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Encounter Summary: 

The whale watch fleet found J and K pods in the southern Strait of Georgia and we listened to the whale's progress over the radios throughout the day. Dave refueled Orca in the late afternoon and , after hearing that whales were approaching Turn Point, left Snug Harbor again at 1705.Orca headed up to Turn Point by 1730 and soon saw a whale porpoising toward Turn Point. This was K13 and she soon flew by and around Turn Point and was followed shortly afterwards by K27 and K44 who were also flying south. Other whales were trickling east along the north side of Stuart Island. K25 went by followed by K12. Then K20 and K38 went by coming from a more northerly angle. K37 and probably K43 porpoised by soon afterwards on the Stuart Island shoreline. K22 and K33 sped by out of the east a couple of minutes after that. K16, K35, and K21 showed up from the east a few minutes behind the K22's and were traveling slightly more slowly along the Stuart island shoreline than the groups ahead of them. K35 did one cartwheel and K16 breached twice. This threesome rounded Turn Point at 1800.That seemed to be all the whales heading for Turn Point at the time although J pod was reportedly foraging in the Bedwell Harbor and Pender Bluffs area. After scanning for more southbound whales, Orca headed south to try to catch the some of the leaders again. K37 and probably K43 as well as a couple other spread out fast traveling whales were found off Tiptop Hill on Stuart Island. Several minutes behind them were K22 and K33 who were fast traveling south loosely spread mid Haro Strait off Spieden Island. K22 did one nice big spyhop.After another brief look to the north for more whales, Orca headed south again and did not find anymore whales until encountering K22 and K33 again who now foraging near Kellett Bluff. Orca ended the encounter at 1901 with K22 and K33 heading east toward Open Bay near the rocks at the south tip of Kellett Bluff.

Notes-Comments:photos are cropped

14-Jun-15

2

48

17:30

19:01

Orca

Dave Ellifrit

K pod

K12, K13, K16, K20, K21, K22, K25, K27, K33, K35, K37, K38, and K44

Haro Strait

48 41.58/123 14.13

48 34.99/123 11.78

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Encounter #48 - June 14, 2015

Photos taken under Federal Permits

NMFS PERMIT: 15569/ DFO SARA 272

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