Orcastravaganza! Speeding Orcas get top billing.

Orcastravaganza! Transient Bigg’s Killer Whales certainly reappeared in numbers; although the ones that went Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet did not come back up this way, many others appeared in the upper Georgia Strait. Humpback Whales, Pacific White Sided Dolphins, Dall’s and Harbour Porpoise round out the sightings, while there are a few links of interest after the reports.

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10:46 am 3 Small fin Orca at Breton Islands, just off Rebecca Spit, Quadra Island Southbound.

Found larger groups in afternoon and left them at 3:52 pm heading for Lund. 3 Orca from the group split off and going on the West side of Hernando Island Southbound.

12:45 pm A couple of groups of Orca including T19B in one group of 7-8 Orca. The T19B group are angling towards Marina Island from Quadra while another group of Orca are farther up by Rebecca Spit, Quadra Island.

12:49 pm Another 4 Orca angling towards Marina Island now so probably 12 Orca at least.

1pm They’re Southbound running 1 nautical mile off the North end of Marina Island shoreline.

3:10 pm 2 or 3 groups of Orca worked their way down Marina Island towards Baker Pass and Hernando Island.

4:52 pm Orca heading for Kinghorn Island from friend.

5:15 pm Found 5 Orca, T18’s/19B between Sarah Point, above Lund and Squirrel Cove, Cortez Island. Heading up Lewis Channel.

6:14 pm 3 more Orca just showed up – we’re almost to Teakerne Arm. So the count is up to 8 Orca.

7:14 pm 2 more Orca just came smoking in!! They came from below us somewhere. So total is now 9 or 10 Orca. We’re leaving them now at Bullock Bluff, the top of Lewis Channel. Don’t know which way they’ll turn.

7:45 am 5 to 6 Orca heading South at the fishing Hump off Cape Mudge.

10:57 am 3 Orca – one very large male out in front of the Powell River Harbour.

10:48 am Orca Northbound in front of Powell River! Grabbed camera and gear and out the door (after answering Elizabeth’s called in report above). As we, Elizabeth came with me, headed out of the harbour, we spotted T020 the big male first, just off the Powell River Mill. There were 10-12 Orca spread out and later ID’s proved to include the T077’s. They took their time slowly picking up the pace once they were on the South side shoals of Savary Island. The call from Dee (report below) came in just as the whales we were with started to pick up the pace. A number of whale watching boats from Campbell River came down to check out the whales and while one headed back towards Campbell River came upon yet another group of Orca (report below). All the Orca met up and turned South speeding up as they went.

3:10 pm Around 22+ Orca sped Southwest past Harwood and Vivian Islands towards Denman and Hornby Islands. They were running about 10-12 knots, so actual counts were difficult, even with photos as they seemed to just keep coming and popping up as they porpoised along.

3 pm Noticed that T020 was continuing Northbound up the mainland shore towards Lund, well away from the rest of the whales. I didn’t notice any others with him.

11:18 am There is a pod of Orcas heading south east, should be around the top end of Grants Reef (between Savary and Vivian Islands) about now. We never got close but in the binoculars we could see them breaching, doesn’t look like a huge pod, maybe 5-10. Hope they continue south and I see them on the way home!

1:16 pm 5 – 6 Orca are breaching and tail lobs right in front of our place! The little one did some head stands that looked like he/she was figuring out that the tail needs to be below the water to swim. It looked like they were having a great time.

2:01 pm Another large group of active Orca close to Sentry Shoal – breaching.

3:10 pm T020 was still Northbound on the East side of Savary Island. He picked up the pace to 6-7 knots by Lund where we left him still alone at 4:38 pm.

Around 7 pm 3 Orca – T020, T021 and T077A just off Teakerne Arm in Lewis Channel. Left them around 9 pm still Westbound up Lewis Channel. Sleepy travel with some searching, but no kills.

