February 24, 2026 - Harbeson Cruising the Sunshine Coast

The sun was shining overhead as guests and crew climbed onboard our semi-covered vessel, Kula, to start our day searching the Salish Sea for whales and wildlife. After hearing all about safety, wildlife, and the best spotting techniques, excitement buzzed through the boat, and we were ready to pick up speed.

As we left Nanaimo, we cruised out into the open waters of the Strait of Georgia, the splash of the waves adding an extra layer of excitement to the trip. The plan was initially to head “Islanders North”, following the Vancouver Island Shoreline northwest, but with word of a report along the Sunshine Coast, Captain Rodrigo decided that heading across the strait was the better option. This decision quickly paid off, as excited shouts came from the cabin as we approached closer to the mainland; we had spotted the whale we were looking for!

Cutting through the waves was the tall black dorsal fin of an adult male orca. With just a single male present, the pool of who this orca might be was a little smaller than normal, since there are only a handful of lone adult males in the Transient Orca population. Grabbing her camera, the Marine Naturalist onboard Val snapped some photos and quickly recognized T087 Harbeson, thanks to the unique square notch and lean in the top of his dorsal fin.

T087 Harbeson ♂ (~1962)

Harbeson is a very special member of the Transient Orca population for a variety of reasons, but mostly his age. Given that male orcas have an average lifespan of only 30 years, Harbeson's 64th year is an impressive feat!

Although orca are very social creatures, seeing them travelling by themselves isn’t uncommon for the Transient Orca, as there are both males and females that are typically spotted by themselves. This isn’t always the case, though, as they sometimes join other lone animas or are seen socializing in larger groups. Harbeson even has a best friend, or boyfriend, that he is often seen travelling with: T124C Cooper! Strong long-term bonds like this are also common among orcas, not just among loners but in larger matrilines as well. And even though he typically travels alone, Harbeson does have family here in the Salish Sea. He is often seen travelling with his sister, T090 Eagle and his niblings!

As we watched him rise gracefully through the waves, we couldn’t help but be excited for every breath as we spent our hour with him. As we left, we could see him continuing to trace the rugged coastline until there was nothing left to see but waves, and we picked up speed again. Harbeson had led us right in the direction of the White Islets while we were watching him, so we decided to make a quick stop before continuing on the journey.

The White Islets were teeming with life today, with a large colony of Steller Sea Lions spending their time on the south end, and a group of Harbour Seals closer to the middle. The Steller Sea Lions caught our eyes and ears as we approached, as it seemed that a fight was breaking out in the group. They were growling and groaning at each other, vying for position on the rocks, when suddenly there seemed to be too little space for all the animals present, and they started making their escape! We watched from a distance as they jumped from the rocks and landed in the water with a huge splash! Guests and crew alike exclaimed in excitement as these impressively large animals moved with such grace. Each sea lion here weighs about 800 pounds, with the largest reaching 2,500, so watching them launch themselves into the ocean from meters-high rocks was an amazing sight. Once the fighting settled down, some of the cliff divers crawled their way back onto the rocks to relax again. This time spent hauled out is important for the pinnipeds, since it helps with thermoregulation. There is actually a lot a sea lion can do to help maintain a stable body temperature: spending time outside the water, dipping their flippers into the water on a hot day, and sticking those flippers outside the water when they are floating in rafts. You’ll notice they use their flippers a lot for this, since they have a high concentration of blood vessels here, and the large surface area allows for efficient heat exchange. It can work both ways, heating them up and cooling them down, depending on what is needed!

The Harbour Seals weren’t as athletic as their Sea Lion cousins when we saw them, but they caught our attention nonetheless! Instead of being able to walk on their flippers like a Sea Lion can, they have to be more creative, since the fusion of their hips limits their mobility on land. We watched on as they wiggled across the rocks in a movement called galumphing before deciding sliding on their bellies would be a better form of transportation! Watching this unfold was met with a chorus of laughter from all of us on Kula.

After the White Islets, we travelled south in the Strait until we reached the southern end of Gabriola Island, more specifically, the Gabriola Reefs. It was here that we saw huge groups of sea birds taking advantage of these rich waters, including cormorants, mergansers, gulls, and even a few loons! As we left them to their fishing, a few of them took flight, expertly matching our speed as they flew alongside our vessel before heading back to the ocean.

We continued on our way until we spotted something big cruising through the air. It was a pair of Bald Eagles! These iconic birds are quite abundant this time of year, since there is plenty of food around. We got to see them resting today, though, their striking white heads the perfect balance to the green of the evergreens that they were perched on. While enjoying the scenery with the Eagles, another excited shout came from the Onboard Naturalist Val as she spotted a much smaller bird fly in: a Kingfisher! These birds aren’t super common to see on our tours, particularly because of their size. Only about the length of the average ruler, these small birds bring big attitude! They spend their time along the water since they are looking for fish. Once they spot them, they dive beak-first in their direction, hoping to catch their prey. While watching, she actually made one such attempt, much to our delight. Although it was unsuccessful, it was still amazing to see her speed and precision in action!

Leaving the wildlife to it, we headed back towards Nanaimo, making just one final stop to view the California Sea Lions that were hauled out on a log boom not too far from home. Watching these giant pinnipeds relaxing on the logs set a great mood as we ended the tour, and we returned to Nanaimo very happy with all we had seen today.

Throughout the tour, the Marine Naturalist onboard Val Watson captured some amazing photos, all of which are available for you to enjoy below!