Orca, Humpback Whale, Pacific White Sided Dolphins and Many Harbour Porpoise
Sneaky Transient Bigg’s Orca were popping up all over the place then disappeared, as did most of the animals during the windy Friday the 13th, but they all made a sudden reappearance today. Lone Humpback Whales were spotted as were a huge group of Harbour Porpoise and Pacific White Sided Dolphins. The Porpoise are of great interest since they don’t usually show up in these numbers together. Possibly a sign of gene pool mixing. There were no Dall’s Porpoise in the mix, so no chance of more hybrid porpoise from that lot. These two are the only ones we know of that cross breed on occasion.
Susan MacKay & Lynne Cracknell, Whalesand Dolphins BC
Fundraising 2014:Our main web site is updated and tickets for our Two Huge Raffles are available for sale on line. Please check out the details link:https://whalesanddolphinsbc.com/win-at-sea-fair-2014/Tickets will also be available at the Powell River Town Centre Mall on Thursdays and Fridays for the rest of June and we are working on having them available in Campbell River soon.
2 GREAT RAFFLES FOR A TOTAL OF 6 TOURS TO BE DRAWN!
RAFFLE #1:
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Aboriginal Journeys Whales and Grizzly Bear Tours – Whale Watching for Two
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Discovery Marine Safaris – Whale Watching for Two
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Stubbs Island Whale Watching – Whale Watching for Two
RAFFLE #2:
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Adventure Quest Tours (Kayak Tour for Two)
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Eagle Eye Adventures (Whale Watching for Two)
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Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions (Whale Watching for Two)
Tickets are 5 for $10 – Please make sure you specify what Raffle you’d like in the notes.
Both raffles will be drawn at 5 pm on July 27, 2014 at Powell River Sea Fair
Thank you all for your ongoing enthusiasm and support!
From all of us at Wild Ocean Whale Society (WOWs)
Every sighting report is valuable!
Have you seen a whale,
TRANSIENT BIGG’S KILLER WHALES
Orca Family T124’s
June 14, 2014
Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
June 14:
1:54 pm: Orca southbound at Francisco Point, (Quadra Island)
(from Radio.)
June 14:
2:12 pm: With the Orca. It looks like three animals. They are westing between the red and green can buoys. (Off Quadra Island.)
Leif Nordman,Campbell River Whale Watching.
June 14:
4:04 pm: Orca close to Vancouver Island side, across from Sentry Shoal around Salmon Point area, about 2.2 nautical miles off Salmon Point. They cruised past some Harbour Porpoise.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whales and Grizzly Bear Tours.
June 14:
5:20 pm: Leaving the 3 Transient Bigg’s almost directly eastbound down the Vancouver Island shoreline, course bearing 100 degrees, speed 3-4 knots. Lots of surface swimming, some zigzagging but kept speed up mostly the whole time. They were about 1.5 miles offshore 3 miles northwest from the Comox Ferry Terminal. On scene at 16:30 pm and left at 17:15 pm. I.D’s to follow:
Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
June 14:
6:30 pm Report of Orca Northbound between Hornby and Denman Islands. The report came from a friend who saw about 10 Orca for about 10 minutes.
Brad, Painter’s Lodge
June 12:
8:45 am: Two Orca, a mom and calf, spotted between Rebecca Rocks and Texada Island. This is from the Comox ferry.
Liz Kennedy, Powell River
June 12:
9:00 am: There are some reports coming in from Laura of Orca blows by Wei Wai Kai village.(Quadra Island) She saw one fin, sounds like it is northbound. She can see some more whales mid channel.
9:49 am: At Race Point with one group of Orca.
10:20 am: The T101’s and T102 are all I’ve seen, they are still northbound and almost at Brown’s Bay.
(There were other Orca reportedly spread out, reports below are a bit confusing, but there were two or three groups of them – SM) My father in law had called me earlier and said that 6 or 7 Orca went by which makes more sense with other sightings.
1:39 pm: Sounds like the Orca have turned now – the ones by Chatham Point.
4:20 pm Orca T101’s and T102 are at April Point, southbound.
5:00 pm: Left the 4 Orca southbound at Cape Mudge , going 10 knots.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whales and Grizzly Bear Tours.
Transient Bigg’s Orca T124’s
June 14, 2014
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whales and Grizzly Bear Tours.
June 12:
9:05 am: Killer whales northbound off Discovery Pier in Campbell River. They are moving quickly northbound with the ebb.
Geord, Discovery Marine Safaris.
June 12:
10:50 am:There are two Orca in the Kanish Bay area, following around 50 Pacific White Sided Dolphins.
Jen Furst, Campbell River Whale Watching.
June 12:
1:25 pm: Tenacious 3, a Discovery Marine Safaris boat, has more Orca – a male and two females, near the Sonora shoreline between Thurston Bay and Sonora Point, in Nodales Channel, easting.
Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
June 12:
1:40 pm: 4 Orca southbound by Chatham Point, closer to the Vancouver Island side, almost to Greensea Bay, just above Campbell River. These are another group than the 3 Orca that were with Tenacious 3.
