Tag Archives: Whale Watching

Whale Watching Safari

whale tail
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This summer we were fortunate to have several humpback mothers and calves remain in Grizzly Bear Lodge’s whale viewing area.  The calves, at times, became very active often repeating fluke (tail) slaps ten to fifteen times in a row. These would frequently occur as a backward slap, meaning the top of the fluke would be hitting the water. The calves would also roll and twist and try to through their tails sideways out of the water. This photo taken by Angus shows how close the whales do come to boats (in this case my boat) while they are playing.

Breaching Humpback Whale

humpback breaaching
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The summer of 2013 has been a very active year for humpback whales. Many breaching whales and it seemed that the rougher the water the more the whales breached. An average whale safari day guests would view ten to twelve different humpbacks. Many opportunities for photos of lunge feeding whales and frequent breaches however not always captured on film as they do not give notice prior to these activities.

Humpback whale feeding – 2

whale feeding
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Seagull realeased 2The seagull that was shown in yesterday’s blog posting, as being caught by a lunging humpback whale was releases a few seconds later when the humpback resurfaced. Actually Angus (owner and guide) took the photo and he said he saw two seagulls being released by the same whale so it was a good day for the seagulls.

Classic orca pose

orca posing
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This is a classic picture of a male orca (large dorsal fin) and a female orca a.k.a. killer whales or blackfish.  Growing up in Campbell River on Vancouver Island I knew orca as blackfish the name killer whales or orca became more common after the start of the Eco tours.  The area adjacent to Johnstone where we frequently view the orca is known as Blackfish Sound a name predating the operation of Eco tours.

 

Humpback Whale Fluking

humpback tail
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This year has been an excellent year for humpback whales.  Most “whales days” view eight to ten whales. This is an excellent picture of a humpback whale fluking or its tail fin.  When a whale goes for a deeper dive it tends to push it’s nose down faster which lifts it back higher out of the water and this is normally followed by an opportunity for a good “fluke” picture.

 

Orca coming to visit

Orca coming

A small pod of resident orca passes behind the boat in a resting line. Like other cetaceans, orca are conscious breathers and must stay awake to breathe. Though they rest, they never fall fully asleep like humans. They synchronize their dives making four or five faster shallow dive then one much longer rest dive. During the longer dive they may travel a hundred plus meters (yards) before surfacing. Resting lines definitely create problem in foggy weather, as it becomes very easy to lose track of the pod.

Humpback feeding

lunge feeding
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An excellent photo taken by James Wendy of Australia showing the inside of a humpback whale’s mouth.  It is interesting to note that this whale came out of the water and held this position for close to thirty seconds while James manages to get several great pictures.  “Baleen is a strong, yet flexible material made out of keratin, a protein that is the same material that makes up our hair and fingernails. It is used by whales to filter their prey from the sea water.   Some baleen whales, like the humpback whale, feed by gulping large amounts of prey (in our area herring) and water and then using their tongue to force the water out in between the baleen plates.”About.com Marine Life

Spyhoping orca / killer whale

spy hopping orca
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It is said that an orca’s eyesight is equally good in or out of the water. In fact it is thought they use eyesight when ‘spyhopping’ to spot boats that may present a danger. Orca do not seem to fear boats but once a motor is turned off and no sound is coming from the boat it becomes harder for them to locate. “Orcas possess sophisticated underwater sonar that enables them to perceive their surroundings ten times more effectively than our most advanced equipment.” (http://www.orcafree.org) However a boat’s shallow draft may make it harder to locate and thus the need for an occasional spyhop.  Great photo from James Wendy of Australia.

Humpback whale diving

Humpback coming HB under Boat

I am sure that this is not an over active imagination.  The first photo shows a humpback whale starting a dive not far from our boat.  The closeness to the kelp bed and the number of years fishing in the area I know that the water is no over 60 feet (20 meters) deep so the whale cannot dive that deep. In the second photo just to the left of the bow light one can see several small patches of white on the humpbacks pectoral fin as it passes beneath the bow. If you strain hard enough one can see an outline of the whale; we saw it in real time I just hope the camera has captured the image.

 

 

 

Orca breaching

orca

Books on whales and dolphins are full of pictures of breaching mammals. It is hard to imagine the number of hours it took and pictures, which were taken prior to digital camera to get one good photo. Spending three to four months each summer working for Grizzly Bear Lodge with many of those whale watching I know that a breach is not that common.  The breaches that occur do not come with a five minute warning in fact most good photos are a result of “right place right time” with allot of luck added.