Simoom ended her long stay in the Blackfish/Johnstone Strait area on 12 October. It had been a glorious run that harkened to days of old when this was her habit not just an exception. Her last day, spent with her entire family included an early morning short rub as her group made their way west to Cracroft Point and into Blackney Pass, They had made so many such circuits that no one imagined that this would be their last day. Their distant calls ended around 1pm as they continued west through Blackfish Sound.
Prior to their departure Simoom’s group had enjoyed having the area to themselves especially feeding for hours in the rip tide off of Cracroft Point picking off Chum salmon, the last of the season’s salmon runs.
October 4th was just such a day, Jianna was in the Lab watching Simoom’s family on the remote Cracroft Point video camera amidst the churning waters whipped by wind and current. The whales were very focused and seemingly ignoring a group of people; two in a double kayak, one on a paddle board and two in a canoe. But Jianna saw them, amazed that they were there in such dicey conditions and by the looks of it ill prepared without adequate clothing. She watched in horror as the canoe was overturned sending it occupants into the water. Jianna alerted Barbara who immediately went into action. Jianna stayed at her post and continued to monitor the situation as others got the Sonic ready, gathered emergency items and alerted the Coast Guard. Our neighbour at Farewell Harbour and a fish boat nearby heard our distress call to the Coast Guard and went into action too. It did not take Rich and Barbara long to arrive on scene and manage to get the most distressed person, who had been over thirty minutes in the water, safely into our boat. The other canoeist, who had gotten onto the paddle board, after just ten minutes in the water, was helped into the Sonic as well. They and the paddle boarder were brought back to OrcaLab while the Farewell Harbour boat rescued the persons in the struggling kayak which was threatening to sink. We gave out blankets, hot tea, hot water bottles, a change of clothes and even a “what were you thinking?” They had been so fortunate!
October was a month of increasing humpback activity. The nights in particular were filled with their voices. days with the flow of their presence in and out of Blackney Pass. After the departure of Simoom became a reality we switched to doing continuous night recordings which revealed faithfully all their vocal efforts including pre song and even song in the various locales covered by the remote hydrophones.
Never to be forgotten, on 26 October, there were a gazillion Sooty Shearwaters skitting over the surface of the water mixing with a myriad collection of gulls and other sea birds while Harlequin ducks and Mergansers stuck close to shore. The seas were calm and the skies sunny. It was a glorious Autumn day. Then came the humpbacks close into the Hanson Island shore, at times just 15 metres away. Ridge, Insomnia, Backsplash, possibly Cutter and a first ever 2025 sighting of another individual titled BCNF2024#29. Conger and Spongebob were further over toward the far shore. At one point Ridge chose to lunge feed, rolling and churning, in the bay just off of the Lab. It was a crazy scene in which the humpback’s power, size and bulk was so startlingly impressive. Words are so inadequate.
The next day had its moments too. Afterwards, the general scene began to quiet down and the realization came reluctantly that the humpback migration to warmer climes was not far away.
October offered the additional surprise on the 19 when Holly’s family was sighted along with Cordero’s still deep in the Salish Sea (Georgia Strait) not far from Vancouver. They had disappeared off our radar for ages so it remains a mystery as to what they doing in the interval. An additional sighting on 24 October saw them further north and closer to Sonora Island. This heightened the hope that maybe, just maybe they would finally make their way back to this area. We have our fingers crossed.
