Another beautiful afternoon greeted us as we set off from the harbour. We were boarded onto Cascadia and Kula, and once situated in our seats, onboard Naturalists Vanessa and Hayleigh chatted with us about what was in store for us. Sightings had been coming in from all around the Salish Sea, and with so many options awaiting us, we spread out and began our search!

Scanning and scanning amongst the surf, we made our way out into the Strait of Georgia. Eyes always scanning all around us, we kept travelling along. After passing by Gabriola Island, we headed out into more open waters. Cascadia made their way down Valdez Island, and soon had their first stop of the day.

Close to the coast, a few shallow islands peeked above the waves. This area, affectionately nicknamed “Stinky Rocks”, is a popular pinniped haulout area. On the rocks further into the Strait, the giant Steller Sea Lions could be seen lumbering along. Closer to Valdez, the quiet Harbour Seals shuffled along as they got cozy for their afternoon naps.

Meanwhile, Kula continued the search. Not long after, they found their first whales - a pair of humpbacks travelling together. Naturalist Hayleigh raised her camera and began photographing the scene. After a couple of dorsal fin photos and some fluke shots were captured, it was confirmed that this pair was Pingu (BCY110) and Coyote (BCX2484). Pingu has been sighted for many years, and we are excited that they have returned! Coyote is the 2021 calf of Tempest (BCX0837), and has been coming back to our area to feed every summer since!

While most humpbacks spend the summer simply travelling, diving, and feeding, this pair seemed to be much more interested in being acrobatic. Launching themselves into the air, the pair began breaching, chin slapping, pectoral slapping, and tail slapping away. All of these activities are quite calorie-intensive, so it is always awe-inspiring to see them so active on the surface. Packing on the pounds is the main focus for this species during the summer months, as they undergo multi-month fasts once they depart our waters to travel to warmer tropical waters to breed. Often, they will not have a good meal again until they return to our area once more in the spring or summer. Seeing individuals this excited is a good sign that they have had many feeding opportunities already and are feeling comfortable with their weight gain so far, and are ready to burn a few extra calories!

While Cascadia was enjoying their whales and their acrobatic aerial activities, Kula started to travel once more. They only made it a short distance, though, as another whale was spotted again! Unlike the earlier pair, this whale was being much more typical - travelling and fluking as they went. A quick photo confirmed that this was Naturalist Hayleigh’s favourite humpback whale - Chi (BCZ0575). She excitedly captured a couple more photos as he went down for another dive. Chi is the 2021 calf of Zephyr (BCZ0414), and now returns to our area seasonally to feed. He has a very unique fluke pigmentation pattern, but he can also be identified from his ‘bullet hole’-shaped notch in his dorsal fin as well!

After having a fantastic time with them, we said our goodbyes and set off once more. The vessels headed in different directions, with Kula pointing towards Stinky Rocks to peek at the pinnipeds while Cascadia turned eastbound and made their way back towards Nanaimo. While you would think that we would have had our fill of whales for the day, Kula stumbled on one more in Northumberland Channel!

This whale was travelling quickly as we spotted it. As we were right at the end of our trip, we only stopped for a quick photo before continuing on. This individual has a fairly unique dorsal fin, but we did not capture a photo of its fluke. Because of this, we currently do not know their identity. We will continue cross-referencing our photos with our catalogues and hope to confirm their ID in the future!

Soon the tour was coming to an end, and once more we returned to the docks. The aerial display of the humpbacks had been an incredible sight to behold, and Chi and the Unknown humpback were a perfect example of a more typical day in the life of a whale.

Please enjoy these photos by Marine Naturalists Hayleigh Hilbert and Vanessa Vereschahen.

July 19, 2026, 3:30 PM - Aerial acrobatics with the Gentle Giants of the Sea