Tag Archives: Whale Watching

Yes that humpback whale is slapping the water with the upper-side of its tail. That means that it is on its back and slapping downward. With the increase number of humpback whales that spend the summer in our viewing area, often viewing ten or twelve whales each trip; we view more interesting behaviour. In the past summer tail lobbing, lunge feeding and breaching are common place. For the first time there has been a whale bubble feeding and this is a rare behaviour. Rare because it is one whale bubble feeding rather than a group. The whale swims in a circle blowing bubbles to keep the herring inside the ring and then turns and lunges up through it’s own bubbles.

Comparing yesterday’s post and today’s there is not much room for a comment. The only comment is that we often view a dozen of more different humpback whales each day and frequently they are lunge feeding close to our boat, which provides opportunities for “bucket list” photographs.

My camera is a smaller Pentax Optio waterproof camera that is great for getting the perspective and a close up if the object is close. Also good or grandkids and general scenery. Tomorrow’s post the guest’s photo.

That is the underside of a humpback whale’s lower jaw as it lunges out of the water with a mouth full (minus one) herring. Getting into position for the picture is easier than getting the picture. As a guide I keep a look out for diving seagulls, which gives me the location of a herring ball. Next you try to get close to the herring ball before a humpback whale beats you to the herring ball. After that it is a matter of waiting for the gulls to lift off the water just before the whale lunges.  My job is complete all the guests needs to do is have perfect timing and an excellent eye mixed with luck.  My photography relies mostly on the luck.

“Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) migrate between high latitude summer feeding grounds and low latitude winter breeding grounds. In the North Pacific, winter breeding grounds are known in waters off Japan, Hawaii and Mexico; summer feeding grounds are found in coastal waters of Alaska, British Columbia and the western mainland United States. Researchers use photographs of the ventral surface of the tail flukes to identify and track movements of individual whales and to estimate abundance. Patterns of pigmentation, scarring and shape of the flukes are unique to each individual.” From Fisheries and Oceans Canada website.

Over the past five years more and more humpback whales are spending the summer in the area near Grizzly Bear Lodge in Knight Inlet so that it is common to see more than a dozen whales on a days whale watching safari.

This was an interesting morning off the end of Craycroft Point that juts out into Johnstone Strait. We were watching some orca feeding in the ripe tide as well as a humpback whale. These were resident or salmon eating orca so no threat to the humpback but it was repeatedly breach as if to scare the orca from the area but it was not working. The highest count I got was nine breaches in a row. This breach was mid-way in a sequence were the whale was coming out of the water and down with a loud slap.  The guest got many excellent photos, which put mine to shame, but then I always use the excuse “I was running the boat.”