Our dream came true today. When travelling to Narrows Inlet this morning, we saw Killer Whales in Sechelt Inlet, south of Storm Bay around 10 am, and then on our return journey around 1 pm they were on the west side of the inlet across from Tuwanek. It was wonderful! I never thought we would get to see them in Sechelt Inlet. We videotaped them and have sent it on to youtube (see link below). They may be the same group that was spotted near Stanley Park yesterday? (How exciting for you!! These were the same Orca I had in front of Powell River in the last report, and no, these ones did not go to Vancouver. Did you see them head out the inlet? – SM)

4 pm Fishing Guide reports he saw 7 Orca Westbound from Sutil Island towards the Southern tip of Reid Island.

At 8:40 PM mother and calf orca and maybe another are 3km E of Grant Reefs (between Savary Island / Harwood)buoy and going SE. It is too far for me to see much detail.
Ron Johnston, Savary Island

June 10 (rec’d June 15):

Evening I subscribe to your web site and was one of the lucky people out fishing near Lund when the whales came through. I had my canon rebel with zoom lens and took a lot of pics of them. I have good shots of the male who swam with a female always by his side, a ways beside them was, I believe 3-4 females and a younger one and then a real baby. I was so busy taking photos that I never really counted them. We followed them for three hours all the way to Atrevida reef. At one point when they passed Savary Island another pod I think with 3 for sure a male and a female and not sure if the other was smaller, they all came together and then travelled down the coast towards Powell River in two groups. I have lived here for over 50 years and always was on the coast or water in a boat, and I have never seen a performance of such happy whales. So I was just wondering if anyone has identified this group and if I showed you a close up of the male and his saddle would you be able to tell what group they are? (see Photo) This was Monday evening June 10 2013

9:20 am Humpback Whale just off Cape Mudge, not sure which direction he/she is heading.

10:18 am Humpback Whale right in front of Big Rock in Campbell River; Northbound.

11:50 am Humpback Whale about half a mile off the beach off the Cape Mudge Village was Northbound towards Seymour Narrows.

12:05 pm Left the medium sized Humpback just above Quathiaski Cove slowly Northbound.

10:47 am got a Facebook message from a friend in Toba Inlet that there are Humpbacks and Porpoise in the inlet today.

3:43 pm Humpback Southbound by Browns Bay above Campbell River.

4:20 pm Humpback by McMullen Point Westbound towards Chatham Point.

10:30 am No confirmation, but 2 Humpbacks reported West of the fishing hump off Cape Mudge – heading North.

9 to 9:30 pm Observed Humpback whale heading west; 1 km out from Douglas Bay (Brew Bay South of Powell River).

no time given. 6 PWS Dolphins by Seymour Narrows.

5:15 pm Dolphins by Hole in the Wall, Sonora Island.

5:50 pm Playful PWS Dolphins by Chatham Point Lightstation.

11:50 am 20+ PWS Dolphins by Hall Point in Nodales Channel.

6:19 pm 20 PWS Dolphins by Deepwater Bay, Campbell River area.

12:32 pm 25 PWS Dolphins just milling about in Brown’s Bay, North of Campbell River. Just left them.

2:50 pm 20 PWS Dolphins Brown’s Bay milling and foraging – no direction.

5:50 pm Some Dall’s Porpoise by Chatham Point Lightstation.

Time: One little Harbour Porpoise just off Mystery Reef Northbound getting away from the Orca.

Orca in Sechelt Inlet June 15 from Joan Bech:

Some photograph work by Bryant Austin on underwater shots of whales.

9 Types of Dolphins You Didn’t Even Know Existed:

Orca (T86’s and T101’s) in Vancouver Harbour June 14:

BCTV:

CBC:

Global BC:

Have you seen a whale, dolphin or porpoise? Call 1-877-323-9776 or Emailyour report. Every sighting report is valuable!

The official governing non-profit society of Whales and Dolphins BC is