Whale Point

The T069As and T069Ds killed a sea lion today in Whale Channel. Thank you to Donald Reece for the report, it was so very nice to see T069A2 continue to thrive within his family. He is the young male male who beached himself on a rock in Squally Channel back in 2015.

Yesterday in Taylor Bight, an amazing close visit from a group of Fin Whales!

A34s in Taylor Bight this morning.

Here is a short little video showing what it is like when listening to live whales at Whalepoint. Always amazing to listen to the beautiful acoustics of the A30s. Each resident Orca matriline has it's own unique dialect. We have researched whales for more than two decades and are able to recognize the different families just by listening to their calls.

The A30s came for a visit into Taylor Bight this morning. So amazing to see them all! The picture shows A72.

Last night was very special in the Lab. We had at least two groups of resident Orca (A34s and an A4 group) vocal on our local hydrophone for at least a couple of hours. Due to our limited internet bandwith we can only share a small portion of it. It was a magical night here... Enjoy!

On June 6th we saw part of the A35 NRKW matriline in Campania Sound without seeing the matriarch A35, her calf and her son A77. The whales were heading south at the time. We were a bit worried but thought maybe they were travelling ahead of the group and we just missed them. Then around midnight we heard their calls on our hydrophone in Taylor Bight briefly and the following morning we found A35, her calf and A77 right outside Hartley Bay, at the time they were travelling south in Douglas Channel. No sign of the other members even though we had excellent sighting conditions. This is the first time that we have witnessed the A35s travelling apart from each other over a long distance. It will be interesting to see if they are reunited when we see them again. The picture shows A77.

Transient Orca in Whale Channel, the T55s and T139s travelling together in a loose resting line close to the Gil Island shore.

A beautiful weekend at Whalepoint. Saw a Fin Whale, listened to resident Orca (C or Dpod) and listened to the chatter of Pacific white sided dolphins both nights.

An early morning delight, a mother humpback whale and her calf decided to breach in Taylor Bight. Land-based whale research at its best!

Yesterday on our way back to Hartley Bay, we were very fortunate to see the A34s in Wright Sound. They were spread out over miles in the Sound but we were lucky to get a good look at A55 and A34 herself, which the attached picture shows.

Dear friends of Whalepoint. Please consider helping out Annika to continue her valuable work with us. She has dedicated the last four years to help better understand the population dynamics of whales in our research area and has become an important member of our team. You can help her financially by following this link: https://www.fundmytravel.com/campaign/9rrikAYzSc

Covid-19 has certainly an impact on the research season here at Whalepoint. The volunteer project was cancelled which means we won’t be able to have as many dedicated land-based scanning hours for whales as in previous years. However, we will step up as a family and will do our best to understand the abundance and movements of whales in this area. We have witnessed an early season arrival of 3 humpback mom/calf pairs already which is amazing. We had Fin whale sightings also, including a rare sighting of a Fin Whale travelling close with a Humpback whale right in front of the Lab, andlast night around 1am we started to hear resident Orca calls on the hydrophone. A4s!!! Perhaps Springer has just arrived.We will keep you posted.

Resident Orcas!!! The A43s and A61/85 with A85s new calf headed south past Hartley Bay this evening. Very spread out through lower Douglas Channel. They headed south towards Wright Sound. The picture shows A61.

CetaceaLab, aka Whalepoint, is a land based whale research facility located in the territory of the Gitga’at First Nation on Gil Island, British Columbia, Canada. We are now accepting applications for the 2020 field season from May until the end of September. All positions are for a minimum of 4-8 weeks in duration. There is a weekly fee for food. These are volunteer/intern positions to help with the collection of visual and acoustic data on the habitat use and abundance of ...northern resident/transient Killer whales, Humpback whales and Fin whales. Due to our extreme remote location, applicants need to be in good physical condition, able to participate with the daily routine of living off the grid and comfortable sleeping in a tent in the wilderness of BC. You must be fit without any physical injuries. There are no roads, very limited Internet access, very limited medical service and power is completely off the grid. - Daily shifts involve scanning for whales, documenting all sightings and when possible take identification pictures of whales - Listening and recording all whale vocalizations that are transmitted to the lab facility from our network of hydrophone stations - Data entry from land based and marine vessel based surveys - Identification work of all whales from photographs taken in the field. There will also be a lot of heavy lifting and moving over uneven terrain, chopping wood ( our only source of heat) and assistance with the physical maintenance of hydrophone stations. Experience with carpentry, electronics, IT, social media, website building and environmental communications would be a valuable asset. Interested applicants should send a letter describing why they would like to join our team, CV and letter of reference to: [email protected] References will be contacted. More information about our research can be found at: www.whalepoint.org All the Best and Good Luck, Hermann Meuter

