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EncDate:01/10/22 

EncSeq:1

Enc#:69

ObservBegin:12:57 PM

ObservEnd:03:27 PM

Vessel:Mike 1

Staff:Mark Malleson

Other Observers:Brendon Bissonnette

Pods:Transients

LocationDescr:Sooke

Start Latitude:48 15.21

Start Longitude:123 35.75

End Latitude:48 18.59

End Longitude:123 55.40

​

EncSummary:

After hearing reports of the T109As heading east over Constance Bank, the team were on standby to see if their recent travel companions – the T252s – would also be located. Sure enough, at 1154, the team received word that T251 had been located nearby so Mark and Brendon quickly made their way down to Mike 1 and departed the harbour at 1230. 
The encounter began at 1257 with the T252s meandering west at 6 knots. Initially, the group was in a tight resting formation but the bull, T251, seemed restless and would periodically break rank and charge ahead. Mark and Brendon counted 9-12 surfacings per sequence followed by varied dive times (which decreased throughout the encounter): 7m26s, 6m14s, 5m14s, 4m29s…At 1415 they slowed briefly ~3.5 nm south of the entrance to Sooke harbour (48 17.17/123 44.65) and appeared to have grabbed a seal before continuing west.
As the whales were ~ 3nm south southwest of Otter Point their pace quickened to 8 knots with occasional porpoising. The team considered whether the change in pace was in response to prey or nearby whales and decided to push further west at 1447.

At 1508, less than 2 miles to the southwest of where they had left the T252's, Mark spotted a lone bull on the horizon point south. Before arriving on scene with the bull, they spotted what looked to be a few whales to the south and pushed out into the building seas to view them first. These turned out to be a pair of younger whales, which Brendon quickly identified as T046B1A and T046C2 “Sam". The two females were surfacing erratically and spontaneously as the team attempted to secure right-side IDs. After taking a few shots, the team overheard a call on the radio from nearby whale watching vessels reporting that another group had come charging in to join the T252s. With T046B1 nowhere in sight, Mark and Brendon decided to let the two whales continue on and doubled-back towards the T252s to see which group had joined them.

When Mike 1 caught up with the T252s and their new travel companions at 1527, they were pushing west at a good clip ~3nm south of Sheringham Pt (48 18.6/123 55.4). Brendon identified the new additions as the T123s – a commonly encountered family of four who were last seen heading west in the Strait of Juan de Fuca on September 8th. The eight whales were porpoising west quickly with the T252s in the lead. The team took a few left-side shots before departing a few minutes later to see if they could find the bull that they had previously seen although they suspected that it was likely T123A who had later joined up with his family before they met up with the T252's. On their search back east, the team reacquired T046B1A and T046C2 east bound at 1609 ~6 nm south southeast of Otter Point (48 18.6/123 55.4) but with no sign of T046B1, with now much nicer sea conditions, it seemed apparent that she was not present. Mark and Brendon ended the encounter at 1609 and made way for Victoria. They later heard over the VHF by their whale watch colleagues that the T123's had turned back to the east having left the T252's to continue on their own westbound.

Photos taken under Federal Permits

NMFS PERMIT: 21238/ DFO SARA 388