Goliaths vs. Goliaths: Orcas and Humpback Whales Clash in Tense Salish Sea Encounter

VICTORIA, BC & SEATTLE, WA - September 30, 2022 - The Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) witnessed a rare event unfold on Thursday as a large group of Bigg’s (transient) orcas and pair of humpback whales harassed each other during a dramatic hours-long encounter.

The incident began shortly after 11:00 AM near the US/Canada border in the Juan de Fuca Strait, roughly 25 miles (40 km) west of Victoria, BC and Port Angeles, WA. Crew members with Eagle Wing Tours were the first to locate a group of approximately 15 killer whales being unusually active at the surface. Not long afterward, another whale watcher, Captain Jimmy Zakreski of BC Whale Tours discovered likely cause of the orcas’ excitement - two humpback whales in their midst. According to observers who came and went throughout the day, the encounter included an astonishing three hours of breaching, tail-slapping, and loud vocalizations before all of the whales disappeared into the fog, keeping the final outcome of the melee a mystery.

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around it because it was absolutely unbelievable”, says Mollie Cameron, captain and naturalist for Sooke Whale Watching on south Vancouver Island. “At first the orcas seemed to be chasing the humpbacks, but then when it seemed there was space between them, the humpbacks would go back toward the orcas.”

PWWA naturalists identified some of the orcas as the T109A’s, T233, and the T252’s, a group more frequently encountered on the outer coast. The humpback whales involved were identified as BCX1948 “Reaper” and BCY1000 “Hydra”. Reaper is at least 4 years old and has been matched to winter breeding grounds off Jalisco, Mexico. Hydra, an adult female, has been matched to breeding grounds off Maui, Hawaii where she’s given birth to at least three calves in her lifetime.

Bigg’s orcas feed on marine mammals such as seals, sea lions, and porpoises, although they occasionally hunt larger prey like humpback whales. While the PWWA has not documented any fatal orca attacks on humpback whales in the Salish Sea, with the number of both Bigg’s orcas and humpback whales in the region increasing, they believe interactions between the adversaries may become more common.

Whale watchers hope to relocate the two humpback whales involved in Thursday’s encounter before the whales swim south for their annual winter migration. Orcas do not migrate and can be seen at any time of year.

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