Date: 11-Nov-17

Sequence: 1

Encounter Number: 102

Enc Start Time: 13:28

Enc End Time: 14:05

Vessel: Orcinus

Observers: Dave Ellifrit

Pods or ecotype: Transients

Location: Spieden Island

Begin Lat/Long: 48 39.55/123 08.59

End Lat/Long: 48 39.42/123 11.58

 

Encounter Summary:

After receiving a couple of phone calls from Jane Cogan relaying reports of a group of whales being spotted near Peavine Pass and then later found heading northwest in San Juan Channel, Dave grabbed his gear and headed for the boat and left Snug Harbor at 1305. The whales, who turned out to be the T101s, had continued northwest and had made it to the Cactus Islands on the north side of Spieden Island when Dave arrived on scene a little before 1330. The T101s were in a tight group and they made a brief jog to the east before turning southwest toward the north Spieden Island shoreline. The whales came up from a long dive in mid-New Channel with T101B having moved off a couple hundred yards to the southwest of the others but he rejoined the other three whales shortly after. The T101s milled briefly and T101 did one reverse surfacing so they may have been feeding on something they had killed earlier but it was hard to tell for certain. They then turned northwest and traveled slowly toward Stuart Island. Dave ended the encounter at 1405 off the south end of Stuart Island with the T101s in a fairly tight group heading northwest and paralleling the Stuart Island shoreline.