There's something extraordinary encountering killer whales from shore — especially when they come as close to land as they did today.
Of the four¹ distinct populations of Orcinus orca (killer whales) that frequent the waters of the Salish Sea, the most frequently observed off the coast of southern Vancouver Island these days are members of the Northeast Pacific transient population. Although transient killer whale population counts have increased in recent years, they remain listed as Threatened under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA).
On the afternoon of June 15th, the T099s² swam south through Haro Strait, passing close to shore at the easternmost point of Vancouver Island — XEUEṈEḴSEṈ / x̣ə́w̓əŋə́qsən / Ten Mile Point.³
The following images was captured from land. All wildlife photographs on this website are taken ethically, ensuring no harm or disturbance comes to the species, their habitats, or the ecosystems they comprise.
¹ Transient killer whales, Southern resident killer whales, Northern resident killer whales, and Offshore killer whales.
² Individual killer whales in the Salish Sea are assigned unique alpha-numeric designations, allowing researchers to monitor population trends and track familial lineages over time.
³ XEUEṈEḴSEṈ (SENĆOŦEN); x̣ə́w̓əŋə́qsən (lək̓ʷəŋiʔnəŋ) — "the point of cracking sea urchins"
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