Yes it is normal to have killer whales / orca travel in pods that are a complex matriarchal society. Sons and daughters stay with their mother throughout their lives, even after they have offspring of their own. However this does not mean that the larger and older males are always in close proximity they often travel separate but parallel to the family group. For photos it is good to find a large male as they are slower to come out of the water and when the tip of their large dorsal fin shows you have time for a photo. This photo leads to tomorrow’s post….
Thank You Guests and Staff for Making 2026 a Wonderful Season

That’s a wrap on the 2026 season at Sailcone’s Grizzly Bear Lodge. It has been an amazing year. We welcomed guests from all over the world and witnessed one of the best salmon runs in decades.
I would like to thank our crew who looked after our guests from May until October. We are very fortunate that they are all planning on returning next season.
On the wildlife side it was truly an epic year. We saw a number of bears with new cubs and had an amazing salmon run. With these conditions the survival rate for these cubs is high. On the water the Humpbacks were abundant, with a large numbers hanging out in Knight Inlet in the early season and lots in our whale watching area throughout the year. The resident Orca were abundant and we also had a lot of Biggs Orca sightings.
For 2027 we are continuing to refresh the rooms, with new ceilings and paint. We will also have our floating sauna operational for the start of the season. More information on that to come.
Thank you again to everyone who visited us in 2026, to our staff and our travel partners. We are booking quickly for 2027 so if you want to visit us next season inquire soon.
Looking forward to seeing you next year
Angus Reid (Owner/Operator)
Visit our Blog