Mobile Menu

  • Destinations
    • Canada
      • British Columbia
        • Vancouver Island, B.C.
        • Okanagan
        • Lower Mainland, B.C.
        • Northern B.C.
        • Interior B.C.
        • Kootenays/Rockies
      • Alberta
      • Yukon
      • Northwest Territories
    • U.S.A.
      • Alaska
      • Washington
      • Oregon
      • California
    • West Coast Galleries
  • Experiences
    • Things To Do
    • Staycation Secrets
      • Canada
      • U.S.A.
    • Adventure
      • Adrenaline
      • Beaches
      • Biking
      • Camping
      • Fishing
      • Hiking
      • Hunting and Fishing
      • Rafting
      • Skiing
    • Sip & Savour
    • Family Activities
    • Indigenous Tourism
    • Travel Tips & Advisories
  • West Coast Galleries
    • Nature Photography
    • Wildlife Photography
    • Cityscapes
  • Contests
    • Quadra Island Boat Tour Contest
    • Vacay in Victoria Contest
    • Amateur Photographer of the Year!
    • Amateur Video Creator of the Year
  • About
    • The Armchair Traveller Newsletter
    • Explore our travel guides
    • Impressive West Coast
    • West Coast Partners
    • Join Our Team
    • Contact Us
    • Explore West Coast Traveller on TikTok
  • Search
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • TikTok Icon
  • Flickr Icon
  • Menu
  • Skip to left header navigation
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • TikTok Icon
  • Flickr Icon

West Coast Traveller

  • Destinations
    • Canada
      • British Columbia
        • Vancouver Island, B.C.
        • Okanagan
        • Lower Mainland, B.C.
        • Northern B.C.
        • Interior B.C.
        • Kootenays/Rockies
      • Alberta
      • Yukon
      • Northwest Territories
    • U.S.A.
      • Alaska
      • Washington
      • Oregon
      • California
    • West Coast Galleries
  • Experiences
    • Things To Do
    • Staycation Secrets
      • Canada
      • U.S.A.
    • Adventure
      • Adrenaline
      • Beaches
      • Biking
      • Camping
      • Fishing
      • Hiking
      • Hunting and Fishing
      • Rafting
      • Skiing
    • Sip & Savour
    • Family Activities
    • Indigenous Tourism
    • Travel Tips & Advisories
  • West Coast Galleries
    • Nature Photography
    • Wildlife Photography
    • Cityscapes
  • Contests
    • Quadra Island Boat Tour Contest
    • Vacay in Victoria Contest
    • Amateur Photographer of the Year!
    • Amateur Video Creator of the Year
  • About
    • The Armchair Traveller Newsletter
    • Explore our travel guides
    • Impressive West Coast
    • West Coast Partners
    • Join Our Team
    • Contact Us
    • Explore West Coast Traveller on TikTok
  • Search
You are here: Home / Travel / VIDEO: Watch 14 clips of a grey whale at play near Victoria

Cadboro Bay resident Gerald Graham shares videos of a recent grey whale visitor online in a bid to educate, learn more about the sea mammal. (Courtesy Gerald Graham)

VIDEO: Watch 14 clips of a grey whale at play near Victoria

March 3, 2022 //  by Christine van Reeuwyk

Share this:

A grey whale foraging in the waters off Greater Victoria lends itself to the growing land-based whale watching movement.

Saanich resident Gerald Graham has a longstanding interest in whales and waterways in general.

A watcher of shipping activity and whales in Haro Strait, Graham is a regular visitor to the Phyllis Park lookout atop Arbutus Road. While visiting there with his wife in mid-January, Graham came across a fellow from Gordon Head who told him about a grey whale hanging about in the waters near Glencoe Cove-Kwatsech Park.

He didn’t find it there but was alerted to one off Finnerty Cove a few days later.

He posted nine seconds of it to his YouTube channel and started seeking information.

It visited Haro Strait, visible from his favoured Phyllis Park viewpoint, so many times Graham made a 14-video playlist.

READ MORE: Whale Trail helps a Prairie girl spot whales from shore

He sees it as a fantastic educational opportunity for people to watch and enjoy from afar – but not interfere. Once he posted the sighting on the Facebook page Field Naturalists of Vancouver Island, teachers started bringing students out to see.

“It’s taken off. It’s become quite the pastime for people here in Gordon Head and Cadboro Bay to go out and see the whale and share where it is,” Graham said.

He shares his information and data with Fisheries and Oceans Canada as well as the U.S.-based Cascadia Research Collective. Neither could identify the animal as one listed among their databases. The American collective named it CRC 2440.

Whale watching from shore is growing in popularity, with a significant uptick during parts of the COVID-19 pandemic – when people couldn’t board boats in groups to go find wildlife at sea.

“They have dozens and dozens of sites that are official land-based whale watching sites,” Graham said.

