It was a cloudy morning and weather conditions weren’t ideal for whale watching. But, despite many cancellations due to large swells, we tried our luck and went out in search of transient killer whales, in the hopes that they would be hunting at the local “buffets,” sheltered between the many islands. We detoured when reports of a large humpback near Patos Island were radioed over to us.
Upon arriving on the scene, I immediately ID’d the individual as BCZ0298, otherwise known as “Split Fin.” As the name suggests, this individual acquired an injury to its dorsal back in 2007, possibly due to a vessel strike or entanglement. Either way, Split Fin is extremely recognizable!
Split Fin would surface two or three times and then dive for 7-8 minute intervals, which indicated that s/he was foraging.
We left the scene after observing a northbound Split Fin for approximately forty-five minutes.
– Brendon
Leave a Reply