After a pretty grim morning with strong winds and limited visibility, a group of five humpbacks appeared yesterday afternoon and treated us to quite the show: a series of breaches, bubble net feeding and a wave-like pec slap as they surfaced travelling past the lab. So often here on quiet days, when there does not appear to be much happening, whales will come along out of the blue and surprise us with something magical. Freya from the UK ... #whalepoint #whales #cetacea #cetacealab #pacificwhalesociety #gitgaat #gitgaatterritory #bc #beautifulbc #westcoast #westcoastbestcoast #explorebc #humpback #seeablowgoslow #whaleseason

We had the chance to spend time on Gil Island and be away from a reality that is dictated by the Covid-19 pandemic. To our delight, we heard faint transient calls on Thursday morning and shortly after we saw blows towards Kyel. We went out in our boat and saw a group of Orcas on the west side of Ashdown Island. It was the T023Cs, heading north towards Squally Channel on a beautiful, sunny morning.

Starting the day with a smile! Yesterday morning we had the T073’s coming into Taylor Bight. This is the second time in the last four weeks that we had this group close to the lab. It was an extraordinary view: Transients in front of us, the moon still shining bright when the sun started to rise above the mountains, filling the sky with shades of orange and pink. The water was like a mirror and the silence was broken only by the blows of the orcas. A beautiful invitation to ...a new day! - Annika #whalepoint #orca #cetacea #cetacealab #pacificwhalesociety #gitgaat #gitgaatterritory #bc #beautifulbc #westcoast #westcoastbestcoast #explorebc #seeablowgoslow #whaleseason

I had made it a mission in my mind that morning to capture one of these humpback whales on our newly placed underwater camera. The day was perfect for it - the whales were being playful just in front of the lab and the water seemed about as clear as it can be! I kept the attempts up to no avail but finally a perfect opportunity traveled our direction. I hurried to the camera controls and began panning and tilting it into directions I thought would reveal this humpback. Just ...when I thought I had missed my chance once again it appeared! I snapped screenshots frantically while hollering my excitement. No, I did not cry but I sure did curse a bit. Our first known capture of a humpback whale on the underwater camera is another way that Whale Point shows me that you can do anything you set your mind to! - Chandra from Kansas #whalepoint #whales #cetacea #cetacealab #pacificwhalesociety #gitgaat #gitgaatterritory #bc #beautifulbc #westcoast #westcoastbestcoast #explorebc #humpback #seeablowgoslow #whaleseason

T73, T74 and T73D surprised the crew in the Lab about an hour ago with a very sudden and extremely close visit. Chandra, our volunteer from Kansas, was lucky to see them out of the corner of her eyes from the inside of the Lab. The three transient Orca passed them just meters away from the shore, leaving our volunteers standing in awe of these amazing marine mammal hunters. The whales continued towards Whale Channel following the shoreline. It was an encounter of a lifetime for everybody in the Lab! Land based whale research at its best! The picture shows T074.

Today was a very special day at Whalepoint. We deployed an underwater camera in front of the Lab, giving us a glimpse of the life below the ocean’s surface in Taylor Bight. Only 90 minutes after the camera was installed, a group of ten humpback whales came close to the Lab, almost close enough to be captured on the camera. I am sure we will be able to record a lot of beautiful images over the next few months that we can share with you. A huge thank you to George Fisher for the help with the dive, Ian McAllister (Pacific Wild) for loaning us the camera and the amazing crew at Whalepoint.

The last few days have been some of the most whale intense days in all of the 18 years since we started our research at Whalepoint. Land based visual sightings of more then 40 humpback whales, fin whales and a group of resident Orcas (A42s), acoustically bubblejet feeding calls, social calls, fin whale pulses and Orca calls together in a single recording. The waters of Gitga'at territory are vibrantly alive with cetaceans....it's a kind of magic!

