Biggs Orca in Georgia Strait

Good to see Orca Again

The last two days have been tough on us not seeing any orca here in the islands. Today I decided I did not want to do a third day of the same. So when I heard we had Biggs Orca near Vancouver in Georgia Strait, I asked my guests if they had to be back by a specific time. They didn’t, so I headed for Vancouver, BC to see Orcas.

I stopped a couple times on the way up and we saw baby seal pups with their moms. We also saw Bald Eagles, including the Canadian ones that I talk about.

An hour and a half boat ride later, we were with the T124’s, T101’s, and T37A’s with others. There were several calves and young ones in the mix up there today. There were also several adult bulls in the mix.

A visit from DFO Canada

We had a visit from DFO Canada enforcement vessel to make sure I am aware of the 400 “yard” (Yes he said Yard) distance I needed to stay away from the Orca. I replied that it was 200 meters with a permit from Transport Canada. He asked if I had a permit and I said yes I did. He asked if the boat was from Washington and I said yes and asked if I was from Washington and I said yes. Then another officer asked what type of Orca we were watching, and I told him Transients. He asked if I was sure, and I said, “positive.” T124C is very easy to identify, and we were watching him and others. I then asked if he had not seen the whales we were watching and he said no, he just noticed we were getting close. (meaning inside 400 meters).

Then he moved on, and I believe boarded another vessel also with a permit. What is surprising is, that of the three boats there at that moment he could have cited a yacht that was right there with us that could not possibly have a permit, but the DFO vessel did not approach the yacht at all. That suggests to me he was singling out whale watching vessels, not boats in general that are inside of 400 meters.

With that bit of excitement over with, we continued to view these beautiful Orcas. They were spread out over miles and continued to make their way southwest down the Strait of Georgia. Now home on my computer editing pics I can identify others using the new Biggs Killer Whale guide. Gary Sutton brought these over to Friday Harbor for those of us who bought one.

Beautiful Calm Seas

The Strait of Georgia was pretty calm with a few tidal rolls and some chop. I usually say if you don’t get car sick, you will not get seasick here in the Salish Sea. I had two ladies on board today that do get carsick meaning they might get seasick too, but they did great, no one sick today.

A super cool day to be seeing Orca again and made everyone’s day, including my own. I hope you all enjoy my pics of Biggs Orca in Georgia Strait heading southwest towards East Point.