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.

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!

Yesterday morning, our boats BC Orca and BC Luna were out near Race Rocks with the T77s. This family consists of mom T77 and her 4 living offspring. They were heading east towards Victoria when they suddenly started traveling south towards Port Angeles.

On the way home, we stopped by Race Rocks, where we spotted 3 elephant seals, a California sea lion, and the lone sea otter Ollie.

It has been a great start to the season so far!

Yesterday was quite the adventure out on the water viewing a Minke whale as well as Grey whales. After leaving the scene of a Grey whale our incredible skipper, Gordon, on BC ORCA was one of the first on scene to come to the rescue of another local whale watching company that had began to take on water. Captain Gordon was able to safely shuttle 12 of their passengers back into Victoria.

Everyone was safe with no major injuries! This is a great example of camaraderie on the water!

Great job, Captain Gordon!

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