We saw some Bigg’s (Transient) Killer Whales and Humpbacks today!
In the morning our zodiac, RipTide, and covered vessel, Marauder IV, headed out in search of whales. Both boats were successful but with different animals! Captain Ian on Marauder IV headed East and North. There he found a Humpback Whale in Haro Strait. Humpback Whales have the longest front fins (pectoral fins) relative to their body size of all the marine mammals. Their pectoral fins are nearly one third of their body length; Humpbacks can grow to be 50 ft long and their pectoral fins can be 15 ft long!
Captain Marty on RipTide was able to find some Bigg’s (Transient) Killer Whales in the morning. The Bigg’s Killer Whales have been very active lately, feeding in the area near Gooch Island earlier today. When RipTide found the whales they were traveling and had a young calf with them.
Our afternoon tours headed out into the sunny weather to search for the whales from the morning. Killer Whales and Humpbacks can travel quite quickly when they want to so it takes some searching to find whales even when we have spotted them earlier in the day.
We hit the jackpot when we found a group of Bigg’s (Transient) Killer Whales in the afternoon. Captain Yves, who was crew on Marauder IV and taking photos, identified the whales as the T65B’s, T75B’s, and T75C’s.
Overall it was a fun day on the water. In addition to the whales in the morning and afternoon we also saw many other species. Bald Eagles and other birds are always great to see on our trips as well as smaller marine mammals like Harbour Seals.
Join us for your Whale Watching Tour this summer! Book online or call to reserve your seat.