‘Very unique’: Pod of killer whales spotted rubbing belly on rocks off B.C.’s Sunshine Coast
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A group of orcas surprised people on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast by swimming close to shore and rubbing their bellies on rocks.
Ryan Chillibek lives in Gibsons, across Howe Sound from West Vancouver, and on January 2 he heard that killer whales were swimming at Secret Beach Park.
He ran out the door to try to catch a glimpse of them.
Chillibek said, “Luckily, I happened to be in the right place at the right time and I got an amazing show.”
A group of people formed on the beach, silently watching a pack of orcas swim back and forth for 20 minutes just a few feet from shore.
“I picked my jaw up off the floor, it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Chillibek said.
According to Jared Towers, executive director of Bay Cytology, the group of whales have been identified as North Resident Killer Whales (NRKW) and the A5 pod, which consists of three distinct families.
“Among all the different killer whale populations around the world, there are only a few pairs that have been observed behaving like this,” Towers said.
“It’s very special, very unique, it’s not that common.”
The pebbles on the beach should be perfect for the Northern Resident Killer Whales to use, and the A5 pod is known to prefer the pebbles of the Sunshine Coast.
“They’re the only ones who know these places and use them,” Towers said.
Rubbing their bellies against smooth rocks feels good to the whale and may aid in exfoliation.
“Killer whales have very active skin, so their skin is loose all the time, these smooth pebbles like their bodies rubbing on rocks can help speed up their shedding,” Towers said.
Community unites over whale sighting
Chilliwack would not have known about the whale if it were not for a local Facebook group that shares information about whale sightings.
“I’m probably the number one orca fan in the world, so it’s definitely a big deal to me,” Chillibek said.
He became fascinated by how marine mammals moved through the water.
Chillibek said, “How big they were when they were swimming… I think that was probably one of the things I’ll take with me the most.”
Glenda Sewards runs a Facebook group in the hopes of sharing the views so everyone can enjoy them.
“Then everyone in the community will have a chance to see these magnificent creatures,” Sewards said.
He formed the group more than 10 years ago after watching whales from his back deck in Langdale.
“It’s really not that (much) work, to see the community loving it and getting so excited about it is more gratifying than anything else,” Sewards said.
