Young humpback Dragon (BCX2247) flukes up as she begins a feeding dive. Most humpbacks have left for the southern breeding grounds, but a few are lingering to “fuel up” before their journey.
Shorelines Photography
Photo taken with a telephoto lens and cropped.
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp
Humpback BCX0010—likely a male—is an old-timer and an ocean wanderer. He was first documented in the breeding grounds off Mexico 38 years ago. Since then, he’s also been seen in the breeding grounds off El Salvador and Hawaii!
Shorelines Photography
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp
Humpback Volta (BCX1805) was seen with a calf in Mexico last winter but there was none present when she was in the Salish Sea this fall. It’s not necessarily a bad sign; the two may have naturally parted ways as mother-calves do at this time of year.
Shorelines Photography
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp
A humpback whale known as Orbit (BCY1006) cartwheels during some social time southwest of Victoria. Orbit is the 2014 calf of a whale known as Oumuamua, named after the first known interstellar object to visit our solar system.
@tomflip.bsky.social
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp
Humpback Gibbous (BCY0770) gets his name from the round moonlike scar on his right fluke which, was likely caused by entanglement. A gibbous moon is the phase between a half-moon and a full moon.
Shorelines Photography
Photo taken with a telephoto lens and cropped.
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp
Thanks to continuing ID studies of Salish Sea humpbacks—research that Eagle Wing contributes to—we know that Dalmation (BCY0994) is the 2015 calf of Heather (BCY0160), one of the first humpbacks to recolonize this area in the early 2000s!
Sarah Hunter Photography
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp
Humpback Two Spot (BCZ0432) is well known in the whale watching community. He’s been matched to the Hawaiian winter breeding grounds, so he has a long journey ahead of him!
Tomis Filipovic Photography
Photo taken with a telephoto lens and cropped.
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp
A humpback nicknamed Hemlock (BCY1029) begins her dive with a headstand! Hemlock has been seen often this fall in the waters near Race Rocks.
@tomflip.bsky.social
Photo taken with a telephoto lens and cropped.
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp
That’s not rope trailing from the fluke of Pinnacle (BCX2046). It’s strands of kelp! Whales seem to enjoy the sensation of kelp on their skin, so it’s a safe bet that Pinnacle did this deliberately!
Carol Limido Photography
#Wild4Whales #ExploringTheSalishSea #FlukesUp
Zephyr (BCZ0414) has one of the prettiest flukes in the Salish Sea! Zephyr is humpback royalty. She’s a granddaughter of the famous Big Mama, the first humpback to consistently return to the Salish Sea after the end of commercial whaling.
Tomis Filipovic Photography
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUP
A female humpback known as Raccoon (BCX1233) begins a dive. The whales seem to be feeding deep these days, probably on krill.
Shorelines Photography
Photo taken with a telephoto lens and cropped.
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp
Frankenstein (BCX1358) the humpback usually appears in the Victoria area just before Halloween, and here he is! Perfect timing! Frankenstein is named for all those scratches and scars, some of which look like stitches!
@tomflip.bsky.social
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp
Humpback Hemlock (BCY1029) tail-lobs as she forages not far from Race Rocks. Humpback females tend to have calves every 2-3 years. Hemlock’s last calf was in 2022, so perhaps she won’t be alone when she returns from migration next spring!
@tomflip.bsky.social
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp #Hemlock
Oct. 15, afternoon tour, 4 Ever Wild: Draped in strands of kelp, a female humpback known as Raccoon (BCX1233) begins a dive. She may have intentionally done this. Humpback whales often seek out clumps of kelp to rub along their bodies!
@tomflip.bsky.social
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp
One tail-lobbing humpback is an amazing sight. Two whales doing it at the same time is spectacular!
Chrystelle Côté Photography
Photo taken with a telephoto lens and cropped.
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp
When humpbacks begin a dive, usually one of them goes first and the other follows. But every now and then, they both fluke up at the same time—like this! This is BCX2325 (left) and Cinder (BCX1749).
Chrystelle Côté Photography
Photo taken with a telephoto lens and cropped.
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp
Sept. 1, afternoon tour, Wild 4 Whales: Tardigrade (BCX1780) creates a fluke “waterfall” as he or she begins a dive.
Shorelines Photography
Photo taken with a telephoto lens and cropped.
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp
You’re probably thinking “Oh no, that humpback whale is bleeding.” Actually, she’s pooping! This is Trifecta (BCX1657) and the red poop is a strong indication that she’s been feeding on krill!
Shorelines Photography
Photo taken with a telephoto lens and cropped.
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp
This battle-scarred humpback (MMY0489) is an unusual visitor to the Salish Sea—better known in SE Alaska as McFly. The tooth rake marks show that this 4yo whale managed to fight off a killer whale attack!
Shorelines Photography
Photo taken with a telephoto lens and cropped.
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp
A humpback flukes in front of Race Rocks as it begins a feeding dive.
Carol Limido Photography
All wildlife photos are taken with a telephoto lens and cropped.
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp #RaceRocks
Humpback whales continue to gather in feeding aggregations west of Victoria, although the they constantly shift with the tides and currents. They go where the food is!
@tomflip.bsky.social
All wildlife photos are taken with a telephoto lens and cropped.
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp
This distinctive fluke belongs to a humpback known as BCY1380. It’s not known what caused these unusual markings.
Ryleigh Whitfield Photography
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp #WhaleID
Humpback flukes can reach up to 5.5 metres (18 ft.) wide from tip to tip, and we’re pretty sure that this whale, nicknamed Mesa (BCX2100), is near or at that maximum. Mesa is HUGE!
Shorelines Photography
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp #HumpbackComeback
Trifecta (BCX1657) tail-lobs as the wind picks up in Juan de Fuca Strait. On this day, Trifecta was part of a feeding aggregation far to the west of Victoria.
@tomflip.bsky.social
#wild4whales #flukesup #trifecta
The small dorsal on the right belongs to Braveheart, the 2025 calf of Valiant (BCX1773). This is Valiant’s first known calf. The pair were seen and documented for the first time on this tour!
Shorelines Photography
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp #SalishSea
A three-year-old humpback nicknamed Vortex lives up to his or her name with a spectacular cartwheel in a calm sea.
Shorelines Photography
#Wild4Whales #ExploreBC #FlukesUp
This fluke belongs to a well-known humpback in the Salish Sea—Nike, so named for two “swoosh” marks on the underside of his tail.
Shorelines Photography
#Wild4Whales #ExploreBC #FlukesUp
Fun fact: The flukes on a fully grown humpback can reach 5.5 metres or 18 ft. wide from tip to tip!
@tomflip.bsky.social
#Wild4Whales #ExploreBC #FlukesUp
The humpback whales are returning to the Salish Sea in numbers now, and they’re hungry! We’ve found several feeding hotspots over the last week or so.
Izzy David Photography
#Wild4Whales #ExploreBC #FlukesUp
This distinctive fluke belongs to adult male Ooxjaa (T065A2), who spent most of the day playing—or perhaps something else?—with a female member of the T075B family.
Shorelines Photography
#Wild4Whales #FlukesUp #KillerWhale
