Another great whale watching adventure! This trip showcased why having such a large range is a great advantage for us here at Seabreeze Adventures in Steveston. We cover the waters off Vancouver & Richmond but also the Gulf Islands off Vancouver Island & US waters around the San Juan Islands. So much space to find some whales and wildlife!
This tour had a lovely day out as they headed south into US waters to the gorgeous island of Spieden Island.
As they buzzed across the Strait of Georgia, they had a wiz through the beautiful Active Pass where they were greeted by some lovely Harbor Seals! If you are interested in learning more about the Harbor Seals spotted around Active Pass, check out this blog.
The trip down to Spieden Island was worth the journey when our tour found a gathering of Bigg's Killer Whales pods; T018's, T049A's & T065B's.
Check out the photos below of this amazing gathering!
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Why are multiple pods seen together?
Orcas/Killer Whales are very intelligent and social animals, just like us! Although they tend to stay within their family groups, seeing different pods together is not out of the ordinary. Groups like what this tour saw can sometimes form for temporary social interaction, mating, or availability of food
As the group travelled along side the greenery of Spieden Island, it was a spectacular sight to see the distinguishable dorsal fin of T019B. Quite a robust, wide dorsal fin with a little notch about a 1/3 of the way down from the top of the fin, this male Killer Whale is in his late twenties and definitely a favorite of ours. His nickname is "Galiano"!
Another male Orca from the T018's is pictured below. T019C was born in 2001 and has a dramatically tall dorsal fin and a distinctively pointy right side eye patch that can also be seen in the photo below.
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We bid farewell to the group of whales and did a stop by Belle Chains to say hello to the Steller Sea Lions before heading back to Steveston. Another success day of whale watching and wildlife spotting!
Illustrations of a female and male Steller Sea Lion by Uke Gorter (2013). Poster available for purchase at our office.
Thanks to all who joined Captain Scott and Naturalist Camryn! We look forward to seeing you all again!
