EncDate: 17/06/21

EncSeq: 1

Enc#: 42

ObservBegin: 12:58 PM

ObservEnd: 03:00 PM

Vessel: Orcinus

Staff:  Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss

Pods: Transients

LocationDescr: Haro Strait

Start Latitude: 48 30.60

Start Longitude: 123 11.38

End Latitude: 48 32.49

End Longitude: 123 11.88

 

EncSummary:

Dave and Michael were working in CWR’s photo-ID office when we heard over the radio that a large group of Bigg’s killer whales had been found heading north near the border east of Beaumont Shoal. We then headed down to Snug Harbor and left in the boat at 1145. We arrived on scene north of Beaumont Shoal at 1205 but the whales had taken a turn to the northwest and were now too far on the Canadian side of the border to get a good look at. We looked at them through binoculars while we debated waiting it out to see if they crossed back across the border versus going home and trying to get some work done. It was starting to look grim so we reluctantly pointed toward home. We were not hurrying home but were a couple miles from the scene when we heard that the whales had once again changed direction and were crossing to the US side. This time they had a much better direction for keeping them on the US side so we hurried back.
The encounter started at 1258 maybe a quarter of a mile from the border off Hannah Heights. Most of the whales were in one large tight group heading slowly north. T65A2 and T37B1 were traveling and interacting with one another on the periphery of the larger group. They sometimes moved as far as a couple of hundred yards to the east of the big group but would repeatedly turn and approach the group again. Both T65A2 and T37A1 would briefly join with the others throughout the encounter. The whales continued slowly up Haro Strait and we ended the encounter at 1500 about a mile from the border off Sunset Point. After we got home, the whales moved closer inshore and were only about a half mile offshore as they very slowly passed the Center.