The interesting aspect of this photo is that it was caught in a photo. A breaching humpback whale is reasonably common but catching it on film is not. Humpback activities such as tail lobbing (slapping), pectoral fin slapping, and lunge feeding are easier to photograph as they are repeated and therefore predictable. A breach is without warning and seldom repeated.
As I have mentioned at other times in the blog I am always trying to get photos, which show the guest interacting with the wildlife. This time was close as I managed the guest in the corner of the boat and the top of a killer whales dorsal fin and the splash of another passing near the stern of the boat. The idea is that sometime we are close and I am just not always successful but then my photos are really not the important ones.
No it is not a “grainy” or “poor” photo it is an orca close to the boat on a misty morning. Some August mornings are like that, a little fog that burns off before noon. We call it “whales by braille” and although it makes it a little more challenging to locate the killer whales you get some interesting close up photos. Plus the whales tend to stay in the area for better “sunny” shots later in the day.
We were off Cracroft Point this summer on a whale watching safari and spotted a humpback whale rolling on it’s back with pectoral fins in the air and as we moved closer saw a number of pacific white sided dolphins having some fun with the whale. Hard to move the boat closer with a camera in my hand so I put it down but missed a picture showing a few dall’s porpoise mixed in with the dolphins. This dall’s and dolphin mixture is even rarer than them playing with humpbacks which happens several times a summer.
Again a nice view of whales or killer whales which are dolphins. Note the photo is clear of other boats which does make it more natural and attractive. Like us on a day on the water the orca are in no hurry just moving slowly down Blackfish Sound. Blackfish being another name use by the locals for killer whales. Killer whale is a “tourist” name as it is much more exciting than orca or blackfish.
In the distance one can see the bow wake of a boat coming our way. I mention this because it shows that on many whale watching days we are in a very large area with little competition. There are not many boats in your photos. Few boats but a variety of whales as tomorrows post will show…
Beautiful scenery marred by a humpback whale in the distance. A perfect day for whale watching calm enough to get good photos but not so much sun that is is impossible to get the photos. I comment about the whale in the distance because if you have read much of our posting you will know that the norm is much closer and this posting was about the scenery.
This post ties in with the posts on June 21st and 22nd. Only in this case it is hard to determine that there is a humpback whale beneath the spray of herring.
On most days whale watching we have opportunities to obtain both the active and the sedate photos. It is all a matter of being able to position the boat to get the best photo. The only problem is that the whales do not always agree with the guide as to what is the best position so it may take several tries.
A very action filled photo with a humpback whale lunge feeding on a ball of herring. One can see the herring being sprayed out of it’s mouth and seagulls coming into pick up the wounded herring. But it is really hard to picture this as a whale feeding whereas tomorrows post is more sedate….
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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