ADDRESS
Telegraph Cove
British Columbia V0N 3J0
HOURS
Open Year Round
CONTACT
AMENITIES
Boat Launch, Camping, Lodging, Picnic Facilities, Restrooms, Trails, Visitor Center, Wheelchair Accessible
Telegraph Cove is the gateway to one of the richest marine ecosystems in the world. The cold currents of the Broughton and Blackfish Archipelagos provide food and habitat for large and small marine creatures. These waters are used by marine animals for feeding, breeding, resting, overwintering and migrating.
Killer whales (or orcas) from the Northern Resident population return to this area each summer. These fish-eating orcas live in tightly bonded family groups called pods, and stay with their mothers their entire lives. Mammal-eating Bigg’s orcas frequent these waters as well.
Whale watching and killer whale research began here in the 1970s. Researchers learned to tell orcas apart by their saddle patches, dorsal fins and calls. The techniques pioneered here are used to study orcas around the world today.
Humpback whales, once hunted to near-extinction, are now commonly observed from spring to fall. Some individuals return to this area year-after-year, feeding on juvenile herring.
Dall’s porpoises, harbour seals and the world’s biggest sea lion species, Steller sea lions, can also be seen with great predictability.