Encounter Summary:

Whales had been reported off the west side of San Juan Island so Dave headed to Snug Harbor and left aboard “Orcinus” around 10am. After being delayed at Roche Harbor while refueling the boat due to a stuck gas cap, “Orcinus” got underway again around 1055 and arrived on scene around 1130 off the north end of South Beach.
The whales were very spread out again in singles and small groups. J36 was seen chasing a salmon and K25 came over to her briefly before traveling south. A small group closer to shore included the J35s and L85. J44 and J46 may also have been with this group briefly before dispersing. The L85/J35s group moved southwest slowly with some milling. L88 was also milling in the general area just a little north of Salmon Bank. Further offshore and a little northeast of Hein Bank, L92 and L83 were traveling slowly southwest together loosely spread. L110 and K38 were playing with each other less than a hundred yards to the north of L92 and L83. Around 1250, L92 began vigorously chasing a salmon and L83 briefly came over and helped out in the chase.
To the northwest of L92 and L83, a group was forming that included the K16s, L54s, L84, and K26. A quarter mile to the south of this group, the NWFSC boat was on another tight group of females and juveniles that might have been the L4s. Most of the K13s were in a spread out group about a half mile to the northwest of the K16s/L54s group. All the groups seen were moving either southwest or south. Later, L88 would be found again traveling southwest to the south of this area while the L22s were about a half mile to the northwest of him porpoising southwest in a spread out pair. Well southwest of Hein Bank, L85 was still traveling with J35 and J47. This group traveled slowly southwest in a tight group and “Orcinus” ended the encounter with them at 1540.

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