Leigh Nelson, Adventure Quest Tours.
June 12:
1:45 pm: 3 Orca eastbound 2 cables (a cable is 1/10th of a nautical mile) off the beach of Sonora Island, between Thurston Bay and Sonora Point, eastbound.
John Lewis, Discovery Marine Safaris.
June 12:
2:15 pm: There are 4 Orca at Chatham Point southbound. The whale watching vessel Tenacious 3 reports another 3 Orca between Thurston Bay and Sonora Point.
Leigh Nelson, Adventure Quest Tours.
June 12:
2:45 pm: Leaving 4 Orca going south on the Vancouver Island shore, passing Eagle’s Cove, Campbell River.
Leif Nordman,Campbell River Whale Watching.
June 12:
4:00 pm: The Orca have reversed course and are now coming out of Frederick Arm. (I believe these are the whales John Lewis, Discovery Marine Safaris had that were in Nodales Channel. One was photo identified by Jared Towers, DFO as T100C – SM)
Aaron Nagler, Sonora Lodge.
HUMPBACK WHALES
Humpback Tail Flukes
June 14, 2014
Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
June 14:
12:29 pm: Report of a Humpback southbound at April Point.
(from radio)
June 14:
6:07 pm: I have a Humpback right off Cape Mudge Lighthouse, Quadra Island.Has a fair bit of white on the tail flukes and has now managed to totally disappear in the tide rip (6:30 pm). We had been waiting for 20+ minutes to see it again.
Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
June 12:
9:12 am: ‘KC’ is now up in Blackfish Sound, westbound. (‘KC’ or ‘Kelp Creature’ is BCY0291 born 2002. This is the whale that had been struck by a boat last year. See other reports with photos – SM)
Roger McDonell, Stubbs Island Whale Watching.
June 12:
1: 15 pm: One Humpback at Race Point. Just milling.
2:00 pm: Have left the Humpback at Race Point slowly bucking the tide on the Vancouver
Island side, northbound. It had white on it’s flukes and was a smaller animal.
Leif Nordman,Campbell River Whale Watching.
PACIFIC WHITE SIDED DOLPHINS
Pacific White Sided Dolphins
June 14, 2014
Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
June 14:
9:34 am: Pacific White Sided Dolphins above Brown’s Bay, Discovery Passage.
(from Radio)
June 14:
3:24 pm: 100-150 Pacific White Sided Dolphins in Kanish Bay, Discovery Passage, southbound.
Leigh Nelson,Adventure Quest Tours.
June 13:
9:30 am: Pacific White Sided Dolphins above Brown’s Bay. Can’t tell how many, too choppy!
Brad, Painter’s Lodge.
June 13:
2:31 pm: A dozen Pacific White Sided Dolphins by the Walcan Seafoods building, Campbell River, heading south.
John Lewis, Discovery Marine Safaris
June 13:
3:30 pm: 20 – 40 Pacific White Sided Dolphins off Walcan Bay, near Campbell River.
(from radio)
June 13:
4:00 pm: 20-30 Pacific White Sided Dolphins foraging in the current mid channel off Orange Point, Campbell River.
Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
June 12:
10:50 am: 50 Pacific White Sided Dolphins being followed by two Orca in the Kanish Bay, Discovery Passage, area.
Jen Furst, Campbell River Whale Watching.
June 12:
2:41 pm: About 10 Pacific White Sided Dolphins southbound slowly by Cinque Islands, by Okisollo Channel, Discovery Passage.
Leigh Nelson, Adventure Quest Tours.
June 12:
4:00 pm: About 50 Pacific White Sided Dolphins at Sonora Point, milling.
Aaron Nagler, Sonora Lodge.
HARBOUR PORPOISE
Harbour Porpoise
June 14, 2014
Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
June 14:
5:43 pm: Over 50 Harbour Porpoise just south of Cape Mudge, Quadra Island.Never seen so many of them together. There may even be up to 100 of them….amazing!
Nick Templeman, Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.
June 14:
4:04 pm: Couple of Harbour Porpoise out by the Orca close to the Vancouver Island side in line between Sentry Shoal, off Savary Island and Salmon Point, on Vancouver Island. They’re about 2.2 nautical miles off Salmon Point.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whales and Grizzly Bear Tours.
June 13:
2: 42 pm: Two Harbour Porpoise at Horn Point near Dent Rapids.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whales and Grizzly Bear Tours.
LINKS
Some interesting news stories to share with you this report! Great to know that Springer and her calf continue to do well, and that both are thriving:
In this story, Whale watchers take part in an ocean rescue and get more of an adventure than they bargained for:
And the Vancouver Aquarium responds to critics by saying that the cetaceans in their captivity create funding for Arctic research:
Vancouver Aquarium CEO John Nightingale says that if the park board restricts the keeping of whales, it would destroy research and even become a “life-and-death matter’ for the aquarium’s continued existence:
Have you seen a whale, dolphin or porpoise?
Every sighting report is valuable!
We are the non-profit Wild Ocean Whale Society
Gaming Licence for Raffle #1 is 65278 Raffle #2 is 65280 – Know your limit, play within it.
