Friday, May 1
First day in May, what a whale of a day!
This morning, the first day in May, Orca Spirit had both covered boats head south out into the Salish Sea, and what a lucky couple of boats they were! The ‘Ultimate Bachelor Orca’ known as “Pender” (T14) graced us with presence this morning in Beecher Bay, just west of Race Rocks. He had appeared to be foraging when we arrived on scene then began to make his way east along the coastline towards Race Rocks. Our Spanish tour group passengers were on a tight time schedule so being able to see an orca, and to have him just south-west off Victoria was certainly a treat. Although ‘Pender’ is typically a lone transient orca that travels in these waters, he truly is a sight to see. He is one of the biggest killer whales we get in this region, estimated to be around 10m in length, a dorsal fin about 2 feet wide and 6 feet high, and weighing in around
6-7 tonnes, he certainly gives passengers that “wow” factor. He even gives the naturalists that “wow” factor!
Attached are some photos of this mornings trip, with passengers on the ‘Pacific Explorer’ getting a great view of ‘Pender’, marine naturalist Sheenah and Captain Brad aboard the ‘Orca Spirit’, and a single shot of the wonder that is the big lone male ‘Pender’ (T14).
What a great afternoon it was to be out on the water, with passengers certainly getting a great experience aboard the ‘Orca Spirit’. We headed southwest out of Victoria Harbour into calm waters and only a few miles from the entrance we came across ‘The Big Man on Campus’ killer whale known as “Pender” (T14). Conditions for viewing this lone magnificent male orca were perfect, and passengers certainly were surprised to be seeing a killer whale so early in the trip (as were the naturalists!). ‘Pender’ was displaying what we believe is a typical dive pattern, with 3-5 shallow dives and then a longer deeper dive, often up to 10 mins, and of course, knowing where he was going to surface next was really anyone’s guess. He appeared to be zigzagging north towards the entrance to Victoria Harbour, and in doing so the passengers were able to get some great photos. We decided to leave ‘Pender’ to do whatever it is almost 40 year-old male orcas do, and head towards Race Rocks. At Race Rocks we were lucky enough to witness around 20 Stellar Sea Lions hauled out on the rock, with a few male Californian Sea Lions resting among the big males. I did notice a couple of female Stellar’s on the rock, which indicates that it definitely is the time of year when they head further north to breed on the offshore island beaches. We normally only see males hauled out, but as there were some females, it let’s us know that soon the Stellar’s will be gone for a couple of months, and so to see that many in this region at this time of year certainly is a treat to passengers. There were also a couple of juvenile Elephant Seals hauled out, and plenty of fat Harbour Seals (aka “rock sausages”) on the lower rocks. It’s pupping season at the moment for the Harbour Seals, so there are quite a few pregnant females out there, soon to give birth. I’m sure ‘Pender’ is aware of this as he loves to feed primarily on Harbor Seals. Perhaps this is why we have been seeing him somewhat regularly these last couple of months? After leaving Race we headed out into the flat calm waters of the Strait of Juan De Fuca and looped around to where Pender was, this time only a mile or so south-east of Victoria. The water around here must be pretty good if we are getting killer whales right off Victoria! Passengers were able to view Pender in all his glory a few more times before it was time to scoot back into the Harbour. A fantastic trip this afternoon, with passengers thoroughly enjoying themselves. What a great day to start the month! We hope to see you again soon Pender. Take it easy mate!
