Date:06-11-22

Sequence:1

Encounter Number:77

Enc Start Time:1332

Enc End Time:1520

Vessel:Mike 1

Observers:Mark Malleson, Brendon Bissonnette

Pods or ecotype:J, K, L

Location:Oak Bay Flats

Begin Lat/Long:48 23.73/12 15.99

End Lat/Long:48 26.59/123 09.18

Encounter Summary:

Mark had spotted a large group of north east bound Southern Residents mid-morning while he was guiding a whale watch trip near Race Rocks and alerted Brendon to meet at the dock in Victoria harbour for 1245. They departed on Mike 1 at 1318 and headed east towards Trial Island, where Gord, tracking them from the "Crow's Nest," had spotted them last. They arrived on the scene with the lead group slightly east of Staines Point at 1332. The whales were tight together and heading east, while more fins could be seen behind and to the southwest. The first whale identified was J27, who was traveling closely with J31, J56, and J53. Moments later, the J14s, J17s, and J22s surfaced in tandem after a long dive, while the J16s surfaced parallel but further to the north.

After identifying all members of J pod, they turned their sights towards the southern whales but were surprised to see that the western whales had picked up the pace and were closing in fast. At 1341 Mark positioned the boat to allow the whales to pass on the port side as they seemed to be edging into the Js. The first whales to pass by Mike 1 after repositioning were K12 and her son, K37. Brendon then spotted K20, K38, and K45, and the team took a few right sides before collecting photos of the remaining K12s, K13s, K14s, and K16s, who were also tightly knit. 

At this stage, it was becoming clear that there were members of all three pods present, with all of J pod and K pod confirmed to the north, while a large group still lagged behind a mile to the southwest. Mark and Brendon left the grouped-up Js and Ks approaching Seabird Point at 1354 and then doubled back to survey the remaining members of the Clan. It was noted that the K12s were 300 metres from the collective group. 

Mike 1 caught up with the large group of Ls at 1359. The team was optimistically suspicious that the entirety of L pod might be present due to the sheer number of fins and blows. Brendon identified the first whales as the L12s with L87 and the L54s. Soon after, the L55s, L72s, L90, and L91 also joined the mix, while the remainder of the L47s were found in smaller groups throughout. 

As L pod approached Seabird Point, the whales began to fan out. A flock of gulls appeared on the scene shortly after as the team witnessed a brief foraging event. To the southeast, Js and Ks were stalled out but on a line for Middle Bank. Satisfied that they had cleaned them up and with the sun fading, the team decided to end the encounter at 1520 and head back to Victoria as the L12s and L54s continued east over Beaumont Shoals.