Rare white orca seen again off Sooke
The rare white orca spotted off Sooke last weekend is sticking around.
For the second time in seven days, whale-watching operator Paul Pudwell photographed T046B1B, otherwise known as Tl’uk, in the waters off Sooke on Sunday.
The young whale, thought to be two years old, is part of a pod of Bigg’s transient killer whales.
Tl’uk comes from the Coast Salish Halq’eméylem word for moon.
The orca is not an albino, but has a condition called luecism, or a lack of natural pigments in its skin.
Tl’ik was photogrpahed by Pudwell’s Sooke Coastal Explorations last Sunday in the Strait of Juan de Fuca shipping lanes.
The young whale had previously been reported off the tip of Vancouver Island and in early August off the southeast coast of Alaska.
Pudwell said he was the first to photograph Tl’uk near Sooke in November 2018.
Only 10 orcas have been documented with the condition worldwide, and scientists believe Tl’uk is one of five living right now.
Tl’uk is pale white in colour over most of its body, with a darker shade near its head. The distinctive orca white patch behind its eye is clearly visible.
Little is known about any of the white whales because there are so few and they move quickly. Scientists believe the white orca may be at a disadvantage while hunting because their colouration might alert prey.
Pudwell said Tl’uk looked healthy when spotted this week.
He said transient killer whales can travel up to 160 kilometres a day and are always on the move hunting seals, seal lions and porpoises.
Meanwhile, Eagle Wing Tours says humpbacks have been gathering west of Victoria in what the whale-watching company is calling “Humpack Land.”
One evening last week, the company saw activity “that made our heads spin, with over 30 breaches and 100 tail lobs from different individuals.”