EncDate:03/03/23 

EncSeq:1

Enc#:07

ObservBegin:10:05 AM

ObservEnd:12:00 PM

Vessel:Mike 1

Staff:Mark Malleson

Other Observers:Joe Zelwietro

Pods:Transients

LocationDescr:Chain Islands

Start Latitude:48 25.52

Start Longitude:123 16.57

End Latitude:48 23.57

End Longitude:123 17.88

 

EncSummary:

Mark received word early in the morning that a large group of killer whales, including one bull and several young animals, was approaching Ten Mile Point along the Saanich, BC waterfront. He met Joe at the boat, and with Fin in tow they departed Victoria just after 0930.
As they approached Oak Bay, the crew stopped for a scan and Mark instantly spotted some blows along the north edge of the Chain Islets. The encounter began at 1005 as the whales turned south and passed through the Chain Islets. They were quite animated at the surface, and at first glance it appeared that the bull was T060C and that he and family were travelling with at least one other matriline.
Sure enough, photos quickly revealed T002B and the T109Bs! The T109Bs are rare visitors to the Salish Sea, though they are not uncommon in September in recent years. T002B is a wandering female who spends much of her time travelling with the T060 matriline, though she spent most of the ensuing encounter alongside T109B and her youngsters.
The whales passed close to Great Chain, but seemed more interested in socializing than foraging. Though it is possible they nabbed a harbour seal against the rocks in the commotion of surface-active behaviour, no obvious predation was observed, nor was there any period of prey-sharing. The animals made their way southwest from the rocks toward Trial Island, where a building flood current left them treading water for the next little while. The youngest three, T060G, T109B4 and T109B5 consistently surfaced ahead of the others after a dive sequence, and were quite playful, while T060C and T060F were together to the eastern periphery of the group for most of the encounter.
Mark and Joe dropped back to shadow the animals at a distance for the next 40-50 minutes in hopes of documenting a predation or other behaviour change, but with no sign of any and building southeasterly seas they ended the encounter at noon and headed home. The whales had not yet reached Trial Island, though later reports from commercial whale-watchers placed them nearing Constance Bank by 1400, still meandering southwest.

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