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Encounter Summary: 

Members of L pod, including the L12's, were found in the morning between Race Rocks and Sooke. They were pointed west at first but had turned around and had made it to east of Race Rocks by early afternoon. Tom and Jane Cogan, who had gone out earlier in their boat Morning Star when the whales were pointed west and there was wind in the forecast, called to report that the water was calm and that we should get out there. Dave and Barbara met at Snug Harbor and left aboard Orca at 1430.
Orca got on scene near Constance Bank at 1515. Ken, aboard Chimo, arrived later from Sequim by about 1630. L pod was split into two tight groups with the L47's and L95 leading the L4's and L12's by a couple hundred yards. Both groups were moving slowly northeast. The lead group soon slowed up even more and the two groups briefly merged before most of the L4's moved ahead a little. The L12's formed the core of the rear group along with the L82's and L95 for most of the encounter. The other L's would move a bit ahead and loosen up a bit but would then ooze back closer to the rear group. This happened several times by the time the whales reached Seabird Point on Discovery Island.
By the time the whales reached Middle Bank, they had spread out more with the L47's and most of the L4's in the lead. Orca left L pod heading east northeast several miles west of Eagle Point at 1810. The whales were getting more active and we saw several tail lobs and other splashing going on as we were leaving. Jeanne Hyde later reported that the whales turned north and that the L4's and L47's made it past Lime Kiln and the L12's made it up to Deadmans Bay before all the L's headed back south.

13-Jun-15

1

2

46

15:15

18:10

Orca and Chimo

Dave Ellifrit & Barbara Bender in Orca,

Ken Balcomb in Chimo

L pod

L22, L25, L27, L41, L47, L55, L77, L82, L83, L85, L86, L89, L91, L94, L95, L103, L106, L109, L110, L113, L115, L116, L118, L119, and L121

Strait of Juan de Fuca

48 20.32/123 22.09

48 25.44/123 07.00

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Encounter #46 - June 13, 2015

Photos taken under Federal Permits

NMFS PERMIT: 15569/ DFO SARA 272

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