A unique orca named Chainsaw came to the mid Island and brought a lot of members of his pod with him.

Whale watchers in the area got to see hours of activity Sunday, April 11, as a super pod of BiggB次元官网网址檚 killer whales passed Neck Point and spent hours near LantzvilleB次元官网网址檚 Sebastion Beach before moving on to Nanoose Bay and points north.

Nicky Smiley, creator of Comox Valley Wildlife Sightings on Facebook, and daughter Ella were among those who watched the orcas from shore. Smiley said they had heard that a particular orca was in the area and didnB次元官网网址檛 want to miss the chance to see him.

B次元官网网址淲e caught up with way more than we thought were going to be there,B次元官网网址� she said, estimating there were at least 18 transients in the super pod.

At one point it looked like the orcas might have been feeding on a sea lion, but mostly they just seemed playful, she said.

B次元官网网址淭here was lots of spy hops, they were tail slapping, breaching,B次元官网网址� she said.

Smiley said she started the Facebook page six years ago but itB次元官网网址檚 been over the past three or so years that itB次元官网网址檚 really gained momentum and led to more frequent sightings. The page has close to 11,000 followers and enough active users to track the progress of orcas up and down the coast. There are group chats, networking with whale-watching businesses, and 12-year-old Ella takes photos and has expertise in identifying the individual orcas spotted.

Nicky said the bulk of people in the group watch from land, but Comox Valley Wildlife Sightings regularly shares information about boat viewing rules and reminders for people to be respectful and keep a distance.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e quite keen to promote education on them as well,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e beautiful and letB次元官网网址檚 enjoy them, but letB次元官网网址檚 also respect and learn what they need.B次元官网网址�

She said , as the more eyes on the water, the more chance for everybody to get to see orcas. Even after so many sightings, Nicky said watching the creatures is B次元官网网址渁bsolutely magicalB次元官网网址� every time.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 something totally different about seeing them from land,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檝e not interfered with them whatsoever, theyB次元官网网址檙e just going about their business and youB次元官网网址檙e just lucky enough to get a little peep into their world.B次元官网网址�

READ ALSO:

EDITORIAL:

RELATED: B次元官网网址�

editor@nanaimobulletin.com
Like us on and follow us on