Nature Photography by Martin Ryer

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As it turned out, one of the Humpback Whales I photographed on August 31st while on tour with Campbell River Whale & Bear Excursions was previously undocumented according to Marine Education and Research Society. As the first person known to document this whale, I was asked to suggest nicknames based on this Whale’s distinctive features like the square shape in the trailing edge of her tail. I chose “Peggy” as a reference… Read More

One of the best things about being a nature and wildlife photographer, is setting out with an idea and ending up with something completely different, unexpected or even better than what one had hoped for. On August 31st, I headed out with Nick Templeman from Campbell River Whale & Bear Excursions from the Discovery Harbour Marina, leaving the dock at about 8:30am. It didn’t take us long to find Humpback Whales. In… Read More

In April of 2020, I paddled out and camped on Penn Islands Southwest – It’s all about the view. Like last time, I launched out of Coulter Bay on Cortes Island but I hoped to camp somewhere different, this time on Penn Islands North. Due to ferry scheduling, I left at a low tide which is not ideal at Coulter Bay. It’s a great place to launch and land at a mid… Read More

On June 23rd, I sat down for an interview with reporter Alanna Kelly to discuss Humpback Whales and the pictures I captured on the 18th. You can watch the interview and read the article here.

Less than a month later, on June 18th, I got back out on the water with Wild Waterways Adventures. I’m thinking my 2024 calendar might feature Humpback Whales? These images were created in Sutil Channel, very near the Penn Islands. My friends from Marine Education and Research Society will be helping me to ID who this Humpback was.

Renowned for their size and abundance, coastal Black Bears thrive in the lush coastal rainforests of Vancouver Island. Here the Black Bears have the opportunity to live a long and good life. Feeding on extremely nutritious food sources such as Salmon help these coastal giants to grow very large, often reaching 7 feet and weighing 400 plus pounds.

FEATURED ON GLOBAL BC! 😁👍 BC Marine Trails president Paul Grey explains how our organization works to secure long term public access to the BC coast. Watch the news clip here.

It didn’t take us long to find the T002C’s in Desolation Sound on October 8th. What we weren’t expecting is for them to be logging for nearly 3 hours. (Sleeping.) We waited it out, hoping that they would go on a hunt and that’s exactly what they did, taking down a porpoise or two on the southside of Mink Island. Be sure to get out on the water next season with my… Read More

Between July 15th and 19th, I had the honor and privilege to paddle and camp with BC Marine Trails President, Paul Grey. We explored a stretch of coastline east of Telegraph Cove, all the way down to the boundary of Robson Bight. We also crossed the strait and spent a morning out at the Sophia Islands which was truly an idyllic location and one that I definitely recommend visiting. The weather and… Read More

Humpback flukes can be up to 18 feet wide, with a serrated “trailing edge” (the end of the flukes at the farthest end of the whale), and pointed tips.