Discovery Marine Safari Ltd.

07/22/2022

A sound once heard, never forgotten . ..

You awake? The Northern Resident Orca in Johnstone Strait right now sure are.
Listen at the link below made possible by OrcaLab.
- Go to link.
- Toggle audio to "on" at upper right.
- Click play in the screen that pops up.
http://www.orca-live.net/community/index.html

07/22/2022

[Update: Glacier has most recently been seen in the Victoria area.]
We are sharing this information about Glacier in the hopes that knowing just how stressed whales might be will add to the understanding (and compliance) of why whales need space.

Glacier is a 16-year-old female Humpback who is emaciated and has developed a skin condition also indicating depreciated health. This was detected off the coast of BC in early July through the vigilance and knowledge of Straitwatch Quadra.

Once we knew of her condition Straitwatch / MERS alerted the Fisheries and Oceans Canada Incident Reporting Line (1-800-465-4336), the Whale Protection Unit, and local whale watchers. We have since also been in contact with the provincial marine mammal veterinary pathologist, Dr. Stephen Raverty.

Straitwatch, and members of the whale watching community who can recognize her, are monitoring Glacier from a distance in the hopes that her fitness will improve here in the feeding grounds. Photos are being relayed to the Canadian Pacific Humpback Collaboration via [email protected]. They are also striving to alert boaters about staying further away.

But to all you concerned boaters out there, any whale could be Glacier or a whale who is stressed like Glacier. The Marine Mammal Regulations specify staying at least 200 metres away from Humpback Whales if resting or with a calf.

It is not known what has caused Glacier’s condition nor is there treatment. There is little to no food for Humpback Whales in the breeding grounds whereby all baleen whales who migrate are skinnier when they come back to the feeding grounds off Washington to Alaska. Glacier was nursing a calf last year so that would have taxed her system.

Once we noted her condition in BC waters, via Happywhale we could look back at a sighting from late May, reach out to the photographer, and see that Glacier was already skinny then. She did not have the skin condition she has now.

The most optimistic outcome is that she will bulk up whereby she may then build the immunity to ward off the pathogen (bacteria, algae, virus or fungus) causing the skin condition. But as I think we all realize from our own human health realities, it may be that something is depreciating her immune system. 



Thank you all for caring as you do and for giving whales space. 



Great thanks in particular to all the work of Straitwatch / Cetus, and all those who help monitor the welfare of whales.

- Happywhale
- Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea
- Photographer of the May sighting - Brittany Hendricks, San Juan Excursions.
- Members of the Campbell River / Quadra whale watching community

06/11/2022

For our thrill seeking friends this is one of the new tours that we can now offer following our merger with Campbell River Whale Watching. If you haven't already done so check out all the other exciting tour options available this season.

Is your wild side calling you? Well now is your time to get that adrenaline pumping! Join us on an ocean rapids tour this Wednesday, June 15th, for a chance to get wet and wild. This tour only happens when the moon is at its fullest cycle, so book now! Call us at 250-287-2667 or check out our website for more info.

📸CRWW Crew

06/10/2022

We absolutely love this video produced by Odeo Studios and had to share. Thank you Nick it was always a pleasure having you out on the water with us. Please drop by and say hi to us at our new location and meet the Campbell River Whale Watching team.

Right off the coast of Vancouver Island at Bute Inlet, is perfect habitat for one of the most magnificent animals on Planet Earth. The Grizzly Bear.Director/...

06/10/2022

There was a ten-year-old girl who loved animals and the ocean. She lived in Texas, was an honour role student, and had even chosen the university at which she planned to study marine biology.

For her, for the other children, for their families, and for us all to reflect on precious lives and human values, this Humpback Whale calf is now nicknamed Maite.

This has been done at the request / suggestion of someone connected to us who lives in Texas.

If you need more background, you could do an internet search for "Maite Yuleana Rodriguez".

Be prepared for abject heartbreak.

Pronunciation:
Maite = /ˈmaɪteɪ/ MY-tay and "is a female given name of Basque origin meaning love".


