‘Unbelievable’ 70-foot long fin whale spotted off Vancouver Island

Mollie Cameron said fin whales have been documented in the Strait of Juan de Fuca a "handful" of times in the past 10 years, but seeing one is very rare.

A group of whale watchers got the sighting of a lifetime off the coast of Vancouver Island recently.

Mollie Cameron, a skipper with Sooke Coastal Explorations, said they had a group out on the water on June 28 and heard about a group of orcas off Sooke.

“We got a report that there was a fin whale a bit further west than where we are and the weather was not super cooperative, so we weren’t sure if we were going to make it over there, but the tide changed and the weather really calmed down and made it for the best experience for us,” she told Global News.

“We were really excited to see that animal.”

Cameron said the size of the fin whale was “unbelievable.”

“We see humpbacks pretty regularly here, but even in comparison to a humpback, it was just breathtaking to see that large of an animal, the second-largest animal in the world.”

Eagle Wing Tours, which also had a boat in the area, estimated the fin whale was 70 feet long.

According to IFAW, fin whales are only smaller than the blue whale.

When they are born, they weigh around 3,600 pounds and can average about 99,000 pounds when they are grown, according to the organization.

They are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Cameron said fin whales have been documented in the Strait of Juan de Fuca a “handful” of times in the past 10 years, but seeing one is very rare.

“To see a species you’ve never seen before, it’s just so exciting,” she said. “You’re not super familiar with seeing them, with their behaviour and it’s a learning experience and it’s really incredible to encounter an animal you’ve never seen before.”

The increase in whale sightings in the nutrient-rich waters of the Salish Sea is being attributed to conservation measures.

The last commercial whaling station in B.C. closed in 1967.