With all three boats out today, we were very excited to head out and begin exploring. Our suit-clad Open Zodiac guests boarded Cascadia and Keta, and our Semi-covered boats boarded Kula. The onboard Naturalists discussed what to look for as everyone settled into their spots. Soon after, Nanaimo’s harbour faded behind us, and the search was on! The vessels split up, heading in separate directions, to cover as much area as possible and to maximize our chances of success. This proved almost “too” successful, as all three boats ended up finding whales of their own!

Keta found the first whale of the day, a single humpback travelling along near Gabriola Island. This whale was not fluking, making it tricky to identify which individual it was. With only dorsal fin photos to compare, it took a bit of time and digging, but after comparing scars (especially their circular scar on the top dorsal edge), we confirmed that this was Constellation (BCX1784)! After a few surfaces and photos, Keta continued onward, once again going into search mode.

Nearby, Kula found another humpback, this one near Neck Point. This whale was also being fluke-shy, but we did manage to capture a photo of a corner of its tail! This individual was identified as Calypso (BCY1226), the 2019 calf of Black Pearl (BCX1460). Calypso was diving as we observed them, likely busy feeding along the shores. Neck Point has been a very popular spot in recent years for humpbacks to congregate and feed, so we are excited to see them returning to this spot once again!

Next up was Cascadia, who found a different humpback travelling along in the Strait of Georgia. This whale was being a bit more cooperative than the previous humpbacks, though, and was fluking nicely and high regularly as we watched them. The distinct white dashes, unique notch, and beautiful ‘sewing needle’ marking on the right side confirmed that this whale was Poptart (BCY1014), the 2016 calf of famous humpback Big Momma (BCY0324). Big Momma made headlines as one of the first confirmed females to bring a calf back to our waters in the late 90s, something nearly unheard of at the time, when our humpback whale population was still at a record low. As the years have progressed, our humpback whale population has grown astronomically, and we now see 10+ cow-calf pairs return to our seas each year. This huge change in population has been incredible to watch, and it has been very exciting to see the family trees grow as calves mature and return to our area with their own little ones, as Poptart did back in 2023.

After our initial encounters, both vessels resumed their search, and it wasn’t long before even more humpbacks were found. One pair was very surface-active, repeatedly tail-slapping and pectoral-fin-slapping, sending water showering down in every direction. They were identified as Callisto (BCX2486), the 2021 calf of Europa (BCX0854), and Fader (BCY0195). Not far away, another humpback was busy feeding, regularly lifting its fluke as it dove, and was identified as Kelpie (BCY1276). We also had a brief encounter with Eros (BCX2201), followed by a quick look at Aether (BCZ0414 calf 2024), the 2024 calf of Zephyr (BCZ0414). Our final humpback sighting of the day provided a spectacular farewell, as she lifted her tail high above the water before disappearing into the depths. This whale was identified as Olympus (BCX2075), the 2018 calf of Divot (BCX1057).

It is always incredible to see so many different individuals on a trip, but even more interesting was how many of these whales were directly related. While Big Momma herself was not seen today, not one, not two, but three generations of her descendants were seen! Check out the family tree below to see how!

Big Momma’s current family tree, with the members seen today circled. Note: Manyof these individuals have not been resighted in our are yet this season - we may see more calves added here in the coming months.

Once the thrill of the humpbacks had concluded, we headed out for a different kind of wildlife viewing. This time we were searching for pinnipeds, or seals and sea lions. With our fleet spread out, we headed over to a couple of different haulouts to accomplish this. Keta and Kula made their way directly to the White Islets, while Cascadia detoured to the Halibut Bank ODAS buoy before making their way there as well. At both these spots, large lumbering Steller Sea Lions could be found. Taking full advantage of the warm day, many of them snoozed as we observed them. Many Cormorants could also be seen wandering along the shores, and a couple of small Harbour Seal faces could be spotted tucked deep into the crevices of the rocks. We spent a bit of time enjoying the view before our captains turned us around once more, pointing west back towards Nanaimo and travelling at speed once more.

You would think that after such an action-packed day, we weren’t in for any more surprises. That wasn’t the case, though, as two orca were spotted right by Protection Island, travelling into the harbour as we made our way back towards port!

These two large fins, one uniquely hooked, belonged to two known males known as T049A2 Jude and T051 Roswell/Loner:

While Jude has been a regular visitor to our area for many years, Roswell is a much less common whale. In the past few weeks, this daring duo has been galavanting up and down our coast, exploring our many inlets along the way. The pair made the news back in 2023 when they became trapped in Barnes Lake for several weeks. This misadventure clearly has not thwarted their friendship, though, as they surfaced side by side, skin glistening in the sunlight. We are excited to see whether they continue to travel as companions in the coming months.

We soon had to depart, though, and after waving goodbye to the pair, we headed back into port, docking with the nearby orca still visible on the horizon!

Please enjoy today’s photos taken by Marine Naturalists Hayleigh Hilbert, Aly Kohlman, and Evan Hessels.

May 30, 2026 - Humpbacks galore (and a couple orca too)