Calm seas and clear skies set the tone for this evening's trip. The full fleet departed the dock and headed out into the Salish Sea in search of adventure! Each time our vessels set off into the Gulf Islands or Strait of Georgia, a new experience awaits. We never know what’s to see out there; it’s just about getting out there and searching.

Crew and guests scanned the horizon for any fins, tails, or blows. Eventually, our vessels found themselves off the coastline of Valdes Island, at a rocky outcrop affectionately dubbed “Stinky Rock” by those who visit. On a hot, sunny day, the unmistakable smell of the Steller sea lions that call this rock their temporary home is one you certainly can’t forget! But more than just Sea lions call it home; harbour seals do too!

To tell the difference between a seal and a sea lion, there are three primary clues you can look for.

If you see a small head bobbing in the water, look for ears! True seals lack external ear flaps (called Pinnae) and only have ear holes. On the other hand, sea lions will have small pinnae on the sides of their head; keep your eyes out for this small clue.
If you see large front flippers, you’re most likely looking at a sea lion! Sea lions use their strong front flippers to propel themselves through the water, almost like wings of a bird. True seals have a different adaptation for powerful swimming and rely more heavily on their hind flippers, which means their front flippers are much smaller and stubbier.
If you spot a pinniped (seal or sea lion) hopping on their belly to move on land, it's called galumphing; this is almost always seen with true seals. The pelvic bones of true seals are fused together, preventing them from “walking” on their back flippers like a sea lion. On the other hand, sea lions lack fused pelvic bones, meaning they can more comfortably waddle on their back flippers, unlike true seals.

Keep these tips in mind if you would like to tell these two types of pinnipeds apart!

Guests and crew enjoyed the presence of the relaxed pinnipeds for quite some time, as both whale watchers and pinnipeds soaked up the sun! From “Stinky Rock”, the search continued. It didn’t take long before some cetacean action was spotted in the distance! Crew and guests aboard the zodiac-style vessel Keta had seen big whale blows in the distance; it was a humpback whale! Marine naturalist Evan snapped a photo of the underside of the fluke for identification; it was Vivaldi’s 2025 calf (BCX1704 calf 2025)! Semi-covered vessel Kula made their way over to enjoy the presence of this young whale.

This little humpback whale has recently entered a whole new chapter of life. For its first year, the calf travelled alongside its mother, Vivaldi, learning the ropes and picking up the skills it would need to survive on its own. But since the end of 2025, this young whale has had to make its way through the world all by itself!

Humpback whale calves typically spend about one year with their mothers. During that time, they travel together to the feeding grounds, where the calf is weaned from its mother's milk and taught to filter-feed, building the strength it will need to live on its own. Eventually, the calf leaves its mother's side, usually during or after the southbound migration towards the breeding grounds.

For this young humpback, 2026 marks the beginning of its first season of independence. We are excited to watch this humpback whale grow and mature in the coming years, as this whale will hopefully return here to the Strait of Georgia each year for its feeding.

All the while, guests and crew aboard the zodiac vessel Cascadia were still on the search. Upon reaching a location known as Halibut Bank, Captain Nick spotted a blow. It was a humpback whale! Marine naturalist Jordan prepared to snap a photo of the tail fluke, but no tail was shown by this mysterious whale…

Typically, humpback whales are identified using the underside of their tail fluke. Each whale tail bears unique patterns and scars that allow whale watchers, researchers and citizen scientists to identify and catologue humpback whales. However, this particular whale was being quite lazy and didn’t feel like showing us a nice high fluke. In this case, we can also look at the dorsal fin! With humpback whales, the dorsal fins can almost all look alike to the untrained eye; however, small differences in shape, scarring and pigmentation allow for seasoned naturalists to identify humpbacks using the dorsal fin alone!

This humpback whale in particular has a very distinct dorsal fin, which is all roughed up and scarred. Marine naturalist Jordan identified the whale to be Slice (BCX2487)! Slice appeared to be moving with a mission in mind. He was observed travelling in a straight line, heading west. Guests and crew on Cascadia enjoyed watching Slice move along his evening until we caught word of an orca sighting on the other side of the Strait of Georgia. Heading back across the water, we made our way over to Yeo Islands. Over here, a trio of orca were travelling, two together and one further off by themself. We started taking photos of the whales and determined the two travelling together were T030C and T137A, and T030A was off by himself:

T137A Jack was in an exceptionally bouncy mood and was spotted pectoral slapping and breaching away beside T030C Salix. Jack has been living his best single life lately, after many years of travelling with his mother, T137 Loon, and his siblings, T137C Lucky and T137D Darcy. We are unsure how long his escapades will last, but it is very exciting to see who he decides to meet up with along the way. It is possible that he was trying to woo Salix today, as at 21 years old with no confirmed calves so far, this could be a perfect breeding opportunity for her.

T030A Sequoia, on the other hand, seemed to have absolutely no interest in interacting with the other two. He continued at a steady northwestbound pace. We spent our time with the other two instead, so while we did not capture any photos of him during our encounter, we did briefly see him in the distance, meandering along as his sister (and her new buddy) celebrated together.

We enjoyed our evening with the orca before saying our goodbyes and continuing on once more. We headed southbound and made one more stop off Gabriola Island to conclude the trip. Here, in the setting sun, we took a few final looks at the wildlife that call the Gabriola Bluffs home. The Cormorants were stretching and hunkering down for the evening, tucking themselves into their nests. With our last peek at wildlife, we turned away once more, and headed back into Nanaimo, concluding a beautiful double species day in the Salish Sea!

Photos taken by Marine Naturalists Aly Kohlman, Evan Hessels, and Jordan Robinson - please enjoy!

July 31, 2026, 3:30 PM - Humpbacks by Halibut Bank, Orca by the Ballenas Islands