Date: 24-November-18

Sequence: 1

Encounter Number: 103

Enc Start Time: 16:45

Enc End Time: 17:18

Vessel: Mike 1

Observers: Mark Malleson, Hanna Magnusson

Pods or ecotype: Biggs

Location: South of Trial Island

Begin Lat/Long: 48 23.9/123 16.3

End Lat/Long: 48 22.4/123 16.2

 

Encounter Summary:

Hanna and I left Victoria harbour at 1530 to confirm which Bigg's killer whales were in the area. I only had time to have a quick look at a large group in the middle of an attack on a steller sealion near Victor Golf. I was at the end of my trip with Prince of Whales when they were found. I had confirmed CA172, CA173, CA166, and T123A but there were several others reported in the area I didn't have time to confirm ID's.
Jeff Freidman on J2 had come across what he thought was the T038A's and T035A's south bound north of Baynes channel as he was making his way out to the Victor Golf group. Joe Zelweitro confirmed that the T035A'S and the T038A's were part of the group near Victor Golf so I figured that the Baynes Channel were likely the rest of the 035's and 038's. We decided to try our luck to refind them first as the big group near Victor Golf had decided to leave the steller and were making their way quickly east and would likely meet up with them. We slogged our way against the large south east seas and made our way into Oak Bay. They were last seen slightly south of Baynes channel so we figured we would find them near the Oak Bay golf course. After 15 minutes of scanning the waters in Oak Bay I decided they must have slipped past us so we made our way slowly towards the large group who were now south of Trial. Joe called me to say he found them to the south of our track line in the Oak Bay Flats tracking towards the east bound group. We looped back and followed what did turn out to be the T038's and the T035's. We could see the large east bound group in the distance moving quickly towards us while the T035's and the T038's were quite animated in anticipation of the greeting. Once they met up they grouped up and powered against the south east waves to the east. We left them at 1718 as it was super challenging pushing into the 3 - 4 foot seas with diminishing daylight.