Photos taken under Federal Permits

NMFS PERMIT: 21238/ DFO SARA 388

EncDate: 10/04/21

EncSeq: 2

Enc#: 19

ObservBegin: 06:37 PM

ObservEnd: 07:30 PM

Vessel: Orcinus

Staff: Dave Ellifrit

Other Observers: Katie Jones

Pods: Transients

LocationDescr: Jones Island

Start Latitude: 48 36.11

Start Longitude: 123 01.52

End Latitude: 48 36,59

End Longitude: 123 03.19

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EncSummary:

After Dave and Katie left J pod (Encounter 18-1), they headed across San Juan Channel to try to re-find T77A and T49A2 who had last been seen near Low Island. It was a recent sighting but nobody was with them now as it was approaching 1830. We did a search loop around Yellow and McConnell Islands before Katie spotted the two whales off the northwest side of Yellow Island and the encounter began at 1837. The pair was traveling slowly northwest together and were pointed toward Spring Passage between Jones Island and the Southwest tip of Orcas Island. T77A and T49A2 were acting pretty relaxed and there was a little rolling around going on between them. T49A2 did two aerial scans. They passed through Spring Passage and picked up a little speed as they pointed toward Green Point on the east tip of Spieden Island. Both of them went on a long dive and came up heading east back toward Jones Island. T77A and T49A2 then traveled southeast along the shoreline on the west side of Jones Island. We ended the encounter at 1930 with the pair pointed east off the southeast tip of Jones Island.