipeds become incredibly agile and can reach top speeds of 25-30 km/hr in short bursts!

A different pinniped species, known as the Steller Sea Lions, was also spotted. Piled up high on one of our marine buoys, these large marine mammals are currently spending their days snoozing. They often pick out haulouts (or places to rest out of the water) in or near narrow waterways, leading to perfect locations for them to hop down and grab a bite to eat. As opportunistic carnivores, Stellers eat a wide variety of things, mostly consisting of fish such as salmon or herring, or cephalopods such as squid and octopus. If they catch a fish that is too large for them to eat, it is common to see them thrash it at the surface, breaking it up into smaller pieces before they feast!

We departed our pinnipeds and started to make our way back to Nanaimo, feeling grateful for all the wonderful wildlife we were able to spot during our day’s adventures. Please enjoy these photos taken by Marine Naturalists Hayleigh Hilbert and Desarae Poier of today’s whales and other wildlife!

September 7, 2025, 3:30 PM - Humpbacks foraging by Thrasher Rock!