As a kid and really to this day I wondered how our planet looked before us, or even only a couple hundred years ago, before the coral reefs were dying, sharks got tangled in fishing nets, whales were hunted to almost extinction and the sky was so clear you could see the milky way no matter where you were A picture says more than a thousand words and this one just shows what an amazing place I have have the pleasure to be working in how whales are in their purest form, care...less and fearless from us humans, just as it should be. This Humpback was being so playful only meters away from me, rolling around its-self, diving and coming up in the same place checking us out. The water was so clear I could see her whole body, those pectoral fins where larger than me and her curiosity pointing my way makes me wonder what she is thinking, how on earth do they notice our presence? I’m such a small body in the middle of a bunch of rocks Yesterday night we were sleeping on the deck and blows woke me up in the middle of the night. I opened my eyes and I saw for the first time in my life the Milky Way, so bright upon me and today, next to this trustful whale, I realized that this is it, the closest I’m gonna be from seeing that untouched world before us. See more

Who would have thought that in just a few hours, one circumnavigation of Gil Island, we would see 40 whales! Whale Channel lived up to its name yesterday: we saw 5 fin whales and 21 humpbacks, some resting, some breaching! Almost back to Whale Point, we spotted a bubble net feeding group on the Campania shoreline and we witnessed humpbacks coordinating their movements and feeding together. It was a breathtaking end to a beautiful day on survey! #humpback #bubblenetfeeding #finwhale #whalepoint #cetacealab #pacificwhalesociety #seeablowgoslow #gitgaat #beautifulbc

The day is finally here. Our NEW website is up. Check it out at: https://www.whalepoint.org

What was already an exciting morning of fishing salmon along Campania shoreline - we caught five fish one after another! - transformed into us witnessing a beautifully coordinated bubble net feeding group of Humpback Whales. As we saw the distant blows along the shoreline, one-by-one each gentle giant emerged from the sea passing beside our boat with a resonating blow. Wow, we were in the magical presence of ten Humpback Whales! We sat in silence scanning the calm water for... their next move, when we started hearing their melodic feeding calls transmitting through the hull. Surrounding us was a school of herring visible on the sounder and the meal of choice for both the salmon we were fishing and this large group. The Humpback Whales’ bubble net feeding calls, which sound quite long at first, increase in intensity until they reach the surface. From a probable reaction of fear, the school of herring will form a tighter and tighter ball which is exactly what the whales want. As they arrive at the surface gulping down water, it fills and expands their throat pleats with their prey inside. Afterwards, they push the unnecessary water out by contracting their throat pleats and using their tongue so only the herring remains. Along the Pacific Northwest coast is one of the few places in the world where you can witness this awe-inspiring, coordinated feeding event. Humpback Whales will feed and travel together in this established social group, which has been noted with more than a dozen whales. How lucky were we to be able to listen to Humpback Whales’ feeding calls that echoed throughout their underwater world and witness their power, strength, and beauty that comes from their gathering in large numbers? Another blessed morning at Whale Point - Amanda from Arizona #majestichumpback #bubblenetfeeding #whalepoint #cetacealab #pacificwhalesociety #beautifulbc

It is 5:30 am, I am getting into a kayak and departing towards the York peninsula of the Gil Island. First I am passing by the eagle’s nest on my left, then the rocks exposing thousands of barnacles. It is a low tide, thus the mystical smell of the underwater world of the intertidal zone surrounds me as I paddle through the misty morning. When already far from the lab, which is currently looking at my back, suddenly I find myself listening to a blow of some distant marine mam...mal, most probably of some large baleen whale, I desperately believe. Immediately I am slowing down the kayak, so I could treat myself with absolute calmness and silence. Yet seconds later, I don’t hear anything but the morning songs of birds. At that very moment my thoughts are directed towards one single wish asking Mother Nature to bring the nearby cetacean close to me. Deep in thoughts, looking up to the morning sky that is showering my face with light rain, I suddenly realize a nearby harbour seal is watching me the entire time. For a while we are looking into each other’s eyes, both curious and amazed. When all of a sudden I hear another blow - a massive blow. Turning my head towards north I explore an enormous torso of a distant fin whale, blowing three more times and disappearing into the great depths underneath. Although I had no chance to see in which direction she’s going, I decide to stay still and as silent as possible, leaving myself only with the sound of my heartbeat. Then, not even five minutes later, I witness something truly life-changing. Something that will stay imprinted in my memory for the rest of my days - a picture of this gentle giant, second largest of all, breaking the mirroring surface of the Pacific right in front of my eyes. It is almost unbelievable how this fifty ton animal of pure flesh and blood, yet extraordinary mind, is capable of maneuvering with such ease. Left speechless with eyes and mouth opened wide, I am staring at the mass, sensing the power, sensing her awareness of me, feeling the infinity of the moment. Even now, hours later, I can still feel the vibration that traveled through the water surface and the kayak - my heart and soul, both forever changed. - Petr from the Czech Republic #finwhale #whalepoint #cetacealab #pacificwhalesociety #kayakadventures #letthewhalecometoyou #whenspeciesmeet #magicmoments #exploremore #beautifulbc

