Orca (Killer Whale)

While often called a killer whale the orca is actually the world's largest member of the dolphin family. The orcas that we most often see on our kayak tours are northern resident orcas that feed mainly on salmon (there is also a population of southern residents). There are also Transient orcas that specialized in feeding on other marine mammals including seals, sea lions, dolphins, porpoises and even larger whales like the Gray whale. A lesser known population that has recently come to light is an off-shore population, while little studied it is believed fish makes up the bulk of their diet.

Johnstone Strait is an ideal area to spot resident orcas because it is a favourite spot of theirs in the summer months to feed on salmon. The strait narrows to a point only 2 miles wide and this concentrates the migrating salmon to make it much easier for the orcas to hunt for them. The strait also has some pebble beaches that the orcas like to rub on. It is not exactly known why they do this but it is believed they may rub off parasites but it may also just be because they enjoy it. Not only are orcas favourites of whale watchers because they can be found within a relatively small area but with their large dorsal fins they are easy to spot and they are also the most acrobatic of whales, often completely jumping out of the water (breaching), bobbing strait up and down in the water with their head clear to take a good luck around (spy hopping)  or splashing the water with their tale flukes (lob tailing) or pectoral fins.

Due to the prey that they hunt the Transient orcas are quite quiet and travel in small pods that rarely exceeds 6 animals. In contrast the Resident orcas often travel in much larger pods and tend to be much more acrobatic and vocal. The pods that the orcas travel in are composed of families. The leader of the pod is the oldest female and all the other orcas within that pod are her sons, daughters, grand children and even great-grandchildren. It is believed that female orcas can possibly live as long as 80 years (there are two female orcas in BC waters believed to be even older than this) and males up to 50 years. Occasionally the resident orcas will socialize in what is called a super-pod. This super-pod will consist of orcas from many different pods and can be over 100 animals in size. The largest super pod we have encountered on our trips is 114.

With the aid of a hydrophone it is interesting to hear all the different sounds that they make both for communication and echolocation. Studies have show that there are distinct dialects between different pods and while the pods of the northern resident orcas tend to be similar they differ quite a bit form the southern residents. It is helpful to think of the northern residents all speaking English but with varying dialects and accents (Canadian, American, English and Australians) and the southern residents speaking French with each pod again having it's own slightly different dialect and accent.

The resident orcas of the BC coast have been studied quite a bit and with the help of a field guide and a good luck at their dorsal fin it is often possible to identify individual orcas. The dorsal fin on an adult bull can be 6 feet high while the dorsal fins of females are quite a bit smaller. The males can reach 30 feet in length and weigh up to 7 tonnes. The females are often 20 to 22 feet long. Return to Top

Pacific White Side Dolphin

Pacific White Sided Dolphins are very playful. It is common to see them jumping in front of a riding the bow wave of the cruise ships and fish boats in Johnstone Strait and Queen Charlotte Strait. Pacific White sided dolphins can be found in groups from as small as 2 animals to groups well over 1000.

On our tours we normally see these dolphins in their highest concentrations during September though they are often spotted in smaller groups year round. Return to Top

Dall's Porpoise

The Dall's porpoise is often confused as a baby orca due to it's black and white colouration. Upon closer examination you will notice that the dorsal fin often has white on it and the white on the body is on their side while on an orca the dorsal fin is black and the white patch is on their back and sides close to the dorsal fin. We almost always see Dall's porpoise on our Johnstone Strait, Queen Charlotte Strait and Broughton Archipelago  tours.

Dall's porpoises are amongst the fastest marine mammals in the world. They do not always show this speed as we often see them lazily surfacing between dives but when they are chasing fish along the surface they move at such a speed that a "rooster tail" of what is thrown up in their wake. Return to Top

Harbour Porpoise

The harbour porpoise is the smallest porpoise in BC waters and is quite shy in comparison to the Dall's porpoise and White-Sided Dolphin. The harbour porpoise rarely exceeds 5 feet in length and 100 pounds in weight. Their back is quite dark in colour and have a small triangular dorsal fin. As the other dolphins and porpoises mentioned above are quite easy to distinguish, it is often a safe bet to say you have seen a harbour porpoise if it is small and does not resemble either of the other two. Return to Top

Minke Whale

Minke whales (pronounced "Minky") are the smallest baleen whales in BC waters and are quite widespread.  They measure from 25 to 30 feet and weigh 5 to 7 tonnes. Their main choice of food is smaller fish, like herring, and squid. While we have occasionally encountered small groups of Minkes traveling together we most often see solitary whales feeding.

Minkes have a small dorsal fin set well back on their body. Return to Top

Gray Whale

The gray whale has one of the longest annual migration of any mammal (the only others that compete are other large whales like the humpback). They travel about 16,000 Kilometres in a round trip between their feeding grounds in the Bering Sea to their calving lagoons on Mexico's Baja Peninsula. Their annual migration takes them quite close to the shore of Vancouver Island during March and April and many take up residence in our local waters year round. It is likely to see gray whales on our Central Coast trips where many stay to feed in the sandy shallows. As the Gray whale's population has increased from near extinction we are once again starting to see them more regularly on our Johnstone Strait, Queen Charlotte Strait and Nuchatlitz trips.

