Spring is rapidly approaching and with it, a renewal of life on land and in the sea. As the weather becomes warmer, more whales and dolphins will appear and be visible. For example, pods of Transient Orca may be more prominent as more seals and sea lions appear in B.C. waters. Groups of Pacific White-Sided dolphins may form and be apparent as their pods tend to be larger. Grey whales are currently migrating north along the west side of Vancouver Island. However, a few Grey whales may travel through Georgia Strait and other inland waterways on their way to Alaska. As Humpback whales return to B.C. waters over the spring, some of females will have calves with them. As you enjoy the outdoors during Spring, look for whales and dolphins whether you are by the water or on the water. Let us know what you see!
As a reminder that if you are boating and out on the water, please be aware of the presence of whales and dolphins. Signs of their presence may include blows of the Cetaceans and other boats stopped or moving slowly in an area. Boats and other water craft (e.g. kayaks) must remain at least 400-meters away from Orca and at least 100-m away from other species. See the full government regulation in the paragraph below.
The Federal Government (DFO) issued the following statement about watching Orca in the wild: “Vessels must stay 400-m away and may not position a vessel in the path of killer whales in southern BC coastal waters between Campbell River and just north of Ucluelet until May 31, 2025.” 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 OR while viewing any Cetaceans that are resting or with a calf. When viewing whales, dolphins, and porpoises under other circumstances not described above, a minimum distance of 100-m must be kept. A great resource for up to date Canadian or US regulations: Be Whale Wise Guidelines
WOWs works throughout the year, so please continue to keep your eyes open, and report your sightings to us.
Society News & Events
Donaton Receipts 2024:
The federal government extended the deadline for making charitable donations eligible for the 2024 tax year in Canada to February 28, 2025. The deadline is to help charities recover from the impact of the Canada Post mail stoppage.
Your 2024 Tax deductible receipts have been sent with an update on how your kind contributions are being spent. Any donations made Jan. 1, 2025 to Feb. 28, 2025 will be issued as soon as possible in March, in time to submit with your tax return. Please ensure we have your current email or physical address.
Thank you all for your kind and continuing donations. Your support is greatly appreciated – we can't do it without you.
Websites:
Whales and Dolphins BC is our educational website where these reports are also published and our
Wild Ocean Whale site is our Society website. Information on our
Feral Cat Initiative will be updated again soon. We apologize for delays, but we are volunteers working on this.
Real Time Monitoring Station Live Update
Our Live Web Camera
YouTube Channel streams from Powell River 24/7 with views towards Texada – Vancouver Island – Savary and up towards Cortez. Hope you've been seeing some of the many whales and the Aurora Borealis.
Thank You to our Volunteers and Contributors!
Our team of online Volunteers continue to do a great job in making sure all your sightings reports are mapped and published regularly. Would you like to join us? Updates on current availabilities and revised links will be posted here.
Review our previous
Volunteer Job Postings Job Postings are slowly being revamped (we're volunteers too, so sorry for the delays) and not yet on our web sites.
Data For Research:
For research access to 35,000+ sightings in our database in a downloadable csv file for use in a spreadsheet, please
Click Here. to fill in your request.
Sightings Update
SIGHTINGS MAP – ISSUE: 2025-003
TRANSIENT BIGGS KILLER WHALES
Fri Feb 28 2025
14:05 • est. 7+ Biggs Orca ◦T018s,T124s◦ heading north a third of the way out from Myrtle Point, Malaspina Strait.
Two big males in pod. At 14:33, they were still northbound between the Texada Island cell tower and Westview in Powell River.
Barry Rice, Powell River, BC
Transient Biggs Killer Whales
Transient Biggs Orca heading north by Powell River
Fri, 28 Feb 2025 – 3 items
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
Transient Biggs Killer Whales
Transient Biggs Orca heading north by Powell River
Fri, 28 Feb 2025 – 3 items
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
Sat Mar 01 2025
16:36 • 1 Biggs Orca heading north 1/3 ways out from North Harbour, Browning Inlet.
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
Sun Mar 02 2025
09:00 • est. 1-2 Biggs Orca heading north half way out towards Rebecca Rocks, Malaspina Strait.
