Date: 31-Dec-17

Sequence: 2

Encounter Number: 111

Enc Start Time: 12:30

Enc End Time: 13:45

Vessel: Orcinus

Observers: Dave Ellifrit

Pods or ecotype: Transients

Location: Haro Strait

Begin Lat/Long: 48 29.14/123 07.48

End Lat/Long: 48 22.96/123 11.55

 

Encounter Summary:

After leaving the whales in Encounter 110, Dave got back to the dock in Snug Harbor at 1135. He was chatting with Jeanne Hyde on the dock when Jim Maya told him about a report of another group of whales heading east at Seabird Point. That sounded pretty tempting so Dave headed back out to help look for those whales even though Haro Strait was getting a tad sloppy. “Peregrine” and a Prince of Whales boat were also looking and we all tried to cover a little different area. Dave checked out the Beaumont Shoal area and was heading toward a large bird ball south of Seabird Point when the Prince of Whales boat found the T18s off of False Bay. So, Dave pounded his way back through uncomfortable seas and finally got on scene off Hannah Heights at 1230. The T18s were split into two pairs with T18 and T19B being loosely spread apart from one another and inshore of the other pair. T19 and T19C were about a quarter mile offshore of the others and were mostly paralleling T18 and T19B’s course up San Juan Island. By the time the T18s made it to the south end of Andrews Bay, they had all spread out although T18 and T19B remained inshore while the other two remained offshore. T19B was sporting some rake marks and a brand new V-shaped nick on his dorsal fin. This pair went deep into Mitchell Bay and were near Open Bay while the offshore pair were still off of the south end of Mitchell Bay. T19C was almost a half mile north of T19, who had dropped back to forage, before he turned back south to join his mom. However, she soon started steaming north and passed up T19C so he had to turn around and hurry back the way he had came to catch up with her. The two had joined one another when Dave ended the encounter at 1345 offshore of the south end of Mitchell Bay.