Date: 02-Feb-17

Sequence: 1

Encounter Number: 12

Enc Start Time: 14:27

Enc End Time: 16:35

Vessel: Orcinus

Observers: Dave Ellifrit

Pods or ecotype: T36s, T36As, T99s, T101s, T124C
Jeanne Hyde photographed T77A from shore.

Location: Haro Strait

Begin Lat/Long: 48 30.60/123 11.00

End Lat/Long: 48 32.86/123 10.45

 

Encounter Summary:

Jane Cogan called Dave at home around 1050 to report that she was hearing faint transient calls on the hydrophones. These whales remained unfound until Jeanne Hyde spotted them from shore in the early afternoon. Jeanne called Dave a little before 1350 to report that she was seeing whales heading north about a mile offshore somewhere north of Beaumont Shoal so Dave mobilized for the boat.

Dave headed to Snug Harbor and left aboard "Orcinus" at 1415. The whales were about 3/4s of a mile off Lime Kiln and slowly heading north spread out in small groups. Poor cell phone service kept Dave and Jeanne (who was on shore at Lime Kiln) from communicating even when we could see each other with the naked eye. If any of our calls would have gone through, Dave would have got the message that Jeanne had seen and photographed T77A heading north a couple of miles out in front of the other whales. Dave ended up missing T77A but Jeanne got photos of him from shore to prove he was there.

When "Orcinus" arrived on scene off Lime Kiln at 1427, the T101s seemed to be just coming together after being spread apart and perhaps socializing with other whales. The T101s formed a tight slow moving group that alternated between being pointed at Bellevue Point and heading straight up Haro Strait. They were offshore and ahead of the other groups. About a quarter mile behind and inshore of the T101s was a play group of young juveniles that included T36A2, T36A3, T36B2, T99B, and T99D. This group was doing a lot of splashing and rolling. There were also several reverse surfacings and later a juvenile spyhopped with a small piece of meat in its mouth so it was obvious the kids were playing with pieces of whatever their last meal was.

T36A1 was off by him/herself somewhere between the T101s and the play group. There was another large group of females, larger juveniles, and a sprouter about a half mile to the south and inshore of the play group. This was the moms T36, T36A, T36B, and T99 along with T36B1, T99C, and the sprouter ended up being T124C. This group was also moving very slowly north. The play group moved slowly northeast and inshore until they were about halfway between Lime Kiln and Bellevue Pt. where they stalled out still rolling around at the surface. T36A1 joined them. The moms and the others in that group eventually caught up to the juvenile group and they all headed north very slowly in a loose group. The small juveniles continued playing with one another in the middle of the large group.

The T101s stayed in a tight slow moving group traveling north about a 1/2 to 3/4s of a mile to the northwest of the larger group. Dave ended the encounter with the large group still about a half mile southwest of CWR at 16:35.