It was a day of familiar fins and changing scenery on the Salish Sea, beginning just outside Nanaimo Harbour with a familiar dorsal fin moving steadily through the water.

Our first encounter of the day was T049A1 Noah, travelling south just outside the harbour.

T049A1 Noah ♂ (2001)

As a member of the T049A1s, Noah is a Bigg's killer whale, also known as a transient killer whale. Unlike their fish-eating southern resident counterparts, Bigg's killer whales specialize in hunting marine mammals, including Harbour Seals, Steller Sea Lions, porpoises, and other whales. Their movements can take them across large areas of the coast as they search for prey.

We watched Noah as he continued south toward Dodd Narrows, then made our way in the same direction.

Dodd Narrows is always an interesting section of the journey. This narrow passage between Vancouver Island and Mudge Island experiences strong tidal currents as water moves between the Strait of Georgia and the surrounding waterways. Those currents can create areas of turbulence and concentrated productivity, making the narrows an important part of the local marine ecosystem. Even when we aren't seeing whales, there is always something to look for among the rocks, shoreline, and forested bluffs.

Once we had made our way through the narrows, we continued our search and eventually found our first humpback whales of the day.

Two different humpbacks were travelling in the area, BCY1552 and Turkey (BCY1157). Humpbacks are frequent visitors to the Strait of Georgia during the warmer months, when they take advantage of the seasonal abundance of food available in these productive waters.

Most of the time, we spot humpbacks feeding, as they need to consume about 3,000 pounds of food each day to build the fat reserves they need for migration. But each of the whales we spotted today seemed more focused on travelling than feeding. This matters because they need to find new, highly productive areas to meet those intense energy demands.

We spent some time enjoying watching Turkey when an unexpected reunion occurred.

There was Noah again.

After first seeing him just outside Nanaimo Harbour and watching him head south toward Dodd Narrows, we crossed paths with him again while watching Turkey. It was a fun reminder that the animals we encounter don't simply stay in one place. Whales can travel considerable distances in a day, and their movements can sometimes bring several species into the same stretch of water.

For Noah, that movement is particularly important. Bigg's killer whales are constantly on the move as they search for marine mammal prey, and their travel patterns can be influenced by where seals, sea lions, or porpoises are located. Seeing him repeatedly throughout the day gave us a small glimpse into how dynamic the Salish Sea can be.

Eventually, it was time for us to begin our journey home. We headed back through Dodd Narrows, once again experiencing the transition from the more open waters into the narrow, current-driven passage.

As we approached Nanaimo, we stopped near Harmac to see another familiar sight along the working waterfront: California Sea Lions hauled out along the log booms.

Marine mammals around industrial areas are a great example of how wildlife and human activity can overlap along the British Columbia coast. Log booms provide an elevated resting place above the water, and California Sea Lions readily take advantage of these structures when available. While they may look completely at home lounging on the logs, they are still marine animals, spending much of their time in the water, where they hunt fish and other prey.

From Harmac, we continued toward the Gabriola Bluffs. The towering cliffs and forested shoreline provided a beautiful backdrop as we made our way toward home. These coastal landscapes are shaped by both geology and the ocean, with waves, weather, tides, and currents continually influencing the shoreline.

By the time we returned to Nanaimo, we had travelled through several very different environments, from the harbour and narrow waters of Dodd Narrows to the open Strait of Georgia and back again. Along the way, we had encountered a Bigg's killer whale, two humpbacks, California Sea Lions, and the dramatic coastal scenery that makes this part of British Columbia so special.

Sometimes a day on the water is about finding something completely unexpected. Other days are about seeing familiar animals in new places. Today gave us a little bit of both, with Noah providing the perfect thread connecting the beginning, middle, and end of our adventure. Please enjoy the photos below, captured throughout the tour by Marine Naturalists Hayleigh Hilbert and Evan Hessels.

September 17, 2026 - Visiting with Noah, BCY1552, and Turkey Close to Home

T049A1 Noah

BCY1552

BCY1157 Turkey

Wildlife in Dodd

Harmac