Setting out on our pair of Zodiacs once more, Naturalists Evan and Jordan discussed what to expect and what to keep an eye out for as we headed out. Turning southbound, we headed into Northumberland Channel, making our way across and through Dodd Narrows, and into the protected waters of the Southern Gulf Islands.

These inner waters have been busy with whale activity lately, and we wanted to peek around and try our luck here for the start of the trip. The vessels spread out to cover as much area as possible, heading down along the coastline. After a bit of travelling, we arrived outside Willy Island, located near Crofton. We looked around, and our patience paid off when a small back peeked out of the water, followed by a big, beautiful fluke.

As the tail came up, so did our cameras, and we quickly documented who it was. We confirmed this little whale as BCY1552, a new-to-us whale. We know very little about this interesting individual, with their first confirmed Happywhale sightings only being back in 2024. They were also recently entangled near Victoria, with a trained team removing a large amount of gear from them. They were simply travelling along as we observed them, and after a few surfaces, we turned and started to make our way away, once again entering search mode.

Making our way out of the inner waterways, we crossed through Porlier Pass and out into the open waters of the Strait of Georgia. Big blue seas greeted us in every direction, and after a few brief minutes of travel, blows came into view once more.

First one, then two, then half a dozen more blows appeared scattered across the water on the horizon. A large congregation of humpbacks lay ahead of us, spread over a substantial area. Once more, the Naturalists brought out their cameras and started documenting the whales in every direction. After cross-referencing our ID guides, we concluded that the following whales were present: Scratchy (BCY1022), Bullet (BCX1658), CRC-22930, Europa (BCX0854), and Stitch (BCX0519), along with a few others on the horizon.

While we often do not know the gender of humpback whales, as the species shows next to no sexual dimorphism (the females and males look nearly identical), we have confirmed that Bullet, Europa, and Scratchy are all females, as they have been seen with calves previously. So far, no males have been known to raise calves, so we assume individuals are female if a young one is travelling with them. Life is full of surprises, though, so that may change in the future as we continue documenting individuals and their behaviours!

After a wonderful time with the humpbacks, we turned and headed out for another wildlife stop nearby. Several small rocks jutted out of the water, leading to perfect areas for pinnipeds to haul out. Cheekily called Stinky Rocks, we made our way over. Steller Sea Lions rumbled and grumbled amongst each other as they pushed and shoved for the best areas to snooze. The much quieter Harbour Seals were doing all sorts of interesting ‘yoga poses’, stretching and flexing their flippers as they got comfortable. While whales are always the species we are most excited to spot, the pinnipeds are a delight too!

With the sun sitting low in the sky, we made our way back towards home port, but we still had one more surprise in store for us. Just south of Dodd Narrows, a black lone fin appeared, followed by the distinct whoosh of a blow. An orca was making their way along!

Not only was it an orca, though, but this individual’s dorsal was also blunted and slightly curved, and was known to belong to one of our favourite Transient orca – T049A2 Jude:

T049A2 Jude ♂ (2007)

Jude is known to travel solo and has for many years now. While he occasionally meets up with others (usually other lone males), encounters like this are by far the most common for him. We did not stop with him for long, though, as the sun was quickly disappearing. Soon, Jude was blending into the shadows, and only the eerie sound of his blow remained. We slowly departed scene, and began zipping along once more, back through Dodd Narrows and towards home port. After a couple more minutes of travelling, we were back at the docks, concluding another excellent afternoon adventure.

Please enjoy these photos captured by Marine Naturalists Jordan Robinson and Evan Hessels!

September 19, 2026, 3:30 PM - Humpbacks all around, and a surprise last minute orca!