Date: 26-May-18

Sequence: 1

Encounter Number: 33

Enc Start Time: 09:20

Enc End Time: 10:20

Vessel: Orcinus

Observers: Ken Balcomb and Dave Ellifrit

Pods or ecotype: Transients

Location: San Juan Island

Begin Lat/Long: 48 32.52/122 58.25

End Lat/Long: 48 28.4/122 58.70

 

Encounter Summary:

After a 0815 call from Tom Cogan relaying a report of whales near Yellow Island in San Juan Channel, Ken and Dave met at Snug Harbor and left in the boat at about 0850. We got on scene near the mouth of Parks Bay on Shaw Island around 0920 to find the T65As, including T65A’s new calf of the year T65A6, heading quickly southeast toward Turn Island in a fairly tight group. Once they passed Turn Island, they turned south down San Juan Channel.
Around 0950, T65A2 broke off from the rest of the group and moved several hundred yards to the east of the others and paralleled their course. A little later he moved back west and trailed the others directly behind them by almost a quarter mile. We ended the encounter at 1020 about a mile north of Cape San Juan with the T65As heading toward Cattle Pass.