September 11, 2025, 3:30 PM - Sky-high orca!

We headed out into the Strait this afternoon, eager to see what we could find in the sea today. After hearing about an orca sighting near Vancouver, we ventured across the Strait, our eyes peeled for the telltale signs of whales on the horizon. The seas were perfectly calm, resulting in a quick and easy crossing. We headed over to Bowen Island, situated in the mouth of Howe Sound. Off its shore, a pair of huge, towering dorsal fins was cutting through the waters, with several smaller fins popping up around them. Our onboard Naturalists eagerly began snapping photos to confirm the identities of our whales. Using a combination of dorsal fin, saddle patch, and eye patch photos, we confirmed that the T002Cs and T123s were present:

T002C Tasu ♀ (1989)
T002C1 Rocky ♂ (2002)
T002C3 Lucy ♀ (2011)
T002C5 Zippy (2020)
T002C6 (2025)

T123 Sidney ♀ (1985)
T123A Stanley ♂ (2000)
T123C Lucky ♀ (2012)
T123D Darcy ♀ (2018)

These pods were incredibly excited, with members quickly zipping back and forth, rubbing against each other, tail slapping, and breaching. The two matriarchs, Sidney and Tasu, were seen repeatedly staying close together. The eldest sons, Stanley and Rocky, were also travelling together for a good portion of the encounter. The youngest calf, T002C6, was busily zipping amongst the pod members, likely eager to socialize with new whales. At under a year old, T002C6 is learning new things about the ocean every day, and we are sure today was no exception. Rocky also ‘took to the skies’ a few times, breaching and showing off his massive pectoral (side) fins!

New calves are always important to celebrate, but the T002Cs hold a special place in our hearts. The matriline has had many ups and downs throughout the years, including the passing of their second eldest calf, T002C2 Tumbo ♂ (2005, now deceased), likely due to complications with his scoliosis, as well as the Pedder Bay 5 capture, where five of their ancestors were captured and kept in captivity, leading to the death of three of them. The two surviving orca, T001 Charlie Chin ♂ (approx. 1960, now deceased) and T002 Pointed Nose Cow ♀ (~1950, now deceased), escaped captivity on October 27, 1970, when an unknown individual weighed the net they were being kept in down, allowing them to dash back into the freedom of the Salish Sea. They now have 10 known descendants that were born after the capture directly in their bloodline, with likely more throughout the Transient orca population as well.

The T123s also have their own incredible story of survival. Back in 2011, Sidney and Stanley were spotted beached high up on the sands outside Prince Rupert, BC. It is assumed that they were likely chasing seals and ended up too close to shore as the tides went out. As huge and hefty animals designed to be in the waters at nearly all times, stranding can very easily be fatal as the weight of their bodies presses down on their organs and their skin dries out. Locals stayed close, keeping the pair’s skin hydrated as they waited for the tides to come back in. The pair was successfully refloated and continued on their way. Unbeknownst to onlookers at the time, Sidney was heavily pregnant with her third calf during this stranding! To everyone’s surprise, she gave birth to Lucky complication-free the following year, showing the world how resilient the orca species is.

After our exhilarating time with the orca, we began departing and ventured off to the White Islets. These small, rocky islets provide a safe space for pinnipeds and birds alike to rest and relax. Countless birds were wandering the shores as we observed today, including Black Oystercatchers, Surfbirds, Cormorants, Gulls, and even a Harlequin Duck! While the birds tend to be relatively quiet and just minding their own business, the pinnipeds (or more specifically, the Steller Sea Lions) are often quite the opposite. Eructating, shoving, biting, and posturing on each other are all quite common for the Stellers as they fight for the best spots on the rocks to rest. The Harbour Seals, similarly to the birds, tend to meander along mostly silently. Both the Stellers and the Harbour Seals right now have a fairly leisurely life, sleeping the days away, and enjoying the spoils of the ocean.

The evening’s adventures were not over quite yet, though, as after leaving the White Islets behind, a little humpback was spotted nearby! This individual was travelling along, and was fluking (bringing their tail up and out of the water) very shallowly as we observed them. We usually try to get a nice, clear photo of the underside of a humpback’s fluke to confirm their identity, but unfortunately, this shy little one was not cooperating. We do not know who they are at this time, as it is significantly more challenging to confirm an ID from dorsal fin photos alone. However, we plan to update this blog if we can verify their identity.

We left our elusive humpback behind and continued back across the Strait of Georgia once more. The setting sun was bathing the waters in a beautiful golden hue, leading to some stunning photo opportunities as we soared on back. We pulled into harbour, concluding another incredible day on the Salish Sea, enjoying and learning about the many beautiful creatures that call this area ‘home’!

Please enjoy these fantastic photos by Marine Naturalists Hayleigh Hilbert and Aly Kohlman!

T002C1 Rocky and T123A Stanley towering over little T002C6. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Left to right: T123 Sidney, T123A Stanley, T002C Tasu, T002C1 Rocky, and T123C Lucky. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

T123 Sidney and her son T123A Stanley. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

T002C1 Rocky. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T002C3 Lucy. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T123 Sidney right behind T002C6, with another surfacing beside them. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Left to right: T002C6, T123 Sidney, T123A Stanley (back), and T002C Tasu (front). Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Tails up! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T002C1 Rocky and a rain-blow! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T123A Stanley. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T123A Stanley and T002C Tasu. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Excitedly coming in for a landing from a bit of an awkward angle. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

T123D Darcy breaching. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

T002C Tasu breaching with youngsters beside her. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

What an angle! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

An excited T002C1 Rocky ‘takes to the skies’ with T123A Staley beside him. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T002C1 Rocky getting airborne, head on. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Coming in for a landing! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T002C Tasu also enjoying the party! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Slapping away at the surface. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A very shallow fluke from our shy humpback. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Our shy humpback’s dorsal fin. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A Steller Sea Lion waddling along the shores. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Discourse amongst the sea lions. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Six species in a single photo! Including Harbour Seals, Black Oystercatchers, Surfbirds, Cormorants, Gulls, and a female Harlequin duck! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Various shorebirds settling in for the evening. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Kula with the setting sun overhead. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

Kula beauitfully backlit on the way back to port. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.