This past weekend proved to be an active one for the killer whales traveling by Vancouver Island!
At around 2 p.m., on Sunday, February 18th—which happens to be World Whale Day—a member company of the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA), Prince of Whales Whale Watching, was conducting a tour from Victoria when they spotted something spectacular!
The captain, Mark Malleson, was able to snap a shot of Bigg’s killer whale T060E, otherwise known as Lynx (born in 2008), as he bobbed next to an evidently thrilled couple standing on the Ogden Point Breakwater.
“I’m in year 28 [with the PWWA] now, I’m pretty blessed to do this and still love it,” Malleson told Victoria Buzz.
“I would love to know how many times I’ve hit the shutter…we’re talking hundreds of thousands of photos…but I always make them count.”
At the time of the photo, they were roaming up and down near Ogden Point, watching both Lynx, who you see in the photo, and his brother Onca (T060D).
“I always get excited when the killer whales come to that spot [at Ogden Point], people and whales, it’s just perfect. The expressions and excitement you get is unbeatable.”
The PWWA is hoping that they can find the couple in the photo and give them the capture of such an incredible memory for them.
The lucky Ogden Point viewers weren’t the only ones treated to a show this weekend—many photos and videos have been surfacing, detailing the excitement!
The PWWA is an ecotourism association made up of 30 member companies—each dedicated to conservation, responsible wildlife viewing as well as educating visitors on these miraculous animals.
The two brothers in particular have been keeping it fairly local this year, never roaming too far from the island as they grow more and more comfortable to the familiar waters.
If you wish to get involved with the PWWA, you can visit their website to find out how you can help. And if you know the couple in the photo, make sure to send them this story!
