Beautiful skies and flat, calm conditions greeted us as we set off aboard Keta and Kula. With many sightings coming in from all across the Salish Sea, we had many opportunities ahead of us as we began our search. As we headed out into the Strait of Georgia, the boats split off in slightly different directions, leading to individual sightings for the start of the trip.

Kula began by heading along Gabriola Island before turning north. Soon after, a pair of blows appeared, followed by two flukes as the whales dove synchronously. We confirmed these two to be Hydra (BCY1000) and Solar (BCY1062). Travelling steadily along, the pair seemed intent on diving deep as we watched, potentially feeding deep in the water column.

At nearly the same time, a bit further out, Keta found a humpback whale of their own. Plunging into the depths, they raised their tail up - this individual was Kappa (BCX01580). Kappa is a well-known humpback who has returned to our area seasonally for three decades, bringing several calves along with her.

As Keta watched Kappa dive, more blows caught their attention. Another trio of humpbacks could be seen. Departing from Kappa, they made their way over to the new group. One larger whale was present, with a calf tucked in close to her side, and another smaller individual tailing behind them. Grabbing photos of their flukes and dorsal fins, this group was identified as Sage (BCX2073), her 2026 calf (BCX2073calf2026), and Wiggins (BCY1469). Wiggins was entangled back in July, but thankfully, has been documenting swimming entanglement-free since. Sadly, however, they will forever be scarred by the encounter, evident by the new markings across their fluke. Sage is a new mother, with this calf being her first documented offspring. We hope all three of them continue to flourish as the season continues to progress.

After enjoying their separate encounters, Keta and Kula departed and began searching around again, eager to see what other creatures were out and about today. As they closed in, they came together on a new sighting and spotted blow after blow. A large congregation of humpbacks was forming off of Halibut Bank, with many mini associations happening amongst them. Getting into position, Naturalists Des and Evan began snapping photos of the whales present, jotting down associations as they went. It was noted that at least 8 whales were present in the immediate area, with more blows further off in the distance. On one side, a quartet of whales was travelling together, identified as Zig Zag (BCX1193), Manta (BCZ0155), Potamus (BCY0885), and T-Rex/Lego (BCY1061). Further off, another trio was feeding: Mogul (BCY1108), Camelot/Shearwater (BCY1458), and a currently Unknown friend. The third whale was fluke-shy and has yet to be identified from their dorsal fin. Zooming back and forth between the groups was Iota (BCY1466). It was awe-inspiring to see so many giant animals quietly foraging together, seemingly enjoying what may very well be one of their last afternoon feasts before migration. Soon they will depart, heading south to Mexico or Hawaii to breed and give birth, and won't return to our area until next spring. Interestingly, T-Rex/Lego was seen up in Alaska earlier this year, according to Happywhale, meaning they have already travelled nearly 1,000 kilometres to get here since June! Even more intriguing, they were not documented in Alaska before this year, further showing that humpbacks appear to have much more complicated feeding and migration patterns than many initially believed.

With the morning starting to dwindle down, it was time to start heading back towards Vancouver Island. Both vessels took off once again, but heading out in slightly different directions, just in case more whales could be spotted. This proved fruitful for Kula, who found one more pair of humpbacks before the day was done.

Sitting low in the water, this duo was barely visible as they surfaced. The much smaller individual dove and zipped along, while the larger whale drifted by. As they appeared quite sleepy, we did not get flukes while on scene. However, after cross-referencing our ID catalogues and Happywhale, we determined this was Raccoon (BCX1233) and her 2026 calf (BXC1233calf2026). This was our first sighting of Raccoon this year, so it was extra exciting to get to see another mother-calf pair travelling through the area!

While the day was chock-full of humpback sightings, they weren't the only wildlife we saw during the trip! High up on the White Islets, a beautiful rocky outcropping near the Sunshine Coast, many Harbour Seals and Steller Sea Lions reside. Bustling around on the rocks and splashing in the waters below, these pinnipeds will spend hours at a time resting on the shores. When they get hungry, they can simply hop into the depths, dart after a fish, and then return to nap. It’s a fairly easy lifestyle that they will maintain for the next few months, before they depart from our area in the summer to breed.

Back near Nanaimo, we took a quick peek at one final wildlife hot spot. Tucked in close to the coast, the Gabriola Bluff towered overhead as Cormorants flew by. Nearby, a Bald Eagle perched high up in the trees, scanning the waters below. The multitude of encounters today were a great reminder of just how incredibly biodiverse the Salish Sea truly was.

Soon it was time to head back into port, and after one final stretch of travel, Nanaimo was back in our sights. It had been a busy day with many sightings, and we felt blessed that so many different species could be seen throughout the area on one short trip!

Photos by Marine Naturalists Des Poier and Evan Hessels - please enjoy!