Cover Image: Swimming into the sunset! Mitchell Keith, Issaquah, WA, USA Cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) can be present at any time of the day and even at night. Their presence can be indicated by their blows and surface behaviours such as lunge feeding, spy hops, and bow-riding. When the sun is setting or rising,…
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Cover Image: Humpback whale initiating a deep dive, exposing the ventral fluke pattern used for individual identification Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society During the past few weeks, Humpback whales have been observed and reported to us on a daily basis. Humpbacks were seen at the south end of Vancouver Island east of Sooke, along…
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Cover Image: The beautiful orca family known as the T19s passed by Campbell River, heading south on May 12. Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours During the past month, Transient Orca have been observed and reported in various locations. Transient Orca feed on other marine mammals such as seals, sea lions, porpoises,…
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Cover Image: Two orcas break the surface together! Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC During the past month, Transient Orca have been reported in Saanich Inlet, the Gulf Islands, upper Georgia Strait, and in Burrard Inlet. Of note, Transient Orca have been travelling into Burrard Inlet (Vancouver Harbour) quite regularly over the month of April and…
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Cover Image: A wonderful tour memory from 2016, when a few Pacific whiteâ??sided dolphins put on a show for us Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours In early February, we received sighting reports of Northern Resident Orca near Powell River. We also received one report on February 16 of Southern Resident Orca…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Orca at sunset! Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC During the past four weeks, sightings of Transient Orca and of Northern Resident Orca have been reported. On at least two occasions, Transient Orca were observed hunting sea lions. Humpback whales have appeared sporadically in different parts of Georgia Strait. Behaviours displayed by…
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Cover Image: A trio of humpbacks surfacing as one! Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Here in British Columbia, we are very fortunate to live in a beautiful environment with a diversity of life on land and on the sea. It is a gift to us to be able to enjoy this land and the contentment…
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Cover Image: Humpbacks diving! Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours The colder and rainy season is upon us which makes whale watching more challenging. However, there are still whales around in Georgia Strait and other inland waterways which can be seen with some patience and luck. Humpback whales can still be seen…
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Cover Image: A humpback whale surfaces in the golden light! Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Eventhough we are entering Autumn and colder months, the presence of whales around B.C. has not decreased significantly. Many Humpbacks whales were seen in upper Georgia Strait and off the southern tip of Vancouver Island to the east of Sooke.…
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Cover Image: Humpback Whale taking a deep dive Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC During the past two weeks, seventy-five percent of the sightings reported to us were of Humpback whales. The reports indicate there was a high presence of Humpback whales in the northern half of Georgia Strait and in Malaspina Strait. Humpback whales were…
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Cover Image: Humpback diving at sunset Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC The tail of a Humpback whale usually comes out of the water as the whale dives for a longer period of time. Humpbacks can stay underwater anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. The tail and the shape of the dorsal fin are used to…
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Cover Image: Two humpback Whales surfacing in harmony! Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society It can be a surprise to see an Orca travel on his own without the rest of his family. These tend to be males who are looking to meet up with a mate. It is extremely unusual to see a female…
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Cover Image: A Humpback Whale breaching! Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Similar to the first half of July, many Humpback whales were observed in many areas of British Columbia over the past two weeks. Humpback whales were observed in Juan de Fuca Strait and in many areas of Georgia Strait. Many…
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Cover Image: A Humpback Whale shows off with a pec slap! Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours During the first half of July, many Humpback whales were observed in many areas of British Columbia. A number of Humpback whales were slapping their pectoral fins, which may be a way for the whales…
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Cover Image: Humpback Whales breaching and blowing! Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Over the past few weeks, there has been an increase in sightings of Humpback whales. Humpbacks have been observed along ferry routes near Vancouver, near the Sunshine Coast, and in upper Georgia Strait with its adjacent waterways. Many of them were observed breaching…
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Cover Image: Humpback Whale Breaching! Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours It is always exciting to see whales, dolphins, and porpoises. What makes the sightings even more memorable is when Cetaceans breach, meaning they rise out of the water vertically before they fall back to the water. Our cover image shows a…
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Cover Image: Orca Breaching! Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours During the past three weeks, half of the sighting reports we received were of Orca. Orca were observed in English Bay and Burrard Inlet (Vancouver), off Nanaimo and Lantzville, in upper Georgia Strait, and many adjacent waterways. Humpback whales are returning to…
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Cover Image: Orcas with a snowy mountain backdrop! Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Over the past month, many Transient Biggs Orca were observed. They were seen in Burrard Inlet in Vancouver, along the Sunshine Coast at Gibsons and Powell River, and in upper Georgia Strait and adjacent waterways. Many of those Orca pods included adult…
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Cover Image: Transient Biggs Orca blowing together! Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC 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…
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Cover Image: Orca and snowy mountain! Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Over the past few weeks, we received many reports of Orca sightings. More than half of those sightings were Transient Orca, which hunt and eat other marine mammals such as seals, sea lions, and dolphins. Resident Orca were also observed; these Orca eat fish…
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Cover Image: Humpback showing off their fluke! Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Over the past 4 weeks, we have received sighting reports of Humpback whales and Orca around the Powell River area. Some of the Humpback whales were observed breaching and doing other surface activities, like lifting their flukes (tails) out of the water. Humpback…
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Cover Image: A high flying dolphin at the mouth of Nodales Channel Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours During the past few weeks, a few sightings of Pacific White-Sided dolphins were reported. These dolphins can be exciting to watch when they travel quickly or when they leap out of the water up…
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Cover Image: Orca travelling mid channel! Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours There are Orca and Humpback whales still within the Georgia Strait and inland waterways. During the past few weeks, very few Orca were sighted and reported. There are Transient Orca around that can be seen and a chance that you…
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Cover Image: Pacific White-sided Dolphins leaping out of the water! Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Pacific White-Sided dolphins may be seen travelling really fast; they may be swimming at high speeds so they catch their prey or they may be avoiding Transient killer whales, their predator. Often as they swim fast, the dolphins will make…
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Cover Image: Humpback Whale surfacing in Malaspina Strait Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society With so much marine mammals present in inland waterways, there is bound to be interactions between species. For example on September 21st, there were Humpback whales, Northern Resident Orca, and Transient Orca all in the same area and interacting near the…
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Cover Image: Humpback and kayakers! Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Autumn has arrived with cooler temperatures. Changes will occur on land and in the sea as time progresses towards the winter months. However, the presence of Cetaceans has not changed over the first few weeks of September. Cetaceans have been observed and reported in upper…
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Cover Image: Humpback showing off their fins! Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Humpback whales have long pectoral fins or flippers. For an adult Humpback whale which can be up to 17-meters in length, the pectoral fins will be about 5-meters long. The pectoral fins are used in variety of ways, including…
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Cover Image: Pacific white-sided dolphin leaping into the air! Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Pacific White-Sided dolphins are seen in many parts of B.C. whether in waterways and inland channels, or further offshore in open waters. They can swim fast reaching speeds of up to 45-km/h. These dolphins are very acrobatic, capable of doing flips…
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Cover Image: Humpbacks – Wilkinson BCY0267 and Spock BCY1134 – in a synchronized dive Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society What makes each Cetacean species unique? Here are some of the reasons for each of the main species seen here in B.C. Orca are unique for their intelligence and for their social structures – families…
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