An exciting day with Biggs (Transient ) Orcas, Humpback Whales, Dolphins, Porpoises and Sea Lions!

 

Today's Sightings: Humpback Whales, Biggs (Transient) Orcas, Dall's Porpoises, Pacific White-sided Dolphins, Harbour Seals, Steller Sea Lions, Rhinoceros and Cassin's Auklets, Red-Necked Phalaropes, Common Murres, Bald Eagles, Belted Kingfishers, Fork-tailed Storm Petrels, Great Blue Herons and Gulls.

It was an exciting morning for everyone when AJ our skipper looked up at the exact precise  moment and saw dorsal fins in the distance! After a lengthy dive underwater, they finally surfaced, four orcas who were believed to be Biggs (Transient) Orcas and who were later confirmed as Biggs (Transient) Orcas, the T101's (T101, T102, T101A, T101B). During our time viewing the orcas, we observed them travelling from Stubbs Island and down and back through Cormorant Channel. They went after a Steller Sea Lion swimming alone but were not successful, the Sea Lion was seen swimming in the opposite direction when the orcas turned back.

As well as orcas, there was a large group of some 200+ dolphins who were observed initially off Mitchell Bay, they were steadily on the move, while Dall's Porpoise's joined us alongside, bow-riding briefly! It could not have been busier or better to have two Humpback Whales in our vicinity while all else was happening all around us, one of them was Argonaut!

The sea was flat calm today and made it possible for AJ to be lucky to spot the dorsal fins when he did. It was a fabulous Sunday outing and exhilarating to see such a diverse abundance of Cetaceans and seabirds with increased numbers of Common Murres, so close to our home port!

A large group of Dolphins were also observed travelling quickly west in front of Alert Bay when they suddenly turned back to the east, they were travelling fast and were swimming close along the shoreline of Cormorant Island.

Photo credits: Andrew Jennings. Photo's have been taken with a telephoto lens and have been cropped.