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Plethora of humpbacks spotted last month in qathet region

Whales fin slapping and breaching observed, trumpeting heard
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WHALE SEASON: According to Wild Ocean Whale Society there were more than 50 sightings of humpback whales reported in the qathet region in July of this year.

The month of July was a busy one for humpback whales in the qathet region, and for folks reporting sightings of the giant cetaceans, which have been recorded on the Wild Ocean Whale Society's (WOWS) interactive map.

There have been a concentration of sightings off Willingdon Beach and the south tip of Ahgykson Island in the Malaspina Strait. WOWS executive director Susan MacKay observed humpback breaches and blows that she said lit up in the sunshine in mid-July. 

On July 26, at approximately 5:45 pm, Glynis Higgins observed and reported two to three humpback whales playing mid-channel in front of Westview, “including a mom and calf all having a great time rolling around, pec slaps," Higgins stated in her report.

Colin Griffinson from Pacific Yellowfin Charters reported seeing humpback whales taking long dives between Rebecca Rocks and Malaspina Strait. Heather Harbord reported seeing humpbacks south of the former mill property in Townsite at the end of July.

"Similar to the first half of July, many humpback whales were observed in many areas of British Columbia over the past two weeks," wrote WOWS volunteer Ivan Ng, in a recent report about whale sightings in qathet. "Humpback whales were observed in Juan de Fuca Strait and in many areas of the Georgia Strait. Many Humpbacks were seen breaching. A few Humpbacks were observed slapping their tails or their pectoral fins, and a few were observed feeding, specifically lunge feeding."

Ng stated that one humpback was heard trumpeting, which means the whale forced air out of its blowholes to produce a sound, similar to musicians blowing into the mouthpiece of a brass instrument. 

"During the same reporting period, there were some sightings of Transient orca and northern resident orca, as well as a few sightings of Pacific white-sided dolphins and one sea otter," reported Ng.

WOWS reminds boaters to be aware of the presence of whales and dolphins. Signs of their presence may include blows of the cetaceans and other seeing boats stopped or moving slowly in an area.

Boats and other water craft must remain at least 400 metres away from all orca and at least 100 metres away from other species. 

To report a whale or dolphin sighting, go to docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd0A239MjIDnEgc4bREq5vvEiKcMiTTM5zvjKNDt_G_WtPhvA/viewform, or the WOWS website at whalesanddolphinsbc.com/sightings-in-2025/2025/07/many-humpback-whales.

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