Cascadia and Kula headed out from the Nanaimo waterfront with a beautiful stretch of water ahead of us. Near glass-like conditions meant we could scan for miles in every direction. Zipping along, with our eyes always peeking all around us, we spent roughly an hour searching before finding our first humpback whale of the day near the Flattop Islands off Gabriola Island. The onboard Naturalists identified the whale as Chi (BCZ0575), a very familiar individual in the Salish Sea. Born in 2021 to Zephyr (BCZ0414), Chi has a remarkably unique fluke pattern, with many interesting black markings dotted through the primarily white tail, just like his mother! After a few surfaces with Chi, we said our goodbyes and headed out, continuing the search for the day.

With two boats on the water, we could spread out and cover a large area to maximize our success. One boat travelled farther into the Strait of Georgia while the other remained closer to shore. Before getting too far into the search, however, we decided to make a quick detour to “Stinky Rocks”, a rocky haulout off of Valdes Island where many pinnipeds tend to reside. Today, many Harbour Seals were spotted yawning away, basking in the evening sunshine. Nearby, large and noisy Steller Sea Lions postured on each other, trying to get the best spots on the rocks to sunbathe. Above them, a Bald Eagle sat perched at the highest point, scanning the water below. It is always amazing how many species you can find in one small area!

After our brief stop, we returned to searching. Once again, Cascadia and Kula separated to increase our coverage, and both boats soon found their own solo humpback encounters as a result.

Cascadia located Barge Boy (BCX2514), travelling close to the ferry lane. Kula, meanwhile, found Bullet (BCX1658) and CRC-22930, along with a few other unidentified humpbacks nearby. Blows and flukes appeared from all around us, making IDing every whale tricky. While many of the whales were simply too far away to get clear photos, we did watch in awe at the sheer number of individuals we could see in the general vicinity.

After spending some time with these two, both boats continued on and found their third and humpback encounters of the day.

Cascadia found Graze (BCY0523) and Split Fin (BCZ0298) together, while Kula located Valiant (BCX1773). At times, Valiant would surface in tandem with another whale far off in the distance. It is possible they were communicating with each other under the surface, even though on the surface it seemed like each was simply living their own life. Humpback social structures are still largely unstudied, but as the years continue and new research emerges, we are excited to learn how these gentle giants truly interact with each other.

Humpback whales spend their summers here taking advantage of the incredible abundance of food available in our coastal waters. Their movements can change daily depending on where prey is concentrated, which is why searching is such an important part of every trip. Even with plentiful sightings one day, they could easily travel far out of our range the next, leading to every day being a totally new adventure!

With the day winding down, Cascadia and Kula turned back toward Nanaimo. It had been a beautiful and relaxing afternoon, and as the sun began to set behind the mountains, we took in one last look at the Salish Sea before heading back into dock.

Photos by Marine Naturalists Desarae Poier and Hayleigh Hilbert - please enjoy!

August 17, 2026, 3:30 PM - A beautiful afternoon with the gentle giants