Petr and I were on our first kayaking adventure together, enjoying true silence and mirror-like calm sea within Taylor Bight, right in front of the lab. From a distance we heard a blow, but we could not see where it was coming from. Blow by blow this humpback whale showed itself and appeared to be traveling along the shoreline in front of the lab. We chose to reposition our kayak towards the center to ensure we would not be interfering with her path. If she wanted to come our... way, it would be her choice. The next time she surfaced, we saw her heading DIRECTLY for us! Both of our jaws dropped as we slowly see this behemoth of an ancient animal rise out of the depths with a booming blow that left us both speechless. As we stayed in our tiny plastic kayak feeling the support of the ocean beneath us, this humpback whale was in her element and her powerful presence was felt. When she surfaced again, she chose to rest about FOUR METERS from our kayak and calmly breathe. Instead of continuing her travels or diving under us, she was curious and paused to check us out. We stayed petrified - at a loss of words, of breath, of heartbeat - as we left our bodies and our souls were only present in that moment. After MINUTES of her resting at the surface, she surprised us in the most unexpected way. This majestic humpback took a deep exhale blow and LIFTED HER FLUKE OUT OF THE WATER straight up, turned it sideways, and came back down with a splash. At that moment, I fully realized that I was in her kingdom, her ocean and here we are at the mercy of her yet she did not harm us. She chose to have this connection with us. For both Petr and I, it was a perfect, transformative encounter that can be best described as awestruck. - Amanda from Arizona #forevergrateful #whalepoint #cetacealab #pacificwhalesociety #majestichumpback #kayakadventures #magicmoments #whenspeciesmeet #letthewhalecometoyou #beautifulbc

My first night in the lab was REALLY exciting! It began with an extraordinary encounter! I was recording Humpback calls and I was listening to them with headphones on. Suddenly Amanda came in she was very excited! There was a whale close by! We went out on the deck and I could hear a deep sound. It echoed in the bay in complete, magic silence. Amanda and I were staring at the water And then it happened! The body of a Humpback whale broke the surface right in front of the ...lab! I stood above on the deck and could see right into his big blowhole, opening up for a second and then closing for a dive again. Peter and Eilidh were sitting on the rocks next to the water and I heard only their Wooow!. All of us were almost paralyzed from seeing this whale so close. It seemed like we could almost touch it! My heart was beating so much! I kept looking for the whale, hoping it would come up again I could still hear it, almost like a buzzing in the air. The full moon rose behind the mountains and I listened to feeding calls, grunts and other interesting noises on the hydrophone until 1:30 am feeling very connected to these whales! After an hour of sleep I woke up because of a new call from the underwater hydrophones and I started to record again until my shift began with scanning the bay and looking for whales at 5am, so my night’s sleep was quite short. Sleepless in Whale Point what a wonderful experience! Steffi from Germany/Denmark #whalepoint #whales #cetacea #cetacealab #pacificwhalesociety #gitgaat #gitgaatterritory #bc #beautifulbc #westcoast #westcoastbestcoast #explorebc #humpback #seeablowgoslow #whaleseason See more

An incredible afternoon spent with three northern resident Orca matrilines, the A42s, A61/85 and R22s. They made their way playfully north from Caamano Sound to Whale Channel. Thanks to George Fisher for the initial sightings report.

