Photos taken under Federal Permits
NMFS PERMIT: 15569/ DFO SARA 388

Date: 07-Jan-17

Sequence:1

Encounter Number: 03

Enc Start Time: 16:00

Enc End Time: 16:30

Vessel: Orcinus

Observers: Dave Ellifrit

Pods or ecotype: Transients

Location: Mitchell Bay/Kellett Bluff

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Encounter Summary:

Jane Cogan called Dave at home at 1527 to relay a report of whales between Lime Kiln and the County Park. Dave scooted straight on down to Snug Harbor and left aboard "Orcinus" at 1555. Tom and Jane Cogan had left Snug aboard their boat "Morning Star" with Melisa Pinnow aboard just a few minutes before and found the whales just north of CWR.

"Orcinus" arrived on scene about halfway between CWR and Smugglers Cove at 1600. The whales were the four members of the T18s and, when they came up from a long dive at the south end of Mitchell Bay, they were in two pairs with T19 and T19B ahead of the other two and nearer to the mouth of Mitchell Bay. T18 and T19C were deeper in the bay and nearer to the shoreline just south of Snug Harbor. The two pairs traveled north across Mitchell Bay and past Open Bay and came to Kellett Bluff. The whales sped up at the south end of the bluff with T19 and T19B still in the lead. The whales then slowed down again right before they got to the cormorant rookery and T18 and T19C caught up to the other two. They stayed closer to the bluff while T19 and T19B slowly paralleled their course about one hundred or so yards offshore of them. "Orcinus" ended the encounter at 1630 a little north of Kellett Bluff with the whales still slowly traveling north.