Gray whales spend most of their time close to shore as they are the only whale to feed directly from the muddy bottom. They will scoop a large mouthful of the bottom up in their mouths and will push it our through their baleen plates. The baleen will capture the small amphipods (shrimp like crustaceans) that they eat.

Gray whales measure from 35 to 50 feet, weigh from 18 to 36 tonnes and as their name implies are gray in colour and are often mottled white from barnacles.

Instead of a dorsal fin, Gray whales have a bony ridge where the dorsal fin would be. Return to Top

Humpback Whale

While still a threatened species the humpback population has been increasing. Years ago we would only see humpback whales on our Queen Charlotte Strait trips but they have begun to move further and further down the inside passage from the north end of Vancouver Island. Its is now common to see these huge animals on our Johnstone Strait trips and our base camp is even located close to the area they prefer to feed in during the summer.

The humpback whale is characterized, by a small dorsal fin, large pectoral fins and when it dives it gives you a good luck at it's tail flukes. When surfacing the humpback will often stay close to the surface for 2 to 3 minutes before making another prolonged dive.

The humpback feeds mainly on krill (small crustaceans) and the small fish (mostly herring) that also feeds on the krill. Humpbacks have been seen feeding by blowing bubbles around their prey as they spiral up from below them. As their prey becomes concentrated near the surface in the middle of the "bubble net" the humpbacks will lunge up from below with their mouths wide open. Much of the humpback's body may clear the water and you will see water gushing from their mouths as they push the water through their baleen plates that then filters out their food. Return to Top

Harbour Seal

Harbour seals are the most commonly sighted marine mammals on our kayak trips. Harbour seals are found in all BC coastal waters and can even be found in river systems. The harbour seal population is nearing historical levels, it is believed there are more than 125 000 seals in BC waters based upon a  1998 aerial survey.

Harbour seal reach lengths  of 1.2 - 1.6 metres and weigh 60 to 80 kilograms. The colour of their fur can range from light brown to black and will have a potted, speckled pattern.

Harbour seals eat a wide variety of fish. Its is believed that the majority of their diet is made up of shallow dwelling fish such as rockfish, greenlings, flatfish and even herring. Harbour seals will also take advantage of the annual salmon migrations, often feeding at the mouths of salmon streams. An adult seal will typically eat 2 to 3 kilograms of fish each day. Harbour seals can  use their sensitive whiskers to detect prey by sensing pressure changes in the water.

Harbour seals give birth between June and September with most of the birthing occurring in July and August. Immediately after birth the pups can swim and dive. The pup is nursed and protected by its mother for only three to four weeks and will often be left alone for up to 24 hours as the mother is off hunting.

The harbour seal is considered a true, or earless seal (it does have internal ears and can hear quite well). It has no external earflaps as the sea lion does. Return to Top

Steller Sea Lion

Steller sea lions can be found throughout British Columbia's coastal waters and range from northern Californian to the Bering Strait. The population of Steller Sea lions has dropped dramatically since 1980 with about 75% of their population disappearing. Scientist are currently studying why this has happened and some of the factors thought to contribute to the decline is quality and distribution of food, environmental factors, an increase in parasites, disease and predation by killer whales.

Adult males are up to 3 m long and weigh about 600 kg. Adult females are up to 2.3 m long and weigh about 300 kg. Pups weigh about 20 kg when born. Their fur colour varies from a golden brown when they are dry to a dark brown or even black when they are wet. The males have a thick mane.

Steller sea lions eat a wide assortment of fish, including herring, pollock, salmon, cod, and rockfish. They also eat octopus and squid. Steller sea lions use their facial whiskers to detect prey and feel their way underwater. An adult Steller sea lion needs to eat about 6% of its body weight in food each day.

Dominant male's (usually 9 years old or older) establish their breeding rookeries in May and will maintain and defend their territory for approximately 6 weeks. During this time they will establish a harem and breed with as many females as possible. The females are ready to mate shortly after they have given birth to the previous year's pup. Females give birth to only one pup and may not birth every year. In the wild there is a high percentage of aborted fetuses. Return to Top

Sea Otter

The sea otter is the only marine mammal that does not rely on blubber for warmth. It's insulation is provided by it's dense fur and it's high metabolic rate. During the fur trade the sea otter was completely hunted from BC waters for it's highly prized coat of fur. During the late 1960's sea otters from Alaska were re-introduced near the Bunsby Island's just north of Kyuquot Sound. There is now a strong population of sea otters in the Kyuquot Sound area and a second population established itself near  Nuchatlitz Inlet where we offer our west coast trips. In the last 2 years more and more sea otter sightings have occurred around northern Vancouver Island with quite a few solitary sighting of sea otters on our Queen Charlotte Strait trips plus this past year a raft of 50 to 60 animals was also spotted here.

To keep warm in the cold waters of the Pacific, sea otters must continually groom their fur to keep it clean as well as eating lots of food. Sea otters often hang out around kelp beds where they feast on sea urchins. Once picking up an urchin a sea otter will bring it to the surface along with a rock and will lay on it's back and open up the urchin by pounding it on the rock that it lays upon it's chest. Since the re-introduction of sea otters a marked increase in the size of kelp beds has been noted within their range. This is mainly due to the fact that sea otters keep down the urchin population that feeds upon kelp. The kelp beds in turn act as a home and nursery to many other species. Return to Top