Wave After Wave of Dolphins then Came the Transients

Pacific White Sided Dolphins took the lead in Sightings….then the Transient (meat eating) Orca showed up and the large numbers of Dolphins seemed to vanish anywhere else. Northern Resident Orca were in the upper Johnstone Strait as were many Humpback Whales. Dall’s and Harbour Porpoise round out the Sightings reports.

2:30 p.m. Spotted 2 large Orca males and watched them for about 15 minutes off Scotch Fir (entrance to Jervis Inlet). Soon 4 females and 2 small ones appeared, then all began travelling quickly north towards Powell River. (These whales were not spotted again before dark, so – keep your eyes open! SM)

Laura Johnson

September 24:

1:54 pm T18’s and T19’s heading South in Seymour Narrows.

6:30 pm 4 Orca still Southbound at the Cape Mudge Lighthouse. T18/T19’s I believe.

September 24:

3:35 pm Transient Orca are doing a lot of speed swimming and breaches, tail lobs right now….looks like hunting.

September 24:

4:37 pm Transient Orca by Tyee Pool in front of Campbell River

5:25 pm Some Orca Southbound by Quathiaski Cove. Moving slowly now that they’ve had some dinner.

1:30 – 2:30 pm We saw about 20 Orca – the I15’s for sure and A30’s – spread out in all directions heading West towards Telegraph Cove in Johnstone Strait.

1:54 pm 300 + PWS Dolphins at Dent Island.

9:30 am 200 + PWS Dolphins by Elk Bay / Cinque Islands

10:30 am 4 – 5 PWS Dolphins trying to make it through the rips in Seymour Narrows.

10:45 am 200 + PWS Dolphins in Kanish Bay with a few others up in Nodales Channel.

12 pm Around 80 PWS Dolphins by Chatham Point.

3 pm 75 PWS Dolphins by Denham Bay.

4 pm Hundreds of PWS Dolphins Northbound in Brown’s Bay.

September 23:

From around 3 pm till 5:05 pm There was wave after wave of PWS Dolphins with a total of at least 500!

4:15 pm 100 PWS Dolphins by Denham Bay.

4:55 pm 150 PWS Dolphins by Harding Island (Nodales Channel)

5:05 pm 150 PWS Dolphins at the mouth of Okisollo Channel (Discovery Passage)

September 23:

Day: Lots of Dolphins today…about 200 PWS Dolphins at Denham Bay, another 200 or so in Nodales Channel at Harding Island and More in Discovery Passage spread out from Kanish Bay to Deepwater Bay – another few hundred likely!

September 23:

Day: 75 PWS Dolphins in Frederick Arm.

175 PWS Dolphins in Discovery Passage.

75 PS Dolphins by Copper Bluffs.

Elvis, Eagle Eye Adventures

8:30 am 6 PWS Dolphins by Quathiaski Cove.

8:50 am 12+ PWS Dolphins off Cape Mudge in the fog.

September 22:

12 pm 50+ PWS Dolphins off Steep Island, Discovery Passage.

September 22:

2 pm 150+ PWS Dolphins in front of Campbell River Marina

3:30 pm About 75 PWS Dolphins in Frederick Arm

September 22:

PWS Dolphins in Frederick Arm and Discovery Pass – very playful. No time, numbers or direction.

September 22:

Day: 100 PWS Dolphins in Nodales Channel by Gomer Island….about 100 PWS Dolphins Northbound at Brown’s Bay….not to forget the 100 or so Sea Lions at Jimmy Judd!

September 22:

4:22 pm 100 playful PWS Dolphins by Gomer Island – at the entrance to Frederick Arm.

Day: After the Resident (fish eating) Orca: We proceeded to Blackfish Sound where there were 8 – 12 Humpback Whales!! Wow!!! A large herring ball attracted a few and we witnessed one lunge feed! That was a huge first for me. 🙂

September 23: (report from farther up the coast)

11:00 am – 2:00pm 2-3 Humpbacks in Seaforth Channel and Spiller Channel; I was out jigging (engine off) for a period of 2 hrs and could hear blowing whales and porpoises almost continuously; spotted a breaching Humpback at a distance but was alerted by what sounded like an explosion 1-2 km away in Spiller Channel. Later on, 2 or 3 were surfacing near another boat that had slowed down for a look and I watched them move westward in Seaforth Channel.

9:09 am Harbour Porpoise off Lund. No direction or numbers.

9:34 am 4 Dall’s Porpoise – Finally saw some cruising past Telegraph Cove marina Westbound. Got to hear their breaths too!

4:22 pm 8 Dall’s Porpoise in Bute Inlet.