_____________



Humpback Whale mother is Nick. Her catalogue designation is BCX0565. 
Maite is her 5th known calf and was most likely born in Hawaii. 



Nick's other calves:
- Seamount was born in 2008 with additional sightings in 2016 and 2020.
- Another calf was born in 2010 but we have not had a confirmed sighting since.
- Zest was born in 2018 and there have also been no known sightings since his first year.
- Splashy was born in 2020 and resighted in 2021.

Great thanks to all data contributors. 
Photos in this post are from: 

Kaitlin Paquette
Discovery Marine Safari Ltd. / Campbell River Whale Watching

Turton and Rebecca Scott
Prince of Whales Whale Watching

06/08/2022

Those of us fortunate enough to live, work and play in Campbell River . . . live and breathe the ocean and we are fully committed to research, education and conservation to protect our marine environment and oceans.

06/08/2022

CelebrateWorld Oceans Day.🐳🐬 Come down and meet our new owners and join us on a tour . . . We'd love to welcome you back on board the Tenacious III or anyone of our boats in our extended fleet.

Tomorrow, one of our naturalist's will be bringing you another brand new creature feature to start your day. Any guesses on what it will be!?

There are a few spaces left on tomorrow morning's 4 hour whale and wildlife zodiac tour - call the office to book your spot!

📞250-287-2667

06/01/2022

Did you know that B.C is the ONLY Pacific salmon jurisdiction on the west coast of North America that allows factory fish farms? Parasites, bacteria and viruses from factory fish farms threaten B.C.’s wild salmon. The federal government promised to transition away from open net-pen fish farms by 2025 but our wild salmon populations are struggling. We need action now! , factory fish farm licenses that are set to expire at the end of this month. It’s past time to get of B.C. waters. Josie Osborne

Add your voice:
https://watershedwatch.ca/june-22-do-not-renew/

05/31/2022

Join us on the water this summer to explore our region’s history! The Museum at Campbell River is once again offering its summer historic boat tours in partnership with Campbell River Whale Watching and Adventure Tours. Each trip explores the history of the region from the comfort of one of their ...

04/25/2022

We've been following an interesting story involving one of the younger Bigg's killer whales in the population, and yesterday this saga took yet another turn!

T34A1, born in 2019, has not been traveling with her mother since at least September of last year - essentially "dispersing" from her natal group at age 2! She has been regularly seen since then with T36 and the T36Bs, as seen in the photo below.

Yesterday, T36 and the T36Bs were eastbound in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and a whale-watching vessel picked up the young T34A1 about four miles apart from the rest of the group. A little later on, another roving lone whale, fifteen year-old T37A1, joined the T36 group, then broke off again a while later. Towards the end of the day, as the T36s continued east, T37A1 met up with the now three year-old T34A1 and the two whales with unique stories of dispersing at a young age were seen heading west together!

Making this story even more fascinating is the fact that the T34 and T37 matrilines are believed to be related, as shown in the simplified family tree below. Based on this, T34A1 and T37A1 are first cousins once removed.

We are mystified as to why T34A1 has left her mother at such a young age, but having been separated for over six months now, she seems to be doing okay. While we will never know why this unusual story is playing out, we are very intrigued by it, as it offers another rare glimpse into the complex social lives of orcas.

This type of tracking is only possible thanks to the decades of research that have come before us to track the family trees of these whales, and thanks to the dozens of people who have been sharing sightings of these family groups with us to help piece together what has been happening in recent months! We can't wait to see what comes next for the spunky T34A1.

03/24/2022

Congratulations to Campbell River Whale Watching for being awarded the Hospitality/Tourism Business of the year Award!

Co-owner Tyler Bruce and his wife Nicole were at the event to receive the award. The 2021 Awards were
cancelled due to the pandemic and there was nobody more surprised or proud than Tyler and co-owner
Stephen Gabrysh with this back to back win, having also been awarded this prestigious recognition in 2020.

