The show starts at 6

Life in a tent means the sun is your alarm; waking at light thirty, and retiring at dark thirty. It seems the Ulric Point whales followed a similar pattern. Often we would crawl out into the morning haze, blurry-eyed and still half dreaming, to be snapped awake by a loud tonal blow from a humpback whale just off the rocks. Every evening we had front row seats to ‘The Great Whale Extravaganza’. Be it orca, humpbacks, or fin whales, it was never a disappointment and always something new.

One evening while cooking dinner, Claire and I were talking about how great it would be to see some breaching up close with the sunset in the background. We were digging into our tea when a mother humpback and her calf cruised around the corner from Beauchemin Channel. We grabbed the binocs, camera and data sheets and stared at the spot we’d seen the blow. They surfaced again, the mother heading toward us as the calf fluked toward the bay. The sun was just beginning to dance on the sea sending splatters of orange into the blue. Drifting gently past us, the mother began kelp rolling with pectoral fins flailing lazily. She turned and headed NE, out into the depths and in the direction of her calf which we hadn’t seen since the first blow.

Morning fluke

They surfaced again about 100m offshore, shooting flames from their blowhole as the vapour caught the sunlight. They were heading back West now and evidently decided to travel in style. A great mass lurched out of the water, all tail and body and no head, hammering down again with a thundering splash. Though it wasn’t the breach display we’d been talking about, a tail slapping show was just as exciting. Crash after crash after crash they went, the mother slapping and flicking while the calf followed beside. Why they were doing this we are not certain, but I was definitely hoping it wouldn’t end.

Tail slapping, or tail flicking

Tail slapping

Sunset blows from the mother and calf pair

Luckily, it wasn’t over yet. They neared the shore of Rennison Island, crossed the sunset with blows alight, then looked like they were going to head back down Beauchemin Channel. Here they surprised us yet again, turning north and back across the sunset. This time it was the calf’s turn to show off as it rolled and pec slapped it gave us a little wave goodbye.

Juvenile humpback waving goodbye