Tag: Gibsons

A publication of Wild Ocean Whale Society (WOWs)

Humpbacks Mugging

Cover Image: Humpbacks approached whale watching tours, the boats involved were respectful and raised their motors until the whales moved on. Kurt Staples, Eagle Eye Adventures With so many Humpback whales in upper Georgia Strait and various inland waterways that are being reported by a number of observers, it is difficult to determine the exact…
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Humpback Behaviours

Cover Image: Humpback breaching off of Viner Point Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Many Humpback whales were observed in various inland waterways. Humpback whales were in groups of 2 or 3 in most cases, but some groups were larger with up to 8 members. Many Humpbacks were breaching and doing pectoral…
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Whales in Canada

Cover Image: Humpback surprises whale watching tour. Jos Krynen, Eagle Eye Adventures As we celebrate Canada Day this coming week, it is truly remarkable for us to live here in this country with so much natural beauty around us to enjoy. From the mild climate to the towering mountains to the diversity of plants and…
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Many Groups of Humpback Whales

Cover Image: Humpback heading south near Hidden Harbour Stan Novotny, Eagle Eye Adventures During the past week, many Humpback whales were observed in upper Georgia Strait and in a number of inland waterways. Many Humpbacks were paired up but only a few were reported as mother-calf pairs. Some larger groups included up to 7 Humpback…
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Rare White Orca

Cover Image: T046s with white baby orca T46B1B feeding on a porpoise. Jos Krynen, Eagle Eye Adventures June is Orca Awareness Month. Here in British Columbia, we are lucky to have 3 ecotypes of Orca: Residents, Transients, and Offshore. Of interest lately is a young Transient Orca that is white coloured and a member of…
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Tails of Humpback Whales

Cover Image: Humpback showing of its tail near Manson Passage Kurt Staples, Eagle Eye Adventures Watching whales in the wild is awe-inspiring, especially when whales perform unique behaviours such as breaching and lunge-feeding. When the whale’s tail is raised out of the water, it means the whale is diving and will be under water for…
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Whales Following Food

Cover Image: Pacific white-sided dolphins at McMullen Point. Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours As more whale species work their way into our inside waters between Vancouver Island and the Mainland, every year we notice a few changes. This year many of the Humpback Whales, still working their way into Georgia Strait,…
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Humpback Whales Have Returned!

Cover Image: Humpback breaching off of Viner Point Jos Krynen, Eagle Eye Adventures From the number of reported sightings this past week, more than 60 of them were of Humpback whales. The Humpback whales have definitely returned to BC waters for the summer, and many of them were located in upper Georgia Strait and other…
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Transient Biggs Orca That Surprise Us

Cover Image: A rare sighting of a nearly white Biggs calf (T46B1B) off of Nanaimo Val Watson, Vancouver Island, BC Making news this week is a sighting of a young Transient Orca that is pale-grey coloured. The whale was spotted around Dodd Narrows south of Nanaimo, causing much intrigue and delight to observers and biologists.…
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Large Pod of Transient Biggs Orca

Cover Image: Biggs, including T037As, T049As, T101s & T124As, south of Campbell River Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours A large pod of Transient Orca appeared on May 19 in Georgia Strait and made its way northward to Campbell River over the afternoon and early evening. The pod numbered around 20 animals…
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Baleen Whales

Cover Image: Humpback tail slapping across from Fawn Bluff Jos Krynen, Eagle Eye Adventures Humpback whales are returning to various inland waterways and they are displaying common behaviours such as breaching and tail-slapping. Humpback whales are Baleen whales, meaning they have no teeth. Instead, they have long protein bristles hanging down from the top jaw…
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Many Transient Orca and an Appearance by Southern Resident Orca

Cover Image: Bigg’s hunting a seal lion off of Mitlenatch Island Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Transient Orca have been sighted in various waterways from Malaspina Strait and Georgia Strait up through to Calm Channel and Discovery Passage. On at least two occasions, Transient Orca were observed actively hunting their prey.…
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Travelling Distances of Whales

Cover Image: Transient Bigg’s Killer Whale spyhopping near Junction Point Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Over the past two weeks, many Orca have appeared in various inland waterways from the mouth of Knight Inlet in the north to Howe Sound in the south. Many of these Orca were identified as Transient…
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Orca in Many Waterways

Cover Image: Bigg’s surfacing together heading around Harwood Island Spit Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Orca have appeared in many waterways such as Nodales Channel, Discovery Passage, Malaspina Strait, Howe Sound, and surprisingly in Sechelt Inlet. Many of these Orca are the Transient Orca (mammal-eating Orca) and some observers were able to see them hunting…
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Spring and Cetaceans have arrived!

Cover Image: Transient Orca by Separation Head on Quadra Island Jerry Weldon, Campbell River, BC Spring has arrived and so have the Cetaceans! Cetaceans have been observed with a higher frequency during the past couple of weeks, and will continue to increase as the season progresses. Sunny and calm weather certainly makes it easier to…
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Orca Galore!

Cover Image: One of the oldest Bigg’s male, T087, heading north near Black Creek Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Over the past two weeks, Orca have appeared as far south as the Sunshine Coast near Gibsons and as far north as Phillips Arm. Some of them were identified as Transient Orca…
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Dolphins and Bigger Dolphins

Cover Image: Pacific White Sided Dolphins jumping about on a foggy day Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours Starting on Valentine’s Day, a number of Pacific White-Sided dolphins appeared off of Powell River, and many of them were spotted on and off for over a week between Powell River and Texada Island.…
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Lots of Orca Around

Cover Image: Northern Resident Orca heading north past a snowy Grief Point Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Northern Resident Killer Whales, the A23s and possibly even some others have made an appearance this winter. This is not a common yearly practice for them. Last year around this time we only confirmed the A42 family up…
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Whale Tails

Cover Image: Orcas tail slapping in unison Jos Krynen, Eagle Eye Adventures An exciting part of whale watching is seeing the tails (called flukes) of whales coming out of the water as the animals dive. Some whales like to perform tail slaps, that is an animal will raise its tail out of the water and…
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Weather and Whales

Cover Image: Two Killer Whales breaking the surface for a breath Jos Krynen, Eagle Eye Adventures Weather seems to play a part in the number of reports that come in to our system, and we have had weather. Between storms, downpours, and fog, we still managed a few beautiful days to see whales and dolphins.…
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Whales Wave and Celebrate With Us

Cover Image: Humpback fluking off of Powell River Westview Harbour Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC Happy New Year! Whales and dolphins have been sighted around Nanaimo, Powell River, Lund, and waterways around Johnstone Strait. Many of these sightings took place from land; with patience and diligence in scanning waterways from land, one can often see…
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Holiday Greetings with Storms and Whales

Ever wonder what whales do during stormy weather? So do we, but what we have seen, is how some appear to enjoy playing in rough seas. We’ve seen Humpbacks crash head on into waves over and over, which may be a good method, as is breaching, to rid themselves from any parasites. Orca, being a…
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