READ MORE: Killer whales come close to shore in Nanaimo wild-coast spectacle

An online resource, The Whale Trail, includes a map pinpointing more than 100 sites on the coast from central B.C. to southern California to see whales, dolphins or other marine mammals from shore.

Phyllis Park isn’t among them, but the grey whale has been foraging in Haro Strait for seven weeks now and still little is known about its age, sex or overall health. Graham keeps doing his part, posting videos, sharing observations and documenting its appearances.

While the greys aren’t known to bond and travel in pods like the orcas do, Graham hopes CRC 2440 finds its way back to the Pacific and joins its cohort headed for Alaska as part of the annual migration.

“Meanwhile, it’s a cause for celebration.”

READ MORE: VIDEO: Humpback whales have play day in Vancouver Island waters

Plan your adventures throughout the West Coast at westcoasttraveller.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @thewestcoasttraveller. And for the top West Coast Travel stories of the week delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our weekly Armchair Traveller newsletter!

Share this:

Category: TravelTag: British Columbia Destinations, Canada, Grey Whales, Saanich, Things to Do in Vancouver Island, Wildlife

Related Posts

You may be interested in these posts from the same category.

Singletrack or cross-country, your 2-wheel Cariboo adventure starts here

Boasting a spectacular mix of rides, from steep mountain trails to epic cross-country routes, few…

Singletrack or cross-country, your 2-wheel Cariboo adventure starts hereRead More

World invited back to Parksville beach as sandcastles poised to make a return

Parksville Beach Festival Society has unveiled a list of seven teams and 15 individual sand…

World invited back to Parksville beach as sandcastles poised to make a returnRead More

UPDATE: Endangered American badger raising kits in Williams Lake

Brandi Magnus and her husband Jim McIntyre are grateful to be off from work, but…

UPDATE: Endangered American badger raising kits in Williams LakeRead More

Canadians hold nose at gas prices as they hit the road, skies once again

Even as gas prices hit record highs, Canadians are fanning out across the country for…

Canadians hold nose at gas prices as they hit the road, skies once againRead More

Holy haggis! 159th Victoria Highland Games Celtic Festival is back

It’s time to don your tartan, tune the bagpipes and warm up those haggis-hurling muscles:…

Holy haggis! 159th Victoria Highland Games Celtic Festival is backRead More

Kelowna Tasting Passport is your ticket to the city’s craft breweries

The Okanagan may be renowned for its wines, but more and more, there’s craft beer…

Kelowna Tasting Passport is your ticket to the city’s craft breweriesRead More

Go, baby, go! Baby Western Painted Turtles are emerging from their nests

By Janice Strong For Rocky Mountain Naturalists On Friday, April 29, the Rocky Mountain Naturalists…

Go, baby, go! Baby Western Painted Turtles are emerging from their nestsRead More

Washington hiking guide offers a new way to find accessible trails

Washington Trails Association The Washington Trails Association’s Hiking Guide has a new filter — one…

Washington hiking guide offers a new way to find accessible trailsRead More

Did you know TSA prohibits these items from being in your carry-on bag?

By Evan Santiago, The Charlotte Observer Going through the TSA line at U.S. airports comes…

Did you know TSA prohibits these items from being in your carry-on bag?Read More

Previous Post: « Clock ticking as charity $300,000 away from Vancouver Island eagle reserve dream
Next Post: Krewe of part-time Mukilteo pirates seize their flagship »

Primary Sidebar

Things To Do

Singletrack or cross-country, your 2-wheel Cariboo adventure starts here

May 16, 2022

World invited back to Parksville beach as sandcastles poised to make a return

May 15, 2022

UPDATE: Endangered American badger raising kits in Williams Lake

May 13, 2022

Canadians hold nose at gas prices as they hit the road, skies once again

May 13, 2022

Recent Posts

Singletrack or cross-country, your 2-wheel Cariboo adventure starts here

May 16, 2022

World invited back to Parksville beach as sandcastles poised to make a return

May 15, 2022

UPDATE: Endangered American badger raising kits in Williams Lake

May 13, 2022

Canadians hold nose at gas prices as they hit the road, skies once again

May 13, 2022

Footer

The West Coast Traveller has an immense social media footprint, with eight social media sites and and 125,000+ social followers.

Join us on social media and Join Our Community by sharing your stuff!

Get Inspired

News Media Groups

Black Press Media
Sound Publishing
Oahu Media Group
Alaska
Boulevard Magazines
Used.ca

Let’s Get Social

West Coast Traveller
I Love British Columbia
I love Alberta
I Love Yukon
I Love Northwest Territories
I Love Washington
I Love California
I Love Oregon
I Love Alaska

Visit Our Companion Sites

I Love Saskatchewan
I Love Manitoba
I Love Nunavut
I Love Ontario
I Love Quebec
I Love Newfoundland and Labrador
I Love Nova Scotia
I Love New Brunswick
I Love Prince Edward Island

Site Footer

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • TikTok Icon

Copyright © 2022 West Coast Traveller and · All Rights Reserved