Date: 28-September-2019

Sequence: 1

Encounter Number: 79

Enc Start Time: 17:10

Enc End Time: 17:24

Vessel: Mike 1

Observers: Mark Malleson, Duncan Stamper, Chris Vesalo, Keith Provan

Pods or ecotype: Bigg's

Location: Muir Creek

Begin Lat/Long: 48 19.3/123 52.6

End Lat/Long: 48 19.4/123 54.2

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Encounter Summary:

Mark left Victoria harbour on Mike 1 at ~1300 with his sailing crew to go survey the Juan de Fuca Strait to the west.
Once they got out past East Sooke Park the seas started to build as their was a moderate south east outflow wind against a flood current. They decided to continue on with hopes that the forecast would hold true and the winds would diminish to make the ride home reasonable. They spotted a single humpback blow south of Sooke but continued westward with hopes to find a bigger aggregation of humpbacks and ideally some killer whales. They continued on as far west as mid strait south of Sombrio Point where they came across 5 humpback whales doing long dives with a pair and 3 single individuals. After getting their ID's they pushed south towards Clallam Bay to find some flatter water to make some eastern progress before quartering their way home into the outflow winds. They spotted the occasional humpback blow along the American shoreline between Clallam Bay and Pillar Point but continued on with hopes to find some killer whales. The seas flattened out substantially as they quartered their way north east towards Otter Point. At ~1700 when they were ~ 7 miles south of Sheringham Point they came across some west bound killer whales. Mark immediately recognized they were the T046B's as he saw T046B1 with her leucitic calf T046B1B. Mike 1 stayed with them for ~ 15 minutes and left them still west bound at 7 knots spread out.