Date: 21-jul-18

Sequence: 1

Encounter Number: 49

Enc Start Time: 15:20

Enc End Time: 17:45

Vessel: Orcinus

Observers: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss, Flora Miles

Pods or ecotype: Transients

Location: Haro Strait

Begin Lat/Long: 48 26.90, 123 03.70

End Lat/Long: 48 32.37 123 13.37

 

Encounter Summary:

Early in the afternoon, Dave received reports of unidentified transient killer whales southwest of San Juan Island. At 1445, Dave, Michael, and Flora left the dock to document these Ts. Upon arriving on scene south of Eagle Point, it was reported that they had been identified as Californian transients CA40 and CA137, a pair of whales very rarely seen in the Salish Sea. The whales were traveling north, surfacing synchronously and close together, regularly taking dives of five minutes or more. The whales briefly changed behavior about 30 minutes into the encounter, splitting up and circling, before coming back together and continuing north. The team left the pair at 1625 as they continued to head north to document a group of residents that was traveling through Haro Strait at the same time (see encounter 50). At 1720, they briefly rejoined the pair as they continued north past Kelp Reef, before ending the encounter at 1734.