21-Feb-17

Sequence: 1

Encounter number: 17

Enc start time: 10:59

Enc end time: 12:20

Vessel: Mike1

Observers: Mark & Hanna Malleson

Ken Balcomb in Haro Strait  

Ecotype: Transients

Location: Constance Bank

Begin lat/long: 48 19.8/123 19.5

End lat/long: 48 24.0/123 11.8

 

Encounter Summary:

Mark and Hanna left Victoria harbor aboard “Mike 1” at 1035 after a report from Dale Mitchell who had spotted killer whales from shore off of Constance Bank, believed to be headed west. As they were taxiing out of the harbor we gave Gordon Rowles a call to keep a look for the whales from his apartment. He locked on to them and could confirm the whales were in fact east bound at that time. At 1059 they encountered T102 on his own slowly heading east off of Constance Bank. Mark and Hanna spotted more blows to the west and encountered T101, T101B and the T100’s tightly grouped up and accompanied by T60D (where is the rest of his family?). They were doing a steady 7-8 knots. After shadowing them for a bit Mark and Hanna noticed that T102 was now traveling with T101A (his brother). These two male whales were doing 5 knots and they kept a good distance from the rest of the whales that were behind them. No predation events were seen though the two brothers were swimming through bait balls in Oak Bay flats and skulked around for a while. Mark and Hanna left the whales as the T100’s and T101 with T101B had almost caught up to T102 and T101A to form a group off of Discovery Island before heading north in Haro Strait.

Mark and Hanna were with these whales for one and a half hours in the morning under permit aboard “Mike 1” as they traveled from Constance Bank toward Beaumont Shoals. Then, Mark had a whale-watch trip on a POW boat and kept a respectful distance from them between 1400 until 1515 when Ken came out before fueling in “Shachi” for a quick 30 minute to look at these whales just before the weather deteriorated and the boat indicated Zero (Bingo) fuel, meaning there was not enough to get to a fuel dock and it was questionable whether there was enough to get back to Snug Harbor. Upon fueling the next day it seems that at zero fuel indicated in “Shachi” there is still a reserve of about 4 gallons – eight miles at planning speed (27 knots). Nice to know, but too close a call.

 

COMMENTS:

The T101’s (-T102 & T100A) & the T100’s were found at 48 20.0N/123 18.0W

T102 & T101A at 48 22.5N/123 15.2W

Mark encountered T060D with the T100s & T101’s and so did Ken in the afternoon.