Before I came to Whale Point, I had never seen or even heard a Fin whale in my life before. Until this unforgettable morning, only days after I arrived I woke up in the middle of the night laying in my tent really close to the bay. And although I’ve never experienced a Fin whale blow before, I just knew in this moment: It is a Fin whale!!! I got out of my tent. It was completely dark. I took a deep breath of the pure, fresh air and there the whale blowed again! It was SO c...lose by! It was overwhelming for me, every blow I heard felt like it entered directly deep into my body. It seemed like a sound from ancient times and as if I remembered it as a well known sound, which made me feel like home. I felt connected with nature, with the whole universe The next day the interns in the lab would encounter another Fin whale in Taylor Bight. I wasn’t on shift but just joining the others outside on the deck and looking through my binoculars filled me with excitement. Then I heard a sound from the hydrophone I have never heard before. And again I knew it in the first moment: This was the underwater sound of a Fin whale. Was this a Fin whale pulse? I asked the others. They nodded and we kept listening to the recording of the pulses, which came in a rhythm of about 10 min. The pulses were like a sound from another world! Hermann has described it before as the sound of a Star Wars sword. This sound really hooked me! Just pure magic. It was extraordinary to come in contact with the ‘outer sounds’ (blow) AND the ‘inner sounds’ underwater (pulses). I was speechless! I was just enjoying and realizing that these creatures are much bigger than a human brain can realize. What a gift to be here on Gil Island and to witness these amazing whales from our land based lab! Written by Steffi from Germany/Denmark #whalepoint #whales #cetacea #cetacealab #pacificwhalesociety #gitgaat #gitgaatterritory #bc #beautifulbc #westcoast #westcoastbestcoast #explorebc #seeablowgoslow #whaleseason #finwhale #finwhalepulses #wildlife #nature #listeningtowhales #magicmoments

There they were, two of them! A female at first, and then the male. I didn’t need binoculars to that it was, which was perfect. I stood in awe for quite a few moments, still in that state of semi-unconsciousness, unaware of anything but them. A rush of emotions passed through me as I realized that I was finally here, finally with them. I’d spent my whole life dreaming of this moment, I finally had it. It could have ended there for me and I would have been perfectly pleased, b...ut this was about to become another dream in itself. Discussion began of who would go on the boat. I thought how neat that we can even do this. There are quite a few of us interns here so I thought very little of me as a choice for the one or two who would get to go. As it turns out, I was a prime candidate, having never seen a whale in my life until this day. According to the others, I was going. I followed the other two, carefully watching their moves along the rocks so that I could mimic them without any missteps. Away we went and within moments there she was again. The camera whirred as Annika snapped ID photos. Hermann confirmed that it was I13, my first orca! Oh, she was beautiful! Each time she would surface my eyes would well up with that emotion again. We followed her for a bit and I never took my eyes off of her, completely transfixed. The body, the blows, the motion The distance between us grew subtly apart but I remained with her until a tap and the words, straight ahead broke me from my trance. We were leaving her to approach the male! He was slicing the water sideways in a tight circle, his tall dorsal fin falling alongside him as he surfaced and plunged back under. I wanted to know what his actions meant but turning my head to speak wasn’t worth it. Learn later - Watch now! It was truly incredible. Soon after we were back with I13 traveling alongside her for some time before he came to join us on the other side. His distance to us closed and our speed steadied with his as that tug of emotions returned and finally that feeling they always bring me: I just want to hug him. - Chandra from Kansas #whalepoint #whales #seeablowgoslow #cetacealab #pacificwhalesociety #gitgaat #gitgaatterritory #bc #orca #beautifulbc #westcoast #westcoastbestcoast #explorebc #whaleseason See more

‘Waking up to the sound of Fin Whale blows, we had no idea how busy this day was gonna be. Humpbacks in sight and their calls on the hydrophone were present all day long. It’s amazing how everything can change in a heartbeat. The team was having dinner in the house and all of a sudden Petr heard a call from the speakers. Immediately silence filled the room - Annika and I, who were on shift, sprinted to the lab, grabbed the binoculars and saw this huge male Orca whose dorsa...l fin was taller than me! One moment you are having a delicious meal and the next moment you are jumping into the boat from the rocks! It’s overwhelming how small this majestic animals make you feel, it’s a sensation that cannot be described but only felt. I have been reading all these mindfulness books and freakin’ Paulo Coehlo was right: There is no past to regret or future to worry about. Just the present. Just you and this gentle giant casually fishing - that is truly the power of now! Indescribable, pure, raw nature and wilderness! Realizing how much one breath means to a whale and to us. Once we got back to the house, we were doing the dishes that got left behind. Suddenly we got a call from the lab saying that they could see Humpbacks breaching in the distance and a Fin Whale close to the lab. Second sprint of the day! We encounter this magnificent Fin Whale right in front of the lab making us once again feel so small next to the second largest mammal on earth. Such a memorable day that ended with a beautiful eagle flying above us’ Written by Marta, our new intern from Spain. #whalepoint #whales #cetacea #cetacealab #pacificwhalesociety #gitgaat #gitgaatterritory #bc #beautifulbc #westcoast #westcoastbestcoast #explorebc #finwhale #seeablowgoslow #whaleseason See more

