Large humpback whales spotted in Metro Vancouver waters

Humpback whales have recently been photographed and filmed in waters around Metro Vancouver. The whales typically spend the warmer months in the Pacific Northwest, and sightings of humpbacks and other whale species in the region have increased over the past several years. Humpbacks have also returned to a feeding area they historically used, largely because of conservation efforts.

On Sept. 15, Lydia Wada shared three videos showing three humpbacks diving and displaying their tail flukes at Whytecliff Park in West Vancouver. Danfred Ceballos Pretesto posted a video of a humpback at the park the same day, describing it as a cinematic moment. Bee Kay shared videos of whales surfacing in the sunset-lit water at Whytecliff before diving again.

Alex Cole, an administrator of the Howe Sound and Sea to Sky Wildlife Sightings Facebook group, photographed a humpback off Seymour Bay, southeast of Bowen Island, on Sept. 11. He said the whale was moving up and down the coast close to shore while lunge-feeding, and that many humpbacks have been in the area this season. Humpback season begins in April and becomes more active in May and June.

Humpbacks winter and give birth in tropical areas including Hawaii and Mexico before travelling to B.C. and Alaska in spring. They measure 50 to 80 feet (15 to 25 metres) long and can be identified by the black-and-white pigmentation and scars on their distinctive tail flukes. Óscar Guzón, a researcher and whale expert at Mazatlán’s National Whale Museum (Munba), said he has identified several humpbacks that travel from Mexico to B.C. waters during his 20 years of work with the species.

Coastal waters provide important feeding grounds for whales, and people on the water are urged to keep their distance. A petition calling for restrictions on jet skis in Vancouver harbour was launched after a jet ski struck a grey whale in May.