Not a particularly good photo of a humpback whale diving but I liked the sparkle on the water. Being that I am writing the blog and get to pick the photos, this it what you get. I know that if you scroll through the past posting you will find some great tail shots. This just shows that every day on the water is different and I never know what will make a memorable picture for guests.
Tag Archives: Whale Watching
After Telegraph Cove
After stopping in Telegraph Cove (see yesterday’s post) we head back onto the water for the second half of the day which means stellar sea lions in the spring and fall as the migrate between California and Alaska. This September day is unusual because all seems quiet on the sea lions haul out. Normally when there are this many stellar sea lions on one rock it becomes a mass of moving bodies with all of them wanting their complaints heard.
Telegraph Cove Break
Telegraph Cove is on Vancouver Island, two and one half hours north of Campbell River by car, is an important stop on a day’s whale watching. Important because it has a great public bathroom and a coffee shop that serves hot beverages. We have a good picnic lunch and lots of bottled water and soft drinks but on most days the bathroom is the first choice for our guests.
Surprise Killer Whale Viewing 2 of 2
…we were sitting in Blackney Pass and had lost contact with the orca. They had been diving and changing direction for close to half an hour when they surfaced very close to our boat. As a guide luck often trumps skill.
Planned Killer Whale Viewing 1 of 2
On this day we waited about fifteen minutes for the orca to pass this close for some good photos. While on another day….
Lost Deer 19 of 20
It was a small island about two hectares in size. We could not see any grass but there was lots of moss and lichens. The deer came down a steep rock face to eat the seaweed on the shore. Over the summer I saw several different deer on this little island and was never able to determine the attraction as they had to swim from a larger island that was over a mile long that had lots opportunity for grazing.
Humpback Lobtailing 16 of 20
Lobtailing is when a whale lifts its fluke (tail fin) out of the water and brings it down forcefully to slap the surface of the water with a big splash and loud report. Lobtailing is most likely a form of non-verbal communication, like breaching or pectoral fin slapping, and can be used to call attention to an individual, to impress a potential mate or intimidate a foe. This whale behaviour is becoming more common as more humpbacks spend their summers in our area feeding on the abundance of herring. But it is still hard to get a good photo.
Humpback Whales Diving Sequence 2 of 2 (15 of 20)
Humpback whales can be identified using photos of the underside of the flukes. Each whale has unique features, including the overall shape of the flukes, the shape of the trailing edge, any scars, and natural pigmentation. This whales is “Guardian” and it spends much of the summer in our viewing area of the Johnstone Straits adjacent to Vancouver Island..
Dall’s Porpoise – Phocoenoides dalli
Dall’s porpoises are speed demons reaching speeds up to 55 km/hr. They suddenly appear out of nowhere and disappear the same way. Although they ride in both bow and stern wakes of boats, they seldom stay for very long. Next to impossible to get a photo if you are moving but frequently if the boat stops suddenly while they are playing they will come to investigate and it is possible to get “under water” photos. The white in the corner of the photo is the edge of our boat.
Humpback Whales and bait balls
This is the reason to park the boat in the area of a bait ball but not on top of the ball. A humpback whales is very aware of its surroundings but I do not wish to test their awareness with the bottom of my boat because I think we might lose. Although it appears that this lunging humpback missed many of the herring it must have got enough to satisfy itself because there was not a second lunge.