The Cetacealab is an extremely unique place enabling to see things beyond one’s imagination. For example, today, when watching a playful humpback mother and her calf in front of our lab, we were lucky enough to encounter more of the extraordinary scenes of Nature’s rich repertoire. An eagle in flight right above our heads, giving us a curious (and a bit evil) look. I must say there is something truly magic about looking into an eagle’s eye. Seconds later it made a sharp maneuver and in a moment we could already see its cheerful take off from the calm, mirroring surface of the Great Bear Sea with a sweet reward - a chunky eel seized in its remorseless claws. What a supper!

Seeing this huge male breach was just incredible and very impressive!

We were very lucky to witness three spyhops all at once which was very emotional!

We had a very special encounter with a huge group of Orcas in Campania Sound yesterday! The group included the C10s, the R4s and the A43s! They were very spread out and while we were taking ID photos a fin whale showed up! Just seeing so many Orcas was amazing but then they started spy hopping and one of the males breached! It was a very magical experience! #whalepoint #whales #cetacea #cetacealab #pacificwhalesociety #gitgaat #gitgaatterritory #bc #beautifulbc #westcoast #westcoastbestcoast #explorebc #orca #residentorca #northernresidents #finwhale

Sometimes....sometimes you just have to be at the right place at the right time!

Orca, Orca, Orca What an incredible first half of this day! G-Clan calls started at 330am, they never really faded away and by 730am we spotted them in Campania Sound. Lots of whales, lots. Spread out in little groups travelling north towards Whale Channel. They eventually turned and headed back south, their calls still audible. About 30 whales were in the parade that left us all in total amazement. This is also the first day for my niece Annika since her return from Germany....coincidence? The picture shows G60, a large male from the G1 pod. We are still working on IDs, it may take a while.....

We had an extraordinary busy day yesterday with Orcas, acoustically and visually. We started hearing A4 calls at 0230am and ended up seeing the whales at 4am in the faint early morning light as they were travelling close by the Lab. The recording we got from them on our local hydrophone was amazing, with no boat noise. The A4s continued to stay in the area and by 8am we spotted them south of Kyel. We headed out in the boat to confirm which group was present. It turned out to be the A35s. All of them accounted for! A few hours later on our way north towards Hartley Bay, we were lucky to spot a transient Orca group, the T059s. A group that is very resident to this area. They were heading north at the time aiming for Lewis Pass.

Had an amazing early morning visit from the A42s this morning off Borde Island in Whale Channel. The whales were spread out at first heading south until they reached Redfern Point at 913am and then turned to head back north in Whale Channel. On their way back north they formed a resting line and favoured the Gil Island side.

This is T069A2!!! A young sprouting male transient Orca. A lot of you will remember this special whale. It was the whale who beached himself in Gitga'at territory back in 2015. He was travelling by Hartley Bay today with his mother and two siblings. It was amazing to see him again , and I am glad that he is doing so well!!!!

Yesterday, on our way back from Prince Rupert we were fortunate to see the A30s in upper Grenville Channel, near Baker Inlet. They were very energetic, the young juveniles and calves bunched up in a play group as they were travelling north. In the picture is A75, with her young calf surfacing close to her.

Marven Robinson gave a whale report early in the afternoon about a group of Orca in Douglas Channel off Old Town, southbound. We were lucky to see them outside of Hartley Bay, just before sunset. It turned out to be the A34s. The picture shows the matriarch of the pod, A34 herself.

A lucky encounter for us this morning just outside Hartley Bay. The A34s were heading south in Douglas Channel, spread out over the whole width of the channel. They looked very energetic and it felt good to have a resident Orca encounter this early in the year! The photo shows the adult male of the group, A55.

