Two boats, Cascadia and Kula, left Nanaimo this morning and turned south, weaving through the Southern Gulf Islands as they searched the surrounding waters. The route eventually carried them through Porlier Pass and out into the Strait of Georgia, a whale-spotting “hot spot” in recent weeks.

Near Valdes Island, the boats came across three humpback whales travelling together. The familiar flukes (and dorsal fins) belonged to Niagara (BCY0057), Chi (BCZ0575), and Scuba (BCY1225), three individuals who have been making regular appearances in our waters over the past few months, and all of which we have seen for many years in a row.

The humpbacks were busy travelling and fluking, giving everyone plenty of opportunities to see what the daily life of a humpback whale looks like. Every few minutes, a broad back would duck below the surface before a fluke appeared above the water, offering another glimpse of the distinctive patterns along the ventral side of their flukes that help naturalists identify individuals.

After spending some time with the trio, the boats left the humpbacks to continue their travels and turned back toward the Southern Gulf Islands. From here, they turned south once again and were soon underway.

Off Salt Spring Island, another set of familiar fins appeared in Captain Passage. This time, three orca were travelling close together along the shoreline. The group consisted of two large males and a female, and after a quick photo, they were identified as the T019s:

T019 Nootka ♀ (~1965)
T019B Galiano ♂ (1995)
T019C Spouter ♂ (2001)

While this pod is frequently seen on our tours in the spring, they become less common as the season goes on. It is always nice to see them return, and we hope to have many more encounters with them as the month continues. The T019s were travelling steadily together, their dorsal fins rising and disappearing in unison as they cruised through the shallow waters, likely in search of their next meal. After a few more views, we turned away again and headed on out.

As the boats continued on, the rocky shoreline of the inner islands offered another chance to pause and have a peek at some of the area's year-round resident pinnipeds. Many Harbour Seals were hauled out on the rocks, taking advantage of a quiet spot to rest. Haul-outs are important for seals, allowing them to conserve energy between feeding, swimming, and avoiding predators (such as the T019s we had just left!).

Kula departed from the haul-out and soon continued behind Cascadia back north. However, their wildlife sightings were not quite over yet. Near Jackscrew Island, the crew spotted a lone male orca gliding through the still waters. The whale was identified as T049A2 Jude, a familiar fin, and a known lone male orca:

T049A2 Jude ♂ (2007)

Seeing a solitary orca can feel quite different from watching a full matriline. Orca are highly social animals, and male orca in particular tend to stick by their mother’s side their entire lives. But some individuals can sometimes change up this dynamic, heading out to explore the seas solo. As Jude made his way along, his distinct ‘floppy’ fin wiggling above the surface, Kula said their goodbyes and headed on out once more.

To finish the day, both boats headed toward the Harmac Pulpmill, where another seasonal arrival was resting. Along the log booms that drape across Northumberland’s shores, the first California Sea Lions of the fall season were returning to the area.

After spending months down south breeding and giving birth, the arrival of California Sea Lions is one of those subtle signs that the seasons are beginning to shift. The sea lions were making the most of the sunshine, stretching out and lazily soaking up the warm rays.

We enjoyed our time with the sea lions for a bit before Cascadia and Kula turned back toward Nanaimo, ending the day's travels and adventure.

Please enjoy these photos taken by Marine Naturalists Evan Hessels and Aly Kohlman.