Over the past seven years our whale watching area has become a feeding area for humpback whales. In the past we were lucky it see one whale on a viewing day while now if we do not see to eight or ten different whales we think it is a slow day. The feeding aspect means there is also lunge feeding, much diving with good tail shows as well as breaching that is very hard to catch on camera.
Humpback whales migrate to tropical or subtropical water in the winter to breed and give birth in February and March. By the time the whales return to our viewing areas the calf’s are close to four months old and still on their mother’s milk. This calf is a larger and therefore in it’s second year. These calves are normally very active frequently seen breaching and lobbtailing.
Two incredible photographs the first being a humpback whale lunging through a ball of herring directly toward the boat. A perfect photo showing the herring in the spray, the baleen along the lower jaw and the growth on the pectoral fins. The second shows a female orca coming out of the water on its back with a calf on its belly. A unique photo that I have never seen duplicated or heard of from another guide in the area. Comparing the two photos one would say the humpback is much clearer, more close-up and would win as a photo until you were told that the orca photo was taken twenty of more years ago on 35mm film. So no second chance or multiple digital shots just a once in a lifetime photo.
This humpback is close when you consider that in the corner of the photo is a guest’s tablet. This post has the excitement of a whale close to the boat but yesterday’s post is hard to beat. As a guide the plan is to make sure you get both.
A scenic picture of three humpbacks provided by Australia’s Gary Wilson is hard to beat unless you want a close up. Yes there are three. Look closely to the right of the second humpback you can just make out the hump of the calf as it surfaces beside it’s mother thus the “thicker” breath. Close up in tomorrow’s post….
And later in the day after a stop at Telegraph Cove on Vancouver Island to use a “civilized” bathroom we were visited by some humpback whales. I try and eat our picnic lunch is an area where the humpbacks are feeding and wait to see what “pops up”.
This view of a humpback whales lunge feeding is from the top of it’s head. One can see the baleen hanging down over the lower jaw. As the mouth closes the water is forced out through the baleen and the herring are trapper inside to provide another meal. These whales have become common in out viewing area so we often see eight to ten different whales on a viewing day.
In this case the boat’s antenna helps to obscure the humpback whale fluking, however the intent of the photo is again to show that on occasion we do get close to that we are viewing. As the guide and picture taker it is often a “shot from the hip” rather than a planned and timed photo. Guest safety is number one priority over a good photo.
I counted nine breaches during that half hour. Some of the photos were only splashes but some were excellent breaches. As a guide I say “Luck is better than skill” and this was one of those lucky days. But I had a guest say: “The skill puts you in the right place so the luck can happen.”
I remember this whale watching tour in August of this year because we followed this humpback whale for at least half an hour as it traveled down Blackfish Sound. It would spend time on the surface slapping its pectoral fin, rolling on its back and then lobtailing as shown in the above photo. After all that it would take a deep dive and we would be treated with tomorrow’s post photo….
Just like that another season has come to an end. We are grateful for all the wonderful staff and the guests this season. It was an excellent season and we are already looking forward to next May.
One of the highlights of the season was all of the new cubs out. It was awesome to see so many new cubs of the year and that is great news for our bear populations moving forward. We had great spring viewing and this continued through summer. On our river trips we started to see salmon arriving in August and enjoyed some great shoulder season viewing. The fish at the viewing platforms were a little late showing up this year, but viewing during late September at the platforms was great and the estuary viewing remained strong throughout the season.
Out in the whale watching world it was another year that saw large numbers of resident Orca who remained in the area right into October. The Humpback viewing was also great with large numbers feeding in Blackfish Sound. It is so amazing to have these magnificent animals back in our waters in such numbers.
Over the winter and spring we will be doing some repairs and maintenance. We rebuilt the front deck last spring, utilising cedar cut on site. We will continue with some siding, rooms improvements and hopefully a floating sauna ready for the start of our season.
2026 is already looking like a very busy season for us. We only have limited high season availability so please book early to ensure we have space for your group.
Looking forward to seeing you next year
Angus Reid
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