Volunteer Season 2019 CetaceaLab is a land based whale research facility located in the territory of the Gitga’at First Nation on Gil Island, British Columbia, Canada. We are now accepting applications for the 2019 field season from May until the end of September. All positions are for 4-8 weeks in duration. There is a weekly fee for food. These are volunteer/intern positions to help with the collection of visual and acoustic data on the habitat use and abundance of northern... resident/transient Killer whales, Humpback and Fin whales. Due to our extreme remote location applicants need to be in good physical condition, able to participate with the daily routine of living off the grid and comfortable sleeping in a tent in the wilderness of BC. There is a lot of hard physical work that will come with this position, you must be fit without any physical injuries. There are no roads, very limited Internet access, very limited medical service and power is completely off the grid. - Daily shifts involve scanning for whales, documenting all sightings and when possible to take identification pictures of whales - Listening and recording all whale vocalizations that are transmitted to the lab facility from our network of hydrophone stations - Data entry from land based and marine vessel based surveys - Identification work of all whales from photographs taken in the field There will also be a lot of heavy lifting and moving over uneven terrain, chopping wood ( our only source of heat) and assistance with the physical maintenance of hydrophone stations. Experience with carpentry, electronics, IT, social media, website building and environmental communications would be a valuable asset. Interested applicants should send a letter describing why they would like to join our team, CV and letter of reference to: [email protected] References will be contacted. More information about our research can be found at www.forwhales.org All the Best and Good Luck, Hermann Meuter See more

Humpback whales continue to reside in Gitga'at territory in large numbers even as we are getting closer and closer to winter. Most of them still spend their time around Gribbell Island, including many resident whales one of which is "Habit" who I came across the other day. I have attached a close up picture of her nasty injury, which has healed quiet well but serves as a constant reminder to slow our boats down when in the vicinity of whales....

I received an exciting text from my wife Christa, who saw a group of Orcas from the Hartley Bay ferry just about 30 minutes away from the village. The whales were heading towards Hartley Bay, so we wasted no time to get ready to head out in our boat to try and find the whales. The arriving dentist team joined us in out boat as well. We saw the Orcas just as we entered Wright Sound. They were spread out but it did not take us long to identify them as the A42s!!! It was wonderful to see them, especially to see for the first time the calf of A79. That tiny calf, still very much orange, was staying very close to its mom as the whales were heading east towards perhaps Whale Channel. Thanks to Hayden for taking ID pictures today, as the attached picture will show, she is getting very good at it.

This years volunteer season has come to an end. It was a very busy, yet exciting whale research season. New beginnings, improvements on all fronts and in the middle of all an amazing wedding that brought together family and friends to Gil Island. Thank you to ALL who gave their time, I am truly thankful!!! It is the team effort that makes Whalepoint thrive!

Yesterday we had a very busy but great day at Whalepoint. There were 3 fin whales and 3 humpback whales coming in our bay. All of them came very close to the lab, so we had the chance to take good ID-pictures. Sealions and Dall's Porpoises had also joind the place. And all of that happend in almost the same time! The humpbackwhales rested here for hours, before they suddenly started to breach - at least 6-7 times with a wonderful sunset-light in the backround! That was a breathtaking moment and definetly an amazing day and a great experience for us interns and volunteers!

Last night, starting at 3am we recorded the first Humpback Whale song of the season. It lasted for about an hour, fairly distant on our local hydrophone but still breathtakingly beautiful!!!

An incredible day on the water with whales in Gitga'at territory from Caamano Sound to Whale Channel! Resident Orca close to our out camp (R4s, A35 and Springer!) and then a group of 14(!) humpback whales feeding cooperatively in lower Whale Channel. I hope you enjoy the following pictures....

On a beautiful morning with early humpback and fin whales in Taylor Bight, we were lucky to see the R4s in Campania Sound on our way to do a crew change at our out camp in Caamano Sound.

The abundance of humpback whales is steadily increasing in Gitga'at territory, today we saw a feeding group of 10 whales in lower Squally Channel and on our way back home we came across two resting Humpback whales. They were both huge adults, one of which is Cross, a long time resident to this area and the other is a new whale that we did not recognize at all. Perhaps this is how it is done in whale society, an adult whale introducing a friend to its long time territory....

