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.
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!
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!
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
We had an exciting and rare sighting yesterday in the heart of Victoria! A pod of Biggs Orca came into the inner harbour of downtown Victoria!!! Not only do dock here, but many other businesses and private boats!! It is a busy and noisy place but they seemed comfortable as they came in to check things out!
That said, our fleet got to encounter Biggs Orca all day! We love peak whale watching season because that means more interactions with these powerful predators. It is World Oceans Day today and we are excited to celebrate our oceans, and see who we encounter!!
~Stay tuned!
The day started out cloudy and cold, but the sun came out by late afternoon!! We headed out on BC ORCA and LUNA to discover who was in the area, and it didn't take long before whales were picked up!
A Humpback whale was encountered west of Victoria feeding/resting, and although the whale was taking long dives, our guests had great interactions!! In the afternoon Biggs Orca came into range so we caught up with them as they traveled west, scanning the Salish Sea for potential prey.
~Stay Tuned!!
