Watch: Ferry passengers treated to unexpected humpback whale encounter in Horseshoe Bay

A group of humpback whales were spotted frolicking in the waters off Horseshoe Bay Oct. 13.

The waters of B.C.’s Horseshoe Bay are typically busy on long weekends, as ferries shuttle vacationers to and from the islands and boaters take their vessels out for final pre-winter spins, but the commotion Monday afternoon wasn’t caused by your average Thanksgiving Day traffic.

Onlookers lucky enough to be by the water Monday afternoon were treated to a rare sight, as a group of curious humpback whales splashed around the bay.

Jason Chisham was returning to Vancouver from Bowen Island on the 12:30 p.m. sailing when he encountered the group, marking the first time he had ever seen whales of any kind in the small, West Vancouver Bay.

“It was such a nice day, my family and I were up on the top deck just enjoying the sunshine,” he recalls.

It was when the ferry pulled into the bay, and the captain voiced told passengers to return to their vehicles, that Chisham’s wife thought she spotted a spout in the water out the corner of her eye. The couple lingered as all other passengers began making their way downstairs, hoping to catch a glimpse of a fin breaking the water’s surface.

Chisham, who is “always scanning the horizon” for marine life when aboard a ferry, said he knew there were whales in the area as he had spotted “a little spout” just off Bowen Island earlier that morning.

“All of a sudden, I heard a ‘woosh’ and we looked right beside us, and there were two whales swimming out of Horseshoe Bay,” he said.

“I’ve probably taken that ferry hundreds of times and I’ve never seen anything like that. It was really quite amazing to see.”

‘Really stunning to see’

Conscious they would be holding up other passengers, the couple watched the whales leave before eventually retreating downstairs to their car. As they paused on the lower level for “one more look” over the edge of the ferry, they noticed the creatures had returned, and were swimming towards the bay rather than away from it.

“As we looked into the bay, right in front of the gas bar and the Sewell’s Marina, that’s when the two of them surfaced together,” he says.

“It was really stunning to see, when they both came out at the same time and synchronized. It was pretty special.”

With the majority of the ferry’s passengers in their cars, Chisham says most people “had no idea” the unlikely visitors were frolicking in the waters beside them. The bystanders who were lucky enough to witness the encounter had “dropped everything” to watch in “complete awe,” Chisham says.

“It’s nice to see that people can still be just as amazed by nature,” he says.

“It was really, really impressive to see them so close and to see such big whales right in Horseshoe Bay, I think it’s very rare.”

According to BC Ferries, three humpback whales had been in the area, and the 1:25 p.m. sailing from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay was delayed by around 11 minutes as the crew waited for the trio to move safely through the bay.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the vessel remained in dock until the whales cleared the area,” BC Ferries said in a statement, Tuesday.

“It’s always a memorable moment when marine life makes an appearance and our crews take care to keep them safe and give them plenty of space.”

Reflecting on the experience, Chisham says the visit was made even more surprising by the whales’ apparent level of comfort. The group had been heading out of the bay before they changed course and returned, despite the boat traffic in the area. With two ferries in the bay, there had also been a substantial amount of sound, yet “they didn’t seem to be bothered by it,” he says.

Janie Wray, lead whale researcher and CEO of wildlife organization BC Whales, said the visitors were likely adult or sub-adult humpbacks that were drawn to the coast by B.C.’s flourishing herring and krill populations. Like bears preparing for winter, humpback whales store fat over the summer season to sustain them for months without food.

“Humpback whales are very keen and very focused on foraging because they’re about to migrate, either to Mexico or Hawaii, and when they get to that destination, they’re not actually able to feed for the whole of winter,” she says.

An uptick in sightings

Since commercial hunting was made illegal in the late 60s B.C. waters have witnessed a gradual return of prospering whale populations, and in recent years there’s been a particular uptick in sightings off the coast. Yet seeing whales enter Horseshoe Bay, especially humpbacks, is “a little unusual.”

While the whales seemed content in their visit, the tight, often densely populated bay is an area that poses significant risk of a strike and boaters should be extra cautious when visitors are in the region, says Wray.

“Humpback whales are not savvy around large or small vessels,” she says.

“When they are in the area people definitely need to slow down if they’re traveling by boat. Stay within 200 metres and show respect towards the whale.”

Wray says boaters should also be aware of the underwater noise their vessel can make, which can often interfere with a whale’s ability to find food.

“Just be aware of the fact that, if your boat does have an impact, stay at a distance, and go slow if you see a blow,” she says.

“We should celebrate the fact that we have humpback whales along the coast, and we should do everything we can to protect them, and to keep that recovery moving.”