Victoria is full of tourists in the summer, but one visitor stopped a lot of people in their tracks on Friday morning.
A transient orca was spotted in the Inner Harbour after 10 a.m..
It is believed to have been a 15-year-old male T065A2 known as Ooxjaa.
The Orca Conservancy says he is the eldest calf of Bigg’s Killer Whale T065A.
An employee at the Victoria International Marina along the Songhees Walkway spotted the killer whale as it arrived.
“We saw it coming into the harbour and we let everybody know,” said Mark Dayton.
“It just headed down into the Inner Harbour, turned around and headed right back out by our docks here.”
Ooxja was spotted several times by whale watchers in 2018, usually swimming with his mother and four siblings.
On August 1st, Vancouver Island Whale Watching reported seeing the pod near Salt Spring Island but Ooxjaa was not with them.
“Ooxjaa (T65A2), who normally travels with this pod was not with them today, so it’s possible that he is current looking for a mate.”
On Friday, he also appeared to be making a solo visit.
Bigg’s killer whales are found along the B.C. coast year-round and are always on the move as they look for prey. They are often seen in areas where seals are abundant.
A Bigg’s pod may travel up to 1,500 kilometres along the coast from Alaska to California. There are approximately 300 northern and southern residents and 225 transients in B.C./Washington waters.
CHEK News
