Encounter Summary: 

Although we began and ended the encounter with these Resident whales in approximately the same position (off False Bay), the actual track of “Orca” was quite serpentine from responding to brief distant glimpses of fins in the glass calm water. Nobody was staying at the surface very long, and there was little consistent directional travel. Individual and small groups of whales (eg. L41) were reported as far distant as the RA buoy, eight miles SSW of Eagle Point, while others (eg. L85, 89 and 22) were two miles NNW of Eagle Point. Again, there was no chance of a complete inventory of whales present by means of one research vessel, but we did go offshore far enough to find the youngsters, L113, L119, and L121 rolling around and chasing one another with no adults in the immediate vicinity. The adults were busy fishing, and the only one even within a few hundred yards of the frolicking juveniles was L77 (mother of L119). We did not see L94 (mother of L113 and L121), but she was reported to be not far away. Little L121 (a boy) and he was obviously having a great time unabashedly rolling around with his sister and cousin. We got another confirming photo that L121 is a boy, and Bart Rulon aboard Island Explorer 3 also obtained some beautiful confirming photos. He probably has proof of presence photos of other whales out that way yesterday.

We ended the encounter at 1800 and tied up at Snug Harbor at 1900.