“The Island Hospitality and Tourism industry boasts some incredible businesses and individuals who are
committed to business excellence and first class guest experiences. Collectively, we have all played our part in
making Vancouver Island a popular destination with visitors from all over the world” commented Bruce. We
had some stiff competition this year, including one of our very own local Campbell River tourism industry
partners - Dolphins Resort and Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community of Courtenay. We couldn’t be prouder
to be a part of the Vancouver Island tourism industry or happier to see so many of our industry partners still
going strong after the challenges we have all faced together over the last couple of years” he concluded.

The collaboration throughout the pandemic between the City of Campbell River, our local DMO and industry
partners has been exceptional. We have all worked tirelessly to ensure visitors to our scenic seafront city have
a friendly welcome, an array of activities for all ages and accommodations that together create an experience
of a lifetime. This fuelled our desire and commitment to grow our business and service the increasing number
of visitors from across Canada, the Island and overseas that are being drawn to the North Central Island to step
away from the crowds, get closer to nature and Go Wild!.

03/08/2022

🐳 International Women’s Day is the perfect day to acknowledge the contribution and positive influence that Heike has made over the last 15 years to the Whale Watching and Tourism Industry on Vancouver Island. As the founding owner of Discovery Marine Safaris and one of the owners of Stubbs Island Whale Watching, Heike strived and succeeded in ensuring that every tour counted towards education, research and conservation. She was actively involved in helping to put Campbell River and Telegraph Cove on the European map. Committed to creating a fun, caring, inclusive positive environment for the many women who worked for her over the years she created a strong bond within the Discovery Marine Safaris and Stubbs Island Whale Watching families. 🧡 Thank you Heike and a big shout out to you from all you have employed, your colleagues in the industry, the many friends and past guests from around the world. We wish you years of fun, good health and a whale of a time in your retirement adventure. 🐳

03/04/2022

When Sara Hysong-Shimazu spotted a small fin in with J37 Hy'shqa yesterday afternoon we immediately contacted the Center for Whale Research and Dave Ellifrit was able to get on scene shortly before dusk. We were ecstatic to receive confirmation that she was indeed with a new little calf: Welcome J59!!! 😍

01/29/2022

Thank you Marine Education & Research Society Good News such as this is always welcome.

We are pretty sure you could use some good news so, here you go. Hope is alive.

No, we did not realize JUST how inspirational this 1-year-old Humpback calf's nickname would prove to be.

We asked Peter Hamilton of Friends to suggest a nickname. He was the first to document the extreme injuries from a boat propeller in August. So fortuitously, the propeller did not severe Hope's spinal cord nor did Hope die from infection. The last sighting was on January 24th and Hope was with mother, Stingray (BCZ0409).

There are other Humpbacks who show no external injuries but then are found to have died due to the blunt force from collision with a boat causing internal injuries.

Were is not for the efforts of those who submitted these sightings, we of course could not know if Hope was still alive.

Too many whales who have suffered collision and/or entanglement are undetected or unreported and, with dead whales often sinking to the bottom of the ocean, their realities are unknown.

Thank you so much Peter, Louis, Marli and Patti. All photos were taken with a telephoto lens and have been cropped.

Please may these photos motivate more people to educate themselves about how to avoid collision. www.SeeABlowGoSlow.org

Note: Humpback Whales have staggered departure and return times between the feeding and breeding grounds. While some Humpbacks may indeed not migrate from the feeding grounds off BC, we have yet to prove that. We would have to document the same whale off our coast in every month to prove they did not migrate.
_________________

Information previously posted about Hope includes:

"Do you know how to reduce risk of collision with whales?
You should . . . We share such photos because they graphically show what the consequences of collision can be. While any boater can have the horrible misfortune of hitting a whale, your chances are greater when you know less. It is boater responsibility to know the laws and best practices to avoid collision. See www.SeeABlowGoSlow.org. Includes that it is the law that collision and entanglement must be reported to the Incident Reporting Line at 1-800-465-4336.

We know of what we speak. We are Humpback Whale researchers and know all too well just how unpredictable Humpbacks can be AND how much high risk boater behaviour there is. Please help us with the education efforts.


Patti Perepeluk

01/28/2022

For those with whale watching on your bucket list for 2022 . . . The sightings around the Discovery Islands and off the coastline have been fantastic! Campbell River is easy to get to and the perfect launch point for your wildlife and wilderness adventures away from the crowds.

