There was an air of excitement on board as both guests and crew climbed aboard, ready to begin the adventure. Some days, we start with a good idea of where we might be headed, but today, we were starting fresh.

We began the day by heading south through Northumberland Channel, into Dodd Narrows, and onward into Stuart Channel. The plan was to continue farther south, but before we had the chance, a shout erupted from the back of the vessel: there was a blow!

It quickly became apparent that there were two whales present, a pair of Humpback Whales. The naturalist on board, Aly, grabbed her camera as Captain Tino expertly navigated us alongside these giants, allowing for a few quick identification shots. One whale was showing off its tail beautifully, lifting it high out of the water before diving beneath the surface. Although the second whale wasn’t lifting its tail quite as high, we were still able to get enough of a look to identify them both.

The whales were confirmed as Prowler (BCX1660) and Graphite (BCX2077)! This marked our first sighting of both whales this year, suggesting they had only recently returned from migration. Graphite was matched to Hawaii this winter, while Prowler has not yet been matched to either breeding ground.

This is an especially important time of year for humpbacks, as they would have spent very little time feeding while in their tropical breeding grounds. Now back in the rich waters of the Salish Sea, it’s time to rebuild those fat reserves. These two whales will spend much of their time feeding, consuming up to 3,000 pounds of food each day before beginning their southward migration again later in the year.

As happy as we were to see these two travelling together toward Dodd Narrows, reports soon came in of a pod of orca not too far from us. After a few more surfaces with the humpbacks, we decided to see if we could relocate the orcas. We headed back through Dodd Narrows, into Northumberland Channel, and over toward the north end of Gabriola Island. We searched around several small islands and Hudson Rocks off North Nanaimo but came up empty-handed.

Luckily, another vessel radioed to let us know they had found whales off the southern end of Gabriola, so we quickly changed course. We were very glad we did, because waiting for us there was one of our favourite families: the T049As!

T049A Nan ♀ (1986)
T049A3 Nat ♂ (2011)
T049A4 Neptune ♂ (2014)
T049A5 Nebula ♀ (2017)
T049A6 Charlie II ♂ (2022)
T049A7 Nimbus (2026)

This family is frequently seen in our area, but that never makes encounters with them any less exciting. This year is especially thrilling because of the addition of T049A7, Nimbus, a brand-new calf. It is always exciting to see young members in a pod, as calves are often playful and energetic at the surface.

At this young age, with Nimbus first being sighted in early March, they are also incredibly small. At an estimated 7–9 feet long and weighing roughly 400 pounds, “small” is, of course, relative. Next to Nan, Nimbus looked tiny, but they are still larger than many other toothed whales in the area, roughly comparable in size to a Pacific White-sided Dolphin.

Watching this family zig-zag through the Southern Gulf Islands was a fantastic experience. The pod features an impressive variety of dorsal fin shapes and sizes, adding an extra layer of excitement to every surfacing. After spending some quality time with them, we eventually began the journey home.

Passing once again through the area where we had seen the humpbacks earlier, we searched for another glimpse, but they appeared to have moved on. Our final stop of the day brought us to the Harmac Pulp Mill, where a group of Sea Lions has been spending time hauled out on the log booms. These floating logs provide an excellent resting spot, with easy access to nearby fishing grounds in Dodd Narrows. Since the booms rise and fall with the tides, the sea lions never lose access to the water.

These California Sea Lions will only be with us for a little while longer before they migrate south to their breeding grounds for the summer. Until then, we’ll continue to enjoy their noisy barking echoing across Northumberland Channel and watching them squabble dramatically over the best resting spots on the logs.

Before long, we found ourselves back at the dock in Nanaimo, thrilled with the incredible wildlife we had encountered throughout the tour. Please enjoy the photos captured by onboard Marine Naturalist Aly Kohlman, available below!

May 7, 2026 - Graphite and Prowler return from their vacation, plus the T049As!