May was an eventful month on the Salish Sea! The return of the humpback whales felt very apparent, as we went from sparse sightings of them at the start of the month, to full ‘humpback soup’ by the end of it. We had multiple days where 5+ humpback whales were spotted during the trip.
These humpback whales are hungry after returning from their migration. On one trip, we spotted two humpbacks lunge feeding near Lighthouse Park. It is likely that these two whales were (BCY0523) Graze and (BCY1463) Malachite, as they’ve been feeding frequently in this location over the last few weeks. Some lucky observers have even spotted them from shore.
On May 22nd, we watched a group of six humpbacks north of Gabriola Island. A few of these individuals included (BCY1178) Nova, (BCY1278) Hendrix, (BCY1110) Pingu, and Anvil’s 2022 calf. It was magical watching them feed and surface in unison.
We encountered multiple different families of Bigg’s killer whales throughout the month. The T123s, T49As, and T101s were all spotted on different days. In early May, we had a boat full of Scouts join us for the tour, and they were delighted to watch the T101s travel through the Gulf Islands.
Nature always finds a way to surprise us! In early May, we discovered an eagle feasting on a neonate Steller sea lion pup near a popular sea lion haul-out location. It was a raw, unfiltered nature moment that allowed the passengers to appreciate the circle of life. Soon, the California sea lions will migrate south, and the adult Steller sea lions will return to their breeding grounds further north, so we took some extra time to appreciate these large pinnipeds the last few weeks.
Looking forward to June, it’s one of the best months to come whale watching in Vancouver. The temperatures are still mild and there are plenty of both humpback whales and Bigg’s killer whales around. It becomes less common to see Bigg’s killer whales after mid-July until the end of August, so if they’re on your summer bucket list, we hope to see you in June!
