We rode the waves, the wind, the rain, the fog, and the sunshine this past week as we adventured all around the central Salish Sea. It’s a good thing that whales and wildlife don’t mind the weather turns–in fact, sometimes wind waves seem to make them a bit more playful as they surface higher to clear the rolling waters for their next breath!
Bigg’s killer whales are still keeping a strong presence in this area, and we continued to encounter the T36As, T37A1, T46Bs, T49As, & T99s doing lots of traveling and foraging through the San Juan Islands and out along the outer islands again this week. We also spent a couple tours with T75 and her son T75A, who spend much more time up in southeastern Alaska and out along the west coast of Vancouver Island than they do in the Salish Sea. During this visit, they were traveling with T75’s youngest daughter, T75C. The joy of seeing this extended family grouped up and spending time together was a little bittersweet this time, as T75C’s offspring T75C4, a male born in 2023, is missing. In late June the calf was documented with his family as they were traveling with the T46C group, and was looking a little thin. He was then documented and photographed again at the beginning of July with a much more concerning physical state. Not seeing such a young whale in with his family group likely means this little has passed. We hope T75C and T75C3 gain some solace in the midst of their immediate family and that their health continues to sustain them.
The T77s were also a group that spent a couple days around the central Salish Sea, and catching up with them was incredible. T77C “Neftali” has had an amazing growth spurt since the last time I personally laid eyes on him (back in the summer of 2022 or 2023) and his sprouting dorsal fin really threw me off for a beat until I realized who the other family members in the group were. These whales cruised along by themselves taking many a seal according to some friends and researchers on the water, and later met up with the T99s and T46Bs for some socializing. This family group spent a pretty long stretch of weeks down in southern Puget Sound last year, so I was wondering when they may pop in here again!
Middle Bank, a shallow area just south of the southeastern side of San Juan Island, has been proving a pretty decent area to spot 2-3 Minke whales feeding over the last two weeks, and it’s been fun to watch guests delight in their feeding behaviors. These slinky whales round up bait fish just under the surface of the water which cause quite a stir with the seabirds and gulls who also look to benefit from these fish being driven up to the surface. We often use cues from the birds to estimate where these whales may pop up next. Often, the Minkes come barreling through that bait ball, sending the birds high into the air just before their backs break the surface. It really is an exciting behavior to witness with just how frenzied the birds are and how quickly the surfaces happen.
As far as humpback whales go, several individuals took us on a couple adventures far north of our marina–way up into the Strait of Georgia just southwest of the Delta, BC area. Because the Frasier River discharges freshwater and nutrients into this area, you can bet that the feeding is good for humpbacks up this way. We visited with several whales who were either very actively lunge feeding, resting, or who just seemed to be traveling around the area, and from those whales we were able to identify: “Windy,” “Malachite,” “Strike,” “Hammer,” and “Cerulean.” Lots of beautiful flukes on these whales (underside of the tails) which is what we use to tell them all apart.
We’re thankful for such a fruitful week and strapped in tight to see what this next week on the water brings us! 😉
