Date: 23-Aug-21

Sequence: 2

Encounter Number: 56

Enc Start Time: 17:15

Enc End Time: 18:43

Vessel: Orcinus

Observers: Michael Weiss, Charli Grimes

Pods or ecotype: Transients

Location: Waldron Island

Begin Lat/Long: 48 41.264 N/123 03.575 W

End Lat/Long: 48 44.454 N/123 00.979 W

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Encounter Summary:

After leaving the T77s at Battleship (see Encounter 55), the team headed northeast towards a report of another group of Bigg’s killer whales, reported as most of the T60s with T2B and T59. At 17:15, the team arrived on scene Cowlitz Bay, on the southwest side of Waldron Island. The whales were in a resting pattern, logging at the surface for some intervals and then taking long dives with unpredictable headings between surfacing sequences. After the first sequence, the whales split into two groups of two as the rounded Sandy Point and headed northeast. The team attempted a few photo ID passes, bust between the unpredictable direction changes and not wanting to disturb the whales’ resting pattern by moving at high speeds, wasn’t able to get close for proper ID shots and decided to focus on drone follows.

Great water conditions and perfect lighting provided excellent views of this group of whales. The whales rejoined into a single group as they approached Skipjack and Bare Island, still resting and socializing. When they reached Bare Island, the whales split up and encircled the island, apparently making multiple seal kills in the kelp beds around the rocks before meeting up on the north side of the island and continuing northeast, with T60 carrying a seal in her mouth.

A bit north of Bare Island, the whales once again split up, spread out, and began milling. T60C and T2B apparently did another hunt together, leaving a large pool of blood and, according to a whale watch vessel on scene, an intact seal carcass behind them. As the team ended their last drone flight of the day and ended their encounter at 18:43, the whales once again grouped up and began tracking north.