A group of whale watchers got the sighting of a lifetime off the coast of Vancouver Island recently.
Mollie Cameron, a skipper with Sooke Coastal Explorations, said they had a group out on the water on June 28 and heard about a group of orcas off Sooke.
“We got a report that there was a fin whale a bit further west than where we are and the weather was not super cooperative, so we weren’t sure if we were going to make it over there, but the tide changed and the weather really calmed down and made it for the best experience for us,” she told Global News.
“We were really excited to see that animal.”
Cameron said the size of the fin whale was “unbelievable.”
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“We see humpbacks pretty regularly here, but even in comparison to a humpback, it was just breathtaking to see that large of an animal, the second-largest animal in the world.”
Eagle Wing Tours, which also had a boat in the area, estimated the fin whale was 70 feet (20 metres) long.
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Fin whales are second only to blue whales when it comes to size, according to the IFAW. They weigh around 3,600 pounds (1,600 kilograms) at birth and can average about 99,000 pounds (45,000 kilograms) — more than fully loaded tractor-trailer — when full grown.
They are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Cameron said fin whales have been documented in the Strait of Juan de Fuca a “handful” of times in the past 10 years, but seeing one is very rare.
“To see a species you’ve never seen before, it’s just so exciting,” she said. “You’re not super familiar with seeing them, with their behaviour and it’s a learning experience and it’s really incredible to encounter an animal you’ve never seen before.”
The increase in whale sightings in the nutrient-rich waters of the Salish Sea is being attributed to conservation measures.
The last commercial whaling station in B.C. closed in 1967.
Wonderful news that these whales are being seen in OUR waters. Just hope that they are not hit by ships that are larger then they are. Time for a holiday to the Island.
Its time to crack down on recreational and commercial marine garbage, coupled with open piping sewers to the open ocean.
Wow a whale in the ocean. Incredible