Tag Archives: Dolphins

Not bad!!

white sided dolphins playing

The “not bad” title is patting myself on the back for one hand controlling the throttle and steering wheel and the other is taking a picture of some pacific white sides playing beside the boat. I am not saying that one click got the photo because I tell the guest if you get one or two good pictures from fifteen minutes with the dolphins you have done well. However there will be many of sky, water and splashes.

Dolphins at a Distance

dolphins in Knight Inlet BC

When first noticing the white water created by a pod of pacific white-sided dolphins guest have a hard time wondering why we are changing directions suddenly. As we approach closer as in the above photo the cameras suddenly become very active. As with killer whales the “Whale Watching Guidelines” request that we do not approach closer than 100 meters (yards) but the dolphins seem to have their own ideas as will be shown in tomorrows post….

Driving Photo’s 2 of 2

pacific white sided dolphinsHowever in this case you can see the wash from the boat so we were moving when the pacific white sided dolphins came to play. There were a number of pods is our area this summer. Confusing is the definition of a pod: “A group of dolphins is called a pod. A pod usually is formed of around 12 dolphins and it is the usual social group of dolphins. However, when a group of pods join in places with abundance of food, they can reach up to one thousand individuals forming a large group which is called a super pod.” The confusion it that our pods normally contain between fifty to one hundred dolphins which may be a result of the “abundance” of food in our viewing area.

Driving Photo’s 1 of 2

dall's porpoiseIt is a good thing that there has not been a law passed about taking one handed photos while driving a boat – or I would miss some of my better opportunities. This is a dall’s porpoise that came to visit while we were waiting for a humpback whale to surface so I really was not driving….

Pacific White Sided Dolphins Following Boat

No matter where we are going at Sailcone’s Grizzly Bear Lodge, the guides are always keeping their eyes open for wildlife.  This could be a Black Bear on the way to view Grizzlies, an eagle family or in this case a group of Pacific White Sided Dolphins.  These dolphins are common in our area and it is not unusual to spot them in large groups.  They are incredibly intelligent and often come to us for a closer look.

Humpback Trying to Shake Off Dolphins

This is a picture of the Humpback Whale known as Guardian breeching in Queen Charlotte Strait.  What you can’t tell from the picture is that there is a group of Pacific White Sided Dolphins harassing her.  Both dolphins and Sea Lions have been know to pester Humpbacks and Resident (fish eating) Orca.  Why they do this is still up for debate.  She did several breeches and tail slaps in an effort to shake the annoying dolphins.

Dolphins Do Like to Play

over active dolphinsPacific white-sided dolphins are found continuously throughout the north Pacific. In British Columbia, it is estimated that approximately 25,000 Pacific white-sided dolphins reside along our coast. These dolphins are opportunistic predators feeding on over 60 species of fish and 20 species of cephalopods. In BC, they feed on at least 13 different prey species, including salmon, herring, Pollock, shrimp, sablefish, smelt, and squid.  They forage cooperatively, though large groups may separate into smaller sub-groups for foraging purposes.  These feeding groups have been observed corralling and herding fish in a coordinated fashion. They are covered by the “Whales Watching Guidelines” in that we are required to keep back 100 meters (yards) while viewing, however they do not appear to read these guidelines and always want to play with the boat.

Acrobatic dolphins 10 of 20

 Dolphins playing dolphin-propwashInteresting in the change of water colours from yesterdays photo but the time stamp on the photo says the first photo in today’s post was taken 6 minutes after the leaping dolphin in yesterdays post. And the second photo was taken in the morning two days later on a whale watching tour. Some guests are lucky and get two great dolphin shows. I have been guiding at the lodge for fifteen years and the dolphins still make the day special and from guest comments it seems that they agree.

Pacific White-sided Dolphins

whitesides "Dolphins" with tour boat

As a guide my favourite activity is to be with a pod of pacific white-sided dolphins while on tours. These dolphins are often in association with another species. In British Columbia’s inshore waters they are seen with resident killer whales, Steller sea lions, Dall’s porpoise and humpback whales. Dolphins love to play as you will notice in the above photo the churned water and what looks like rain is just dolphins at play. After spending time with dolphins it is not uncommon to have guest say “that made the day”.

 

 

 

Dolphins come to Play

dolphins plating

I have tried over the years to parallel a pod of dolphins but they have their own idea of fun. Their plan is to either ride our bow wave of stick their nose right into the prop wash of the motor. The blackness in the water to the right of the dorsal fin is a third dolphin coming in for a check on our prop. I have developed my own idea (no scientific proof) why dolphins like the prop wash and it is the same reason why people like the water jets in a hot tub – they feel good.