Date: 21-Apr-19

Sequence: 2

Encounter Number: 28

Enc Start Time: 15:15

Enc End Time: 16:00

Vessel: Orcinus

Observers: Dave Ellifrit

Pods or ecotype: Transients

Location: San Juan Channel

Begin Lat/Long: 48 34.46/123 03.80

End Lat/Long: 48 33.54/123 01.27

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Encounter Summary:

As “Orcinus” was heading home from the J pod encounter and nearing Roche Harbor and the fuel dock, word came over the radio that “Sea Lion” found a group of transients in San Juan Channel. That wasn’t very far away so Dave turned around and headed back out. “Orcinus” arrived on scene around 1515 about halfway between O’Neal Island and Pt. Caution. The T65As were heading southeast down San Juan Channel with four of them inshore in a tight group and T65A2 and T65A4 as the spread out outliers paralleling their course. As the group neared Pt. Caution, T65A2 and T65A4 surfaced from a long dive, milling, near Pt. Caution. The two groups merged and all six whales milled in the same area for the next fifteen minutes. The whales appeared to be feeding although there were no signs of what they killed and no gulls were gathering at the time. The encounter ended at 1600 near Pt. Caution with the T65As looking like they were just wrapping up their meal and beginning to continue down San Juan Channel.