Date: 30-September-218

Sequence: 1

Encounter Number: 86

Enc Start Time: 11:01

Enc End Time: 14:36

Vessel: Mike 1

Observers: Mark Malleson

Pods or ecotype: J, K and L Pod

Location: north west of Crescent Bay

Begin Lat/Long: 48 15.8/123 47.5

End Lat/Long: 48 15.5/123 47.0

 

Encounter Summary:

I left Victoria at 09:00 and worked my way out the shoreline of Vancouver Island to the west. The visibility was limited as there was light rain and fog.

 

When I reached Otter Point I headed south west across the Juan de Fuca Strait towards Pillar Point where I came across ~20 humpback whales at 48 15.8/124 00.1.

 

At 10:45 I received a call from Chris Bain on Forever Wild who came across Southern Resident killer whales a few miles east of me as he was heading west towards Pillar Point mid strait.
I arrived on scene a few minutes later to see a large group of whales spread out from the middle of the strait to the south traveling south east. I started the encounter at 11:01 (48 15.8/123 47.5)

 

There was a larger group of ~15 animals with members of all thee pod mixed together with the rest spread out to the north west and south.

 

At 11:42 I observed J39 chasing a fish at 48 16.2/123 45.9. At 1240 I was able to collect salmon scales from a predation event by L105 at 48 17.9/123 45.1.

 

I eventually found K25 along with a few of the K13's to the north west of the group moments before the visibility deteriorated. They were moving quickly to the south averaging 8 knots. I continued to the south towards Freshwater Bay and found the bulk of the animals milling slightly east of an inbound US nuclear submarine military convoy. I watched them all turn back to the west and pass by the convoy. I ended the encounter at 14:36 at 48 15.5/123 47.0