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
Mon Mar 03 2025
09:45 • 2 Biggs Orca heading south by Beach Gardens Marina, Malaspina Strait. ▫ Second Hand
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
Transient Biggs Killer Whales
Transient Biggs Orca heading south by Beach Gardens Marina, Malaspina Strait
Mon, 3 Mar 2025 – 2 items
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
Transient Biggs Killer Whales
Transient Biggs Orca heading south by Beach Gardens Marina, Malaspina Strait
Mon, 3 Mar 2025 – 2 items
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
UNIDENTIFIED KILLER WHALES
Sun Mar 02 2025
17:15 • 7 Orca heading south-east between Major Rock Islet and Savary Island, Malaspina Strait.
A newborn calf was sighted with the pod.
Jude Abrams, Otter Be Good Productions
Thu Mar 06 2025
11:30 • est. 3-4 Orca
foraging, heading north mid channel Lambert Channel.
They are near the herring fleet on the west side of Denman Island. They seem to be hanging around a little more than usual. Possibly feeding on herring. ▫ Observed from Shore
CM, Hornby Island, BC
HUMPBACK WHALES
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Humpback Whales
Synchronised Humpbacks!
Wed, 19 Mar 2025 – 1 items
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Humpback Whales
Synchronised Humpbacks!
Wed, 19 Mar 2025 – 1 items
PACIFIC WHITE SIDED DOLPHINS
Sat Mar 01 2025
11:45 • est. 15-20 PWS Dolphins
hunting, heading south off of Seal Bay, Georgia Strait.
Observed to be moving between herring feeding frenzies with a light color to the rear of the dorsal fins . ▫ Observed from Shore
DM, Courtenay, BC
Pacific White Sided Dolphins
Pacific White Sided Dolphins swimming mid channel
Sat, 1 Mar 2025 – 1 items
DM, Courtenay, BC
Pacific White Sided Dolphins
Pacific White Sided Dolphins swimming mid channel
Sat, 1 Mar 2025 – 1 items
DM, Courtenay, BC
19:36 • est. 15-20 PWS Dolphins heading south off of Seal Bay.
DM, Courtenay, BC
Fri Mar 14 2025
16:30 • PWS Dolphins heading north off Campbell River, Discovery Passage. ▫ Second Hand
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Pacific White Sided Dolphins
Pacific White Sided Dolphins leaping high!
Sun, 23 Mar 2025 – 1 items
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Pacific White Sided Dolphins
Pacific White Sided Dolphins leaping high!
Sun, 23 Mar 2025 – 1 items
HARBOUR PORPOISE
Sat Mar 01 2025
13:30 • 3 Harbour Porpoise
moving quickly, heading north off the east side of Goose Spit, Comox, Baynes Sound.
Moving along the shoreline, breaching for only a short distance while travelling then they were gone. ▫ Observed from Shore
19:29 • 3 Harbour Porpoise heading north-east off the east side of Goose Spit, Comox.
DM, Courtenay, BC
SPECIES UNSURE
Sat Mar 15 2025
16:00 • est. 3+ Species Unsure
breaching, heading south-west, to the north-west of Bligh Island, Nootka Sound.
Multiple breaches were observed from a distance. ▫ From Power or Sail Boat
Bernard Thomson, Nootka Reforestation
Archive Explorer
Archive Explorer navigates 25,000+ Cetacean Sightings, images, videos and audio recordings. Please use the the funnel in our Map for access to our huge range of filters. Those wishing Research information in a spreadsheet format, please Click Here
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Archive Explorer dives into the Coastal Cetacean world. View Cetacean sighting locations, photos and videos:
- All species including Orca, Humpback, Grey Whale or Dalls Porpoise
- Follow the endangered Southern Residents Orca in the Salish Sea
- Search for encounters with T002C2 Tumbo
- Witness a close-up Orca encounter video in Port Alberni harbour
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Archive Explorer Help Page explains many advanced functions
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The Magazine
SPECIAL SIGHTINGS
People
A freediver observing orcas was interrupted by another species of whale.
Earlier in 2025, diver Timo Dersch was swimming through the chilly waters surrounding Norway to observe killer whales feast from a school of fish….
read on
Discover Wildlife
A divemaster in Mauritius has shared the moment a pod of sperm whales got between him and an inquisitive oceanic whitetip shark….
read on
RESEARCH & CONSERVATION
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Baleen whales are among the largest creatures in the ocean, but that doesnâ??t mean theyâ??re safe from other animals. A pod of orcas can take a giant baleen whale down, and these filter-feeders are particularly vulnerable when they have calves….
read on
Oceanographic Magazine
A new study, published today in Nature Communications confirms what researchers have long suspected: Whales transport their urine, placentas and skin â?? a potent tonic loaded with nutrients â?? the longest known distances and thereby help keep the ocean and its diverse ecosystems healthy….
read on
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