We're closing out our review of our 2021 orca sightings data with our favorite of the annual maps: a look at Bigg's killer whale reports by season and group size.

Winter reports are in blue, spring in green, summer in yellow, and fall in purple. The size of the dot indicates the relative group size, ranging from a single whale to more than 20.

Do any patterns jump out at you? Two things I see are more spring and summer sightings around the San Juan Islands and more fall sightings in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

These maps are only possible because of all of you that openly share your whale sightings, so thank you!

01/09/2022

Magical moments like this are never forgotten . . .

📷 Discovery Marine Safaris

01/08/2022

Well worth watching on a snowy afternoon like this afternoon.

The Salish Sea is a giant mixing bowl where nutrients from mountains and the deep offshore Pacific are stirred together by tidal currents into life-giving wa...

01/01/2022

Happy New Year! 🐳🐬 Looking forward to helping you enjoy the wonders of nature when you and the restorative benefits of adventuring into the wilds of

from

12/24/2021

Happy Holidays 🐳 We hope you are surrounded by joy, kindness, compassion and natural wonder. Season's Greetings and a Merry Christmas to one and all🎅

12/17/2021

If Whale Watching & Wildlife adventure is on your bucket list for 2022 we offer gift certificates of any amount towards a trip to add to your Christmas wish list or 🎅 Santa can simply book on line at https://discoverymarinesafaris.ca/whale-watching-safaris/ to make your Christmas wish come true. 🐳🐬

Our goal on all our whale watching safaris is to offer memorable marine wildlife experiences for all ages - we hope you'll join us!

12/08/2021

12/02/2021

will be open tomorrow from 2pm to 8pm for Starlight Shopping. We hope you will drop in and say hello. There are some great discounts throughout the store and this will be your last chance to enter our in-store draw for a Whale Watching & Wildlife Safari for two - This may be your lucky Christmas?

Make sure you don't miss tomorrow's 2021 Big Truck Parade and Starlight Shopping in . The festive procession of lights will start around 5pm and travel from Willow Point to the Tyee Plaza lighting up the route and smiles on spectators faces along the way. Festivities will continue into the evening at Spirit Square and downtown all guaranteed to get you and the family into the Christmas Spirit.
A BIG Shout Out to the Downtown Campbell River BIA and everyone involved in arranging this festive Campbell River tradition - We love where we LIVE, WORK & PLAY

12/01/2021

A little reflection for . As we move into the last month of the year - who else agrees that moments like these are good for the soul? May your spirits soar high and your resolve be strengthened 🦅🐬

📷 Discovery Marine Safaris

11/27/2021

It's Small Business Saturday in Campbell River TODAY!
Help us celebrate and THANK YOU for with some great one day only discounts. Just look for the YELLOW BALLOONS . The team at Discovery Marine Safaris and all these other great will be ready and waiting to give you a festive, friendly Campbell River welcome 🎼🎁🎉📯come rain or shine. ☔️🌦☀️

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-Boutique-Limited-237551064849576

11/26/2021

Small Business Saturday tomorrow in Campbell River is going to be a festive fun filled day. There are some great savings and the chance to win a fantastic bundle of including a Whale Watching & Wildlife Safari for two! Drop by and say hi - this could be your lucky Christmas! 🎁

11/23/2021

Please this Christmas. November 27th is Small Business Saturday - this is a celebration of small businesses in our community and a thank you to all of you who support us. On Saturday, we and a collaboration of 19 other family-owned small businesses in downtown will show our gratitude 🙏for your continued support by offering a welcoming and rewarding shopping experience . Drop by and take advantage of some of the fabulous gift ideas and discounts on offer! 🎁

Campbell River & District Chamber of Commerce

11/20/2021

Guaranteed to brighten your Saturday! 🐳

Listen live to at Orcasound Lab NOW -- https://live.orcasound.net/orcasound-lab?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=live-event-notification&utm_content=Humpback

11/19/2021

The sun is out, blue skies and eagles soaring. Such a welcome break from the recent torrential rain 🙏

📷 Discovery Marine Safaris