Date: 31-January-2019

Sequence: 1

Encounter Number: 07

Enc Start Time: 09:26

Enc End Time: 11:11

Vessel: Mike 1

Observers: Mark Malleson, Hanna Magnusson

Pods or ecotype: Bigg's Transients

Location: Zero Rock

Begin Lat/Long: 48 29.6/123 16.4

End Lat/Long: 48 35.3/123 19.1

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Encounter Summary:

I spotted a group of killer whales near the Chain Islands from the living room window traveling north through Oak Bay at ~0820. Hanna and I got organized and headed downtown to mobilize Mike 1. We departed the dock at 0900 and made our way north towards Zero Rock. We stopped to have a scan slightly north of Baynes Channel and I could see them a little south of Zero Rock pointed north.
We started the encounter at 0926 (48 29.6/123 16.4) with T060 and T010C who were traveling a few hundred hards behind the rest of the group.
At 0934 the lead group went into a bait ball and grabbed a seal as the 2 bulls picked up the pace to join them for some prey sharing (48 30.2/123 16.7).
The group turned slightly west towards Little Zero Rock and milled about for a couple of minutes before separating into 2 groups. T060C and T060E took turns keeping tabs on a seal hiding out on the bottom for ~20 minutes before they grabbed it and shared it at the surface at 1033 (48 32.3/123 19.3). They didn't waste any time eating it and then porpoised at 10 knots towards Darcy Island to catch up with the other 3 members of the group. They reunited at 1048 (48 33.8/123 19. 7) and continued north towards Sidney Channel. At 1100 they made another seal kill at 48 34.5/123 18.8.
We ended the encounter at 1109 as they entered Sidney Channel (48 35.3/123 19.1) T060E was trailing by ~200 metres.