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Encounter #30 - April 17, 2016

Photos taken under Federal Permits
NMFS PERMIT: 15569/ DFO SARA 288

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17-Apr-16

1

30

14:30

14:55

Orcinus

Dave Ellifrit

Transients

T11's, T46B's, and T46C2

west Haro Strait near Halibut Island

48 36.41/12315.52

48 37.59/123 17.04

Encounter Summary: 

After receiving multiple calls from both Jeanne Hyde and Jane Cogan relaying reports that the T11's plus others had been found a couple miles off the west side of San Juan and then J pod later being found behind them, Dave headed down to Snug Harbor and left aboard our new/old Boston Whaler Orcinus at 1420.
Since the T's had been reported to charge north past Kelp Reef already, Dave headed to them first. Mark Malleson and Jared Towers stopped by these whales briefly on their way home from somewhere else and confirmed that it was the T46B's traveling with the T11's. Jared helpfully mentioned over the VHF radio that T46C2 was also mixed in there with the T46B's.
Orcinus arrived on scene at 1430 as the whales travelled north about a half mile off the southeast side of Sydney Island. The T46B's and T46C2 were in a tight group ahead of the T11's by about a hundred yards. The T46B's were surfacing maybe a minute ahead of the T11's. T11 and T11A were not quite tight together and were surfacing alternately. Around 1440, all the whales turned west and fast traveled along the south side of Halibut Island toward Mandarte Island. The whales slowed down again just past Halibut Island. Orcinus ended the encounter at 1455 just east of Mandarte Island with the T11's pointed slowly west but the T46B's and T46C2 were pointed north again. Radio talk later had all the T's heading westerly in the same direction.

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