Date: 11-May-2019

Sequence: 1

Encounter Number: 33

Enc Start Time: 15:46

Enc End Time: 16:37

Vessel: Mike 1

Observers: Mark Malleson, Hanna Magnusson

Pods or ecotype: Transients

Location: Stuart Channel

Begin Lat/Long: 48 55.1/123 39.2

End Lat/Long: 48 54.1/123 37.3

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Encounter Summary:

We departed Victoria harbour at 0855 on Mike 1 to look for killer whales. There was a large group of Transients reported south bound south of Nanaimo late afternoon the day before so we worked our way north up Haro Strait stopping at Turn Point for a good scan with the binoculars. We continued north east out Boundary Pass and stopped again at East Point for another scan before pushing out into the Strait of Georgia to a mile north east of Boiling Reef to get a better angle to scan the north east side of Patos Island and Alden Bank. As I scanned to the west back towards Tumbo Island I saw the back of a humpback whale. We worked our way back to the west and came across a pair of humpback whales (BCY0160/"Heather" and BCY00458/"Raptor") at 1055 (48 48.3/123 02.8). They were traveling tight together making less than 2 knots north west bound against the strong ebb current. They circled towards the shoreline of Tumbo Island and seemed to be feeding in the area.
At 1140 we received a report that a group of killer whales were spotted in Dodd's Narrows traveling south so we slowly worked our way in that direction via Boat Pass, Navy Channel and Trincomali Channel stopping and scanning on the way in case their were other killer whales around.
When we got to the north west tip of Saltspring Island we turned south down Houstoun Passage and around the bottom of Kuper Island into Stuart Channel as we heard they were milling mid channel between Chemanius and Kuper Island.
We arrived at 1546 (48 55.1/123 39.2) to see the T123's a half mile to the west of the T086A's and both groups traveling slowly south bound. Within a few minutes the 086A's started to mill as if they had found a seal and the T123's soon joined them. They became quite animated for several minutes before they continued on their south bound track towards the north entrance of Sansum Narrows. We ended the encounter at 1637 (48 54.1/123 37.3).