Date: 23-July-17

Sequence: 1

Encounter Number: 54

Enc Start Time: 08:08

Enc End Time: 10:30

Vessel: Orcinus

Observers: Dave Ellifrit, Astrid van Ginneken, Stewart MacIntyre, and Candice Smith

Pods or ecotype: L4s

Location: Haro Strait

Begin Lat/Long: 48 27.54/123 02.99

End Lat/Long: 48 27.62/123 03.66

 

Encounter Summary:

Stewart went on another early morning whale search by car down to the south end of SJI and saw whales off South Beach again. Phone calls were made and then Stewart, Astrid, and Candice met Dave down at the boat and left Snug Harbor at 0740. We found our first whales right off Eagle Point at 0808. L106 and L109 were spread out but soon came together and started goofing around with one another. After leaving those two we headed south a little and found a group consisting of L86, L118, and the L123s who were milling at first but then started heading slowly north. L82 and L116 were seen further inshore off American Camp where they were spread out foraging. L55 appeared near the group of four with the L123s in it before she moved slowly off to the north by herself. By about 0950, L116 had joined L106 and L109 near Eagle Point and this group was playful and socializing while paralleling the slow traveling foursome of L86, L118, and the L123s. The two groups were loosely spread with the juvenile males traveling north about fifty yards inshore of the foursome. L55 and L82 were spread out foraging way ahead of the others up near False Bay.
By this time it was obvious that we only had the L4s on the west side of SJI. Jeff LaMarsh then found the L26s, L47s, and L72s out near Race Rocks. The Ls out there were traveling very slowly east and didn’t seem to be coming in anytime soon so it didn’t seem like a wise use of time to sit and wait for them so we called it quits. We left the L4s minus L55 and L82 traveling slowly north about a mile south of False Bay at 1030. The whales were still in two tight groups loosely spread out and paralleling each other by about fifty yards. After we got back home, we heard that J pod had been found coming east off Trial Island. The inbound Js and Ls eventually made it to the west side of SJI and joined the L4s and by late afternoon and early evening had all traveled north past Andrews Bay and CWR. We went out again later and had Encounter 55 with the Js and Ls as they traveled north past Kellett Bluff and up Haro Strait.