May 15, 2026 - An orca quartet and a humpback trio!

While the skies were dark and the rain pattered overhead, that didn’t dampen our spirits as we bundled up and began to disembark. With an early report from around Lantzville, we were eager to begin searching around! The fleet spread out to cover a bit more ground, and then the search was truly on. Eyes on the water, we scanned and scanned, attention darting back and forth as we watched for any signs of wildlife.
Cascadia, one of our open Zodiacs, was the first on scene, and there was a ton of action the second they arrived. Naturalist Aly began capturing the moment, grabbing shots of the dorsal fins of the whales present. It turned out that there were four orca here, but they were not one related pod. After comparing their dorsal fins to our ID catalogues, the quartet was identified as two sisters travelling together, along with one sister’s calf, and one other friend:

T086A1 Nahanni ♀ (~2001)
T086A1B Denali ♂ (2023)

T086A3 Tyndall ♀ (2011)

T100E Tharaya ♀ (2009)

While you would normally be watching one matriline when you are observing a group of orca like this, these four are an exception. T100E Tharaya has been exploring the seas by herself quite often lately. T086A3 Tyndall originally broke away from her pod when she had a calf, but sadly, that calf has passed away. She can now be spotted pod-hopping, with fairly regular visits back with her mother. T086A1 Nahanni and her calf, T086A1B Denali, have been travelling by themselves often, but will occasionally spend a few days travelling with other pods. Seeing the two sisters travelling together is always heartwarming, as social bonds are incredibly important in the orca world.

These four were very excited, tail-slapping and spyhopping away when we arrived. We had heard that they had been busy hunting shortly before our arrival, and that they may have been feeding on a less common prey type – a pod of Pacific white-sided dolphins. Based on their behaviours, it is likely they were successful and were busily celebrating after the meal. The young calf, T086A1B Denali, spyhopped, with a big toothy grin visible above the surface.  It is very rare for us to get to see an orca’s teeth, so it was super exciting to see them so clearly above the waterline!

After much splashing around and socializing amongst the orca, we had to say our goodbyes and continued onwards. The excitement wasn’t over, though, as we had caught word of even more whales less than a kilometre away. This time, they were humpbacks, one of the large baleen species that reside in our waters!

This time, three humpbacks were travelling along, one a bit farther from the other two. Once again, the cameras came up and began clicking, capturing shots of the whales ahead of us. The individual travelling alone was tail-slapping at the surface, showing off a big, beautiful white pattern speckled with black spots as water rained down all around them. This whale was identified as Roe (BCY1472), the 2022 calf of Barracuda (BCY0649). The pair further away was proving to be a bit trickier, not fluking as beautifully as Roe, but after a few more surfaces, we were able to take a peek at X_pialidocious (KEY0059)’s unique fluke, and a half fluke from Wiggins (BCY1469)!

We watched the trio continue diving and fluking for a bit, and soon after, it was time for us to depart. We began our journey back south, our captains expertly navigating us along, peeking back occasionally at the humpbacks as they faded from view.

Travelling back through the waters, we made our way back towards Nanaimo. There was one last quick stop to make, though, over by the Harmac pulp mill. Large, fluffy brown creatures could be spotted draped across the logs ahead of us. These were California Sea Lions, and they were busy napping the day away as we watched them.

Soon, we slowly departed the sea lions and continued on our way. After a few short minutes, we rounded Jack Point, where Nanaimo’s harbourfront greeted us once more. We pulled back into harbour, concluding an incredible, action-packed double species day.

Enjoy the trip’s photos below, taken by Marine Naturalists Aly Kohlman, Evan Hessels, and Hayleigh Hilbert!

T086A3 Tyndall racing ahead. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T086A1 Nahanni in the rain. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T086A3 Tyndall with T086A1B Denali beside her. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T100E Tharaya cruising along. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A tiny tailslap! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T086A1B Denali with his mouth open, and little teeth visible! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T086A1B Denali with T100E Tharaya beside him. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T086A1 Nahanni with her distinct saddlepatch visible. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T100E Tharaya in the lead with T086A3 Tyndall right behind her, face out of the water. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

The whole group: T086A3 Tyndall (rostrum), T100E Tharaya (front), T086A1 Nahanni (back), and T086A1B Denali. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T086A1B Denali breaking the surface with T086A3 Tyndall beside him. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T086A1 Nahanni, T086A3 Tyndall, and T086A1B Denali. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T100E Tharaya and T086A3 Tyndall. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

T086A3 Tyndall and T086A1B Denali. Photo by Evan Hessels.

T100E Tharaya with T086A1B Denali behind her. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

T086A3 Tyndall and T086A1B Denali. Photo by Evan Hessels.

T086A3 Tyndall and T086A1 Nahanni. Photo by Evan Hessels.

T086A1 Nahanni with T086A1B Denali right beside her. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

BCY1472 Roe’s dorsal fin. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

KEY0059 X_pialidocious’ dorsal fin. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

KEY0059 X_pialidocious diving. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

BCY1469 Wiggins’ dorsal fin. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

BCY1472 Roe diving. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Going down for a dive. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

BCY1472 Roe tail slapping away. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

BCY1472 Roe waving their tail around. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Diving with another blowing right beside them. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

BCY1472 Roe beginning to dive. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

BCY1469 Wiggins with half of their fluke out of the water! Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Making a splash with BCY1472 Roe. Photo by Evan Hessels.

A final dive from BCY1472 Roe. Photo by Hayleigh Hilbert.

A Bald Eagle in flight. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A sleepy California Sea Lion on the booms. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Drooling while napping. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

A California Sea Lion cuddle puddle. Photo by Aly Kohlman.