Here are the back and front fluke shots of a female humpback whale that I photographed off Campbell River in British Columbia. Born in 2011, this whale is known as ‘Potamus’ by researchers and observers along the BC coast. In 2023, a year after this photo was taken, she returned to BC waters with a newborn calf in tow, her second – her first was born in 2021. Her new 2023 calf would have been born earlier in the year in the Hawaiian waters off Maui, which is known to be the location of Potamus’ wintering grounds and that year there were confirmed sightings of her off Kihei in February. Earlier this year she was again observed off Maui in February and seen again a little later in the year when she returned to BC with another new calf (note the 2 year pattern). So if you’re out on the water in Maui this winter, keep a good eye out and you never know, you might just see her or at least several others!
My thanks goes to ‘happywhale.com‘ were you to can find more information and sighting updates of known Pacific humpback whales should you wish.
