Stranded dolphins return safely to sea near Qualicum Beach

A pod of Pacific white-sided dolphins stranded for hours in a tidal pool near Qualicum Beach on Saturday returned safely to deeper waters with the evening tide, as federal officials monitored the scene and kept onlookers at a distance.

Comox Valley wildlife photographer Nick Thornton was already heading down island for a photography assignment when his whale locator app alerted him to the unusual scene.

“At first I wanted to go down and see if I could lend a hand if they were getting to a point where they were going to be beached or stranded, and then secondary just to document it,” Thornton said.

When he arrived around midday, Thornton found about 15 dolphins confined to a shallow tidal pool after the tide receded.

“The pool was deep enough,” he said. “They didn’t look like they were going to get stranded, and there weren’t too many signs of distress.”

The dolphins surfaced quietly throughout the afternoon as beachgoers gathered along the shoreline to watch.

Thornton said Fisheries and Oceans Canada staff were already on scene managing the area and ensuring people stayed back from the animals.

The wildlife photographer, who frequently documents marine life around Vancouver Island, said the encounter was unlike anything he had witnessed before.

“Typically, when I see Pacific white-sided dolphins, they’re out in the open ocean and they’re fast-moving animals,” Thornton said. “It was definitely discouraging to see them all bunched up in a small pool and in a bit of an unfortunate situation. But I’m happy I was there to document it.”

In a statement, Fisheries and Oceans Canada said its marine mammal response team responded to reports of 15 Pacific white-sided dolphins trapped in shallow water near Qualicum Beach on May 16.

The department said the dolphins became isolated during low tide in water about one metre deep.

“At approximately 6:15 p.m., after about 12 hours, the dolphins successfully crossed the sandbar and returned to deeper waters on their own,” the statement said.

Thornton later learned the pod had safely made its way back into the Strait of Georgia.

“Just thankful that they were OK,” he said.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is reminding the public that marine mammals are protected under Canada’s Marine Mammal Regulations, which prohibit disturbing whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

The department says people must remain at least 200 metres away from resting marine mammals or those with calves and at least 100 metres away from other whales, dolphins, and porpoises.