Many Humpbacks in Sutil Channel!

Many Humpback whales are present and can be seen in many waterways, most notably Sutil Channel and upper Georgia Strait. There are a few mother-calf pairs in these areas and a few Humpbacks were observed breaching. One Humpback was playing with a log at the surface of the water which is an unusual behaviour. There were some Transient Orca in these areas too and one pod of Transients was observed hunting seals.

On July 27, some of the Northern Resident Orca were seen at the east end of Johnstone Strait and they made its way into Nodales Channel before turning around to head west. Throughout the next morning, the Northern Resident Orca were travelling westward through Johnstone Strait and were approaching Robson Bight by mid-afternoon. These Orca were also seen travelling for some time with Pacific White-Sided dolphins.

The Federal Government (DFO) issued the following statement about watching Orca in the wild: “Vessels must stay at least 400 m away from all killer whales in southern British Columbia coastal waters between Campbell River and Ucluelet, including Barkley and Howe Sound. This is in effect year-round until May 31, 2023. If killer whales approach any vessel, boaters should place their engine in neutral and wait for the animals to pass.”

For all other areas of B.C. outside of the area indicated above, a minimum distance of 200-m must be maintained when viewing Orca. When viewing other species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises, a minimum distance of 100-m must be kept.

WOWs works throughout the year, so please continue to keep your eyes open, and report your sightings to us.