Another calm afternoon spent with the T34s, T37, and T37Bs! We've been seeing this group a lot the past week as they've been hanging around Port Angeles up to the mouth of Puget Sound.
We also watched a mother humpback whale and her very active calf! More humpback whales have been coming into the Salish Sea as they travel from Hawaii and Mexico towards Alaska for their summer feeding.
Yesterday we were with the T46s and T46Bs off of Sooke!
We were in the presence of a family containing 4 different generations. T46 is a great-grandmother who travels with 3 of her offspring, while the other mature females have gone off to travel with their own families. However, they often will meet up and travel together. That was the case this day as T46B brought her family to travel with her mother.
In this family is the famous T46B1B, an orca calf who has a pigmentation that makes him gray! He’s also known as the ghost whale. He definitely looked like one as he blended in with the water during the overcast on this day.
We were able to spend a lot of time with them as they traveled East past Race Rocks. It was a gift to be able to see so many individual Biggs killer whales together.
On Thursday afternoon we were lucky enough to catch up with some transients killer whales, the T65As behind Sidney Island. We watched the family zig-zag through the water after which we went to Spieden Island and got to watch some of the unusual residents graze on the cliff side.
**Images captured using a telephoto lens and cropped. All legal and whale wise guidelines are followed during our tours.**
T124C, a lone Biggs orca born in 1992, in Saanich Inlet yesterday. He was difficult to track with his unpredictable, zig-zagged surfacing, but the patience was worth it when he out of no where surfaced near the boat! Motors were turned off, and we were able to have an amazing look at him.
Yesterday our boats headed north to spend time with a lone male orca known as T77A. In the morning, he was seen playing with a buoy. There was concern he was entangled, however, he was simply messing around and completely fine!
Our afternoon trip caught up with him entering Active Pass, then traveled alongside him northwest along Galiano Island. We were able to see downtown Vancouver as we watched him surface.
It is common for a male Biggs orca to travel alone once their mother has passed away. However, T77A is a less usual case of a solitary orca. His mother is alive and well with his 4 younger siblings! Female Biggs orcas often separate from their mothers to raise their own families, while males stay with them for life. T77A is one of the few who has a living mother yet does not stay with her!
Whale hello! We have had the absolute pleasure of viewing both transient and resident killer whales for the past few weeks now. While the season is just underway, we have been viewing some great action out on the water! Recently our guests encountered transient killer whales feasting on harbour seals!
We are looking forward to making your whale watching dreams come true for the 2019 season! Stay tuned for a lot more incredible sightings and make sure to come out with us to see the beauty for yourself.
-BC Whale Tours Crew
Early morning reports of orca were confirmed by the time our morning expeditions had left the dock. All of our morning adventures headed towards the Juan De Fuca Strait between the southern end of Vancouver Island and mainland Washington state, USA.
All of our guests were thrilled to interact with the T11s (mother and son pod of Bigg's orca), the mammal hunting orca circled around a specific area that suggested they were hunting something close by.
The afternoon trips got to encounter the same pod of orca, as well as, a heap of marine mammal life on Race Rocks ecological reserve. It was a great day to be on the water.
lets see what happens today on the Salish Sea ~ Stay Tuned!!
Today was shaping up to be another adventure just waiting to be experienced. With the sun out from behind the clouds and whale sightings beginning to flood in from various individuals around the local area - we were keen to get out there!
Captain. Gordon and Russ were off heading towards an earlier report that suggested orca were near the American San Juan Islands and that they were. Our guests got an amazing morning encounter with a pod of Bigg's orca (mammal hunters). The individuals were the T101's to be exact.
Time to get the boats ready for another day of adventure and fun on the water
Who is joining us today?? We do have a 15% promo code now for all of our tours departing in September - just make a booking on line and use the promo code: whalesale to automatically receive our exclusive offer!!
The 109s encountered on September 16, 2017 ~ PC. Capt. Tom
