Date: 04-Apr-17

Sequence: 1

Encounter Number: 28

Enc Start Time: 12:41

Enc End Time: 13:25

Vessel: Orcinus

Observers: Dave Ellifrit

Pods or ecotype: T11s

Location: Cordova Bay

Begin Lat/Long: 48 29.72/123 17.01

End Lat/Long: 48 31.68/123 18.31

 

Encounter Summary:

The T11s had been found off the Victoria waterfront in the morning. Dave was working at home while receiving phone calls throughout the rest of the morning from Jane Cogan and Jeanne Hyde relaying the T11s progress as they headed east past Victoria and Oak Bay. After a 1120 call from Jane reporting that the whales had taken a hoped for left and began heading north up the southeast corner of Vancouver Island. Dave grabbed most of his stuff and made it to Snug Harbor before realizing he forgot his float coat. So, a quick trip home to grab said float coat and back to Snug Harbor before finally leaving Snug aboard “Orcinus” at 1220.

“Orcinus” arrived on scene about three quarters of a mile southeast of Gordon Head at the bottom of Cordova Bay at 1241. T11 and T11A were separated by several hundred meters with T11A being inshore of and slightly ahead of T11 as they traveled north in forage mode. They were both taking very long, long dives of the 7-10 minute variety and coming up for their short dives separately. When he was up from his long dives, T11A was relatively cooperative although a two to three foot southeasterly swell made driving and taking photographs difficult at times. Both whales were not moving very fast or far on their long dives but T11A, at least, seemed to pick up a little speed on his short dives. T11 stalled out briefly around 1312 but she soon picked up speed and angle just slightly more westerly bringing her closer to T11A. She was traveling shallow enough that her fluke prints could be followed although she kept outpacing Dave enough that he gave up after getting not much more than a proof of presence shot of her. The encounter ended about a half mile northwest of Zero Rock at 1325 with the whales looking like they were beginning to join up. Later, radio talk had the whales heading north together in Sydney Channel along James Island’s eastern shoreline.