A
major increase in Cetacean sightings from a slow start to April. Most
of the sightings reported are Transient Bigg's Orca, but it appears
they have finally moved back into our areas. It does help that more
people are on the water. The Orca have been around, but they have
passed a few times in stealth mode or after dark. We also have a
couple of Porpoise sightings to report.
Apologies
for running late with updates, it's not for lack of trying. Please
remember to call your sightings in. Every
report is valuable!
Call
1-877-323-9776
or Email
your
report.
Every
sighting report is valuable!
Have
you seen a whale, dolphin or porpoise?
TRANSIENT
BIGG'S KILLER WHALES
Transients
T02C's by Harwood Island
April
10, 2014
Garry
Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours
April
13:
3:24
pm Orca Northbound in Lambert Channel by Hornby Island towards Comox.
From
Radio
April
13:
6:04
pm I'm seeing signs of splashes and blows just above Comox...looks
like they're still Northbound but slowed in the bay above the Little
River ferry terminal.
Susan
MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC
April
13:
No
time given: Some Orca right at the head of Toba Inlet today near the
camp barge. No time or numbers given, but I presume they're hunting
Dolphins.
Garry
Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours.
April
12:
10
am Report of 8 to 10 Orca Southbound at Viner Point, Read Island,
from friend.
Garry
Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours.
April
12:
10
am (rec'd late afternoon) 6 Orca by Rendezvous Islands.
Elvis,
Eagle Eye Adventues
April
12:
2:30
pm Between 15 to 18 Transient Orca in couple of groups by Shelter
Point. One group has 9 and the other has at least 6. Looks like the
males are all in together and the females are closer to the Vancouver
Island shore. Seeing spy hops, breaching and some wake riding behind
another boat. They are Southbound but seemed to stall.
2:50
pm There's another big gang of at least another 12 off Francisco
Point angling to meet up with these ones.
Carl,
Scholar Hollar (Carl runs fishing charters from Campbell River)
Transients
T02C's by Harwood Island
April
10, 2014
Garry
Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours
April
12:
3:30
pm Leaving around 24 Transient Bigg's Orca angling from Salmon Point
towards the NW tip of Texada. They were spread out before but seem to
have grouped up. There are a number of calves / juveniles and a
couple of really big dorsals.
Elvis,
Eagle Eye Adventures
April
12:
5:41
pm Signs of Orca close to the Comox ferry terminal. I can see blows
and the odd splash.
Susan
MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC
April
11:
10:38
am Possible Orca (or Pacific White Sided Dolphins) by Cinque Islands,
Discovery Passage.
From
very broken radio chatter.
April
11:
11:40
am 2 Orca, both big dorsals Northbound towards Myrtle Rocks.
Nina
Falls, Powell River
April
11:
5:28
pm Orca Northbound off VanAnda, Texada Isl. Can't get a handle on the
numbers since they're closer to Texada. Seeing blows and dorsals and
some splashes.
Bill
Taylor, Powell River
April
11:
6:30
pm Between 6 to 8 Orca heading towards the Blubber Bay light closer
to Texada. They were porpoising then staying down for a bit.
Susan
MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC
April
11:
7:05
pm 8 to 9 Orca, maybe more, heading along mainland side past Powell
River towards Lund. We first saw some Orca blows and splashes from
the restaurant we were at around 6:40 pm. Watching from home, their
blows are backlit by the waning sun and really show up nicely. They
were spread out into a couple of smaller groups with 5 in one group
and 2 or 3 trailing the rest.
7:30
pm The numbers seemed to increase once they got closer to the Harwood
spit. Definitely 9 all surfaced at one time in a line with another
group behind. Certainly more now than when they passed in front of
Powell River proper. Continuing North towards Lund.
Steve
and Susan Grover, Powell River
April
10:
11:35
am 4 to 5 Orca Northbound by Grief Point, Powell River.
John
Treen, Powell River
April
10:
12:30
pm Spotted the Orca by some boats fishing towards Rebecca Rocks.
12:56
pm Orca slowly angling towards Vivian Island from Blubber Bay, Texada
Island. They were doing long, 10 to 15 min. dives I kept losing them
till they stopped to take a sea lion off Blubber Bay. Nothing worse
than having a dead camera battery! Cell phone photos, using the zoom,
are not very clear unless there's plenty of light. Even without the
camera it was easy to tell it was the T02C's. I left the whales with
Garry and his tour around 3 pm.
Susan
MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC
Transients
T02C's by Rebecca Rocks
April
10, 2014
Susan
MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC
April
10:
4:30
pm Left the T02's Orca 2 miles NW off Vivian Island heading South at
6 knots. They had continued doing long dives and just cruising till
just before leaving them when they came to life a bit.
Garry
Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours.
April
9:
7:09
pm Just to let you know that I counted 4 Orca passing
Westview, Powell River tonight in two groups, a male and large female
in the first group and a smaller female and possibly a juvenile or
young adult in the second group. We watched them for about 30 minutes
until they went behind trees at about 7:30 pm. It was great to see
Orca again in our neighborhood.
Steve
Grover, Powell River
April
9:
7:30
pm Between 5 to 6 Orca Southbound in front of Westview, Powell River.
(Once I got eyes on them they were definitely Transient Bigg's Orca.
SM)
Sherri
Wretham, Powell River
April
9:
8:15
pm. Just spotted two Orca, one large and one much smaller, slowly
heading south down the Malaspina Straight near Myrtle Rocks.
Holly
Roy, Powell River
April
7:
9:00
am: 5 Orca off the Ragged (Copeland) Islands, off Lund heading North
close to the mainland.
9:30
am: I was sure I saw 5 Orca, but when I got out there I only found 3.
There was one male, and one calf with its Mum. They were headed
towards Sarah Point (Northbound).
Gordie
Coles, Savary Island / Lund
April
7:
1:45
pm Orca (no numbers given) off Chatham Point heading North-West.
Cam
M.
April
3:
4:53
pm: Left the T002C's southbound by Deepwater Bay (Quadra Island) at
4:45 pm. Found them at Kanish Bay (also on Quadra) around 3:45pm.
They were moving really slow at first, hugging the beach.
Garry
Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours.
April
2:
12:52
pm: Report of Orca near Yuculta Rapids around 8:00 am this morning.
No number or direction – from Water Taxi friend.
Garry
Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours.
Transients
T02C's by Harwood Island
April
10, 2014
Garry
Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours
PORPOISE
April
11: (and almost every day!)
Morning
and evening trips: Dall's and/or Harbour Porpoise seem to reside in
the area between Savary Island and Hernando Island. I usually come
across 3 - 4 of them together feeding closer to Hernando almost every
crossing I make. Most often they're about .5 to 1 mile off my path,
but once in a while they're a bit closer.
Eric
Ferreira, Savary Island
April
10:
2:45
pm 2 Harbour Porpoise by Harwood Island angling towards Atrevida Reef
and away from the T02c's who were closer to the Georgia Strait side
of Vivian Island.
Susan
MacKay, Whales and Dolphins BC
Have
you seen a whale, dolphin or porpoise?
Call
1-877-323-9776
or Email
your report.
Every
sighting report is valuable!
We
are the non-profit Wild Ocean Whale Society
