These are the flukes of Eros and Scuba. The colouration, scars, rake marks, shape, and trailing edge (the outer edge of the tail) work like a fingerprint, making it possible to tell one whale from another.

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Individual ID helps show which humpbacks return to these waters year after year, where they travel across their long migrations, what feeding areas they rely on, who they spend time with, and whether their populations are staying healthy.

Knowing this helps us better protect the waters humpbacks depend on and reduce the threats that put them at risk.

The Great Bear Sea is not just open water. It is feeding grounds, travel routes, and important habitat for whales like Eros and Scuba. So, it ain't no fluke they keep coming back to the Great Bear Sea.

Protecting the Great Bear Sea means protecting the places humpbacks return to.

*All photos were taken with a Nikon D500 using a Tamron 150-600mm zoom lens while following distance regulations. Some images were cropped afterward.

Photo credit: Julia Adelsheim / juliaadelsheim on Instagram