EncDate:19/09/22 

EncSeq:1

Enc#:59

ObservBegin:08:32 AM

ObservEnd:09:28 AM

Vessel:Mike 1

Staff:Mark Malleson

Other Observers:Joe Zelwietro

Pods:Transients

LocationDescr:William Head

Start Latitude:48 21.54

Start Longitude:123 30.22

End Latitude:49 19.29

End Longitude:123 32.24

 

EncSummary:

Mark and Joe departed Victoria early Monday morning to follow up a report of killer whales off of Esquimalt, just west of the harbour entrance. They caught up to a small spread of female and juvenile killer whales just north of William Head, still working their way south. They began the encounter at 0832 with the easily identifiable T037, and her daughter T037B. The animals were travelling very slowly, with six- to eight-minute dives. After collecting left-side ID photos of the duo, the Mike 1 crew manoeuvred inshore to find T034 and her youngest, T034B.
Still missing two animals from the group, T034A and T037B1, Mark and Joe lingered on the periphery of the found group and scanned southwest, toward shore and a few active bait balls. It took several minutes before Mark was finally able to detect the missing pair, with a third, well inside the entrance to Pedder Bay.
All seven animals came together at the south shore of Pedder Bay, and charged into the kelp beds spread across the entrance to Eemdyk Pass. No predation was observed during their frolic through the kelp, but the seventh whale was identified as young T065A5, a roamer who has been seen throughout the region this summer, currently dispersed from his mother and siblings. They were also able to get a great look at young T034B’s flank, which carries a much more vibrant dorsal cape than any other Bigg’s seen in the region.
Mark and Joe ended the encounter at 0928 and turned home to Victoria. The group were later observed by commercial whale-watch vessels travelling west in the Juan de Fuca Strait, shadowing outbound Southern Residents by just a few miles, just as they were when they most recently entered the Salish Sea from the west on September 11th. Today, both groups had passed Otter Point by 1230, the Bigg’s offshore and east of J pod.