A young transient Orca passing by a group of sea lions close to shore. The sea lions were lucky to have escaped the chase, for now.....

Springer continues to spend time in Gitga’at territory. Today she was spotted by James Pilkington on the Roller Bay travelling north in Campania Sound with A56 and the A34s. The whales were spread out as they approached Whale Channel, then all formed a resting line for a few minutes before the A34s and A56 turned to the south and Springer continued north with her two offsprings. She is currently fishing in the entrance to Whale Channel while we listen to her calls and echolocation clicks on the hydrophone. Also today, the R5s were spotted by Giga’at guardians in Caamano Sound and a humpback whale feeding group was spotted as well.

SPRINGER IS BACK!!! with her two calves!!!! They were travelling south in Whale Channel on this beautiful sunny evening with A56 and the A42s. She was travelling in a tight group with her offsprings, allowing them to have a playful time together. It is always a highlight of the whole season to witness her continuous success story and her young family thriving.

A lone male Orca, T103, opened our encounter and as he slowly proceeded through Whale Channel, a group of 8-10 transient Orcas flew through the water trying to catch up to him. Quiet unusual of Bigg's the group formed by females and their offsprings (T59s) and 2 males, is very sociable and we often observed them nudging each other and coming close to the boat to inspect us. As the sun started to set covered by clouds, the water transformed in fluid steel where Orcas swiftly depart, continuing their endless journey.

The Lab resonates with sounds that seem to come from the outer space, but instead they come from the even more mysterious ocean. But this time, a gentle giant bursts the waters just meters away from the Lab with its explosive blow. As it passes, relentless and quiet, it baffles its viewers who remain captured by its titanic yet graceful size. We are only spectators in this wonderful and unpredictable place, that is Whale Points.... (Davide Lelong)

From this years CSJ student Hayden: "Last Saturday, May 19th, Hermann, my mother and myself set out to go seaweed picking out by the Wall islands, when we happened to come across the beautiful Residents Orcas A61 and A85. It was a perfect day for seeing Orcas, it was flat calm and it just so happened to be my mothers birthday. It was also very special for me because these two Orcas were the same whales that me and my brother had seen our first time at Whale Point three years ago."

Just before it got dark last night, the calls of northern resident Orca were heard in Taylor Bight. Faint at first but as the whales travelled with the incoming tide the calls got stronger. It soon became clear that we had the A34s visiting Gitga'at territory for the first time this year. Their calls were audible for about an hour....

A first transient orca encounter for our interns this year, this short write-up is from Kelly, a graphic artist from Toronto: .I quickly reached for the headphones. Was that what I thought it was? Orca calls? The rest of the team rushed into the Lab, confirming my suspicions. The calls became louder, closer. Transients! We soon located the group, 3 Orcas, an adult female, a juvenile and a calf. As we rushed to the boat, I crossed my fingers-please let them still be there W...e tracked the group for about 30minutes watching them travel up the channel, surfacing together, making their way west. At one point the two larger whales swam directly under the boat. Clearly visible through the green-tinted, sun lit waters swimming sideways investigating us too. I had dreamed about this moment for a long time. As we headed back to the Lab, I stared out into the open waters, quietly weaping, unable to contain the emotion over my first real Orca sighting. See more

Here is a beautiful experience by our dutch intern Damien: "....It's 6am. The water is calm, the temperature is low. As I scan along the surface of the water the silence is broken. A humpback whale spouting in the distance, but I can't see it just yet. I continue my scan...A second sound, the same whale, but much closer. As if its coming to me. The fact that it's just me and the one whale makes it an intimate and moving moment. This feeling took me by surprise, as I hadn't thought it would hit me like this...Two spouts simultaneously: another whale. I can't believe my luck as Hermann walks into the Lab...

The first day of the volunteer/intern season 2018 at Whalepoint! The team has already been blessed with an incredible humpback whale encounter very close to the Lab, here is what our new intern Elhe had to say about it:..."we came to Whalepoint yesterday and I was immediately struck by the beauty and magic of the island. Less then 24hrs after arriving we stood on the Lab deck in awe, as we watched a humpback whale appear right in front of us and breach 5 times. It's gigantic body bursting straight up and falling gracefully back into the water. It really is such a profound experience to be here, sharing this space with these incredible marine mammals."