BCX1068 “Split Fluke”
Split Fluke is a female humpback whale born to BCY0160 “Heather” in 2006. This year will be her twentieth birthday! She is easy to identify because she has a very distinctive knick on the left side of her fluke. Split Fluke migrates to Mexico in the winter, and she has four known calves named Valiant, Halfpipe, Cerulean, and a new baby from 2025 that hasn’t been named.
Tragically, her calf Halfpipe was struck and killed by a ship in 2021 at the age of one, which highlights the threat that vessel strikes pose for these beautiful animals. It is important for large vessels to travel slowly, which helps to mitigate the risk of vessel strikes.
BCX1057 “Divot”
Divot is a female humpback whale who is estimated to be born around 2003. Her mother is BCY0324 “Big Mama,” who is famous for being one of the first humpback whales to return to the Salish Sea in the 1990s. Divot has five known calves, and even three known grandchildren! Divot has a small chunk, or ‘divot,’ on the right side of her fluke which helps our tour guides to identify her.
Divot is known to migrate to Hawaii. When she returns to the Salish Sea in the springtime, we often find her near Bowen Island, throughout the Strait of Georgia, and near the Gulf Islands.
BCZ0298 “Split Fin”
Split Fin is a male humpback whale born in 2006 who is known to migrate to Hawaii. His mother is also Big Mama—that means him and Divot are brother and sister! We even find Split Fin and Divot socializing on occasion.
Do Split Fin and Divot know that they are siblings? Humpback whales only spend the first year of their life with their mother, so by the time Split Fin was born, Divot was already fully independent. It’s impossible to know for sure if they are aware of their familial relations, but we like to imagine that they do!
We hope you get to meet Split Fluke, Divot, and Split Fin when you join us for a tour!
