EncDate: 30/05/21

EncSeq: 1

Enc#: 30

ObservBegin: 02:18 PM

ObservEnd: 02:59 AM

Vessel: Mike 1

Staff: Mark Malleson

Pods: Transients

LocationDescr: Discovery Island

Start Latitude: 48 24.98

Start Longitude: 123 13.06

End Latitude: 48 27.49

End Longitude: 123 12.97

 

EncSummary:

Mark left Victoria harbour at 1401 to go and get some decent left and right side shots of some rare killer whales. T132 and his mom T134, along with CA177, a cow that is typically traveling with them, have only been seen in the Salish Sea on a few occasions and are part of the outer coastal Bigg's community. Mark came across them in the morning while guiding a Prince of Whales tour southeast of Discovery Island, traveling east with the T099's and the two brothers T125A and T128.
Mark had alerted Dave Ellifrit as they had gone into the United States, but they had turned back across the border into Canada twice on him, and he had headed home, so Mark mobilized Mike 1.
Mark arrived with them at 1418 within a mile of Seabird Point as they were pointed northwest up Haro Strait.
Moments before Mike 1 arrived, T125A and T128 were reported to have broken off from the group and were headed southwest towards Constance Bank.
Mark was quickly able to get great left and right-hand shots of the group as they traveled tight together on a consistent track line and dive pattern, so after 40 minutes, he decided to go and re-find T125A and T128.
Mark came across T128 at 1517 ~1 NM SSE of Staines Point lighthouse at Trial Island traveling southwest for Constance Bank, and his brother, T125A, was paralleling him a half-mile to the south.
Once Mark got left and right side shots of both of them, he ended the encounter at 1517 as they approached Constance Bank.
Mark heard reports that the NW group were pointed back towards San Juan Island, so he alerted Dave that he likely would have a third time lucky crack at them. The third time was a charm, and Dave was able to have a short and sweet encounter with them when they crossed into the U.S. between 1640 and 1710, leaving them NNW bound off north Kellett.