We were following a report of 4 Orcas seen from one of the BC Ferries near Nanaimo. I found the whales today! Or rather Captain Denis spotted some far on our starboard side and I found some off our port bow at pretty much the exact same time. Well it wasn’t 4. It started with about 8 whales but by the end of the day around 30 different Bigg’s (Transient) Orcas were in the area. There was T101s, T124s, T123s plus as many as 6 other matrilines. It was epic. The best part for me was their voices. We heard them through the hull, at the surface and when we put down the hydrophone, these normally stealthy silent predators were singing like song birds. It was one of the best days I’ve had. I have never heard T’s like this!
Link to video with vocalizations is here
-Kathryn