EncDate:08/07/23 

EncSeq:1

Enc#:37

ObservBegin:11:03 AM

ObservEnd:01:06 PM

Vessel:Mike 1

Staff:Dave Ellifrit, Mark Malleson

Other Observers:

Pods:J, K, L

LocationDescr:Table Rock

Start Latitude:48 23.6

Start Longitude:125 02.8

End Latitude:48 25.1

End Longitude:125 03.5

 

EncSummary:

Our final day before we brought Mike 1 back to Victoria looked like the best weather yet.
After packing up the truck and saying farewell to Joe who was driving back to Victoria, Dave, Mark and Fin departed the Port Renfrew Hotel dock on Mike 1 at 0845. They decided to take advantage of the perfect conditions and head back out to see if the Southern Residents were still in the area.
With almost no swell and zero wind they made it to the Cloo-ose grounds south of Nitinat within the hour. After a quick binocular scan they pushed south west passing numerous sport fishing boats at the edge of Swiftsure Bank as they continued towards the area they saw the Residents foraging the day before.
They immediately heard calls with the hydrophone upon arrival, this time very faint.
After another binocular scan with no sign of any dorsal fins on the horizon they continued south for a few miles before stopping for another listen and scan. The calls were marginally louder but mainly because the previous tanker transiting through the area was well clear of them. They continued their south track and were now well south of where they had left them the day before but figured they were likely heading the right way as that is the direction they had seen them heading. Sure enough! Mark spotted a couple flashes on the horizon which screamed killer whales and eventually Dave and Mark saw distant dorsal fins approaching them. 
The first whales they saw were a loose group that included J39, L83, and the L91s. These were the three L pod whales they could not find the day before so the encounter was off to a good start. L110, L115, and the J35s were also milling in the general area. The Mike 1 crew then moved a little further to the southwest to another group of whales. This was another loosely spread group of whales including the L72s, the L103s, L87, and L118 all moving northerly at the time. Afterward, L108 slowly passed them followed by L54 and L117 charging northeast. Ahead of them, a large group was forming that included most of the L4s, L72s, L87, L90, and L88. This group was tight together and moving very slowly in an easterly direction. L88 and the L54s dropped back to mill and forage to the west of this group. When Dave and Mark were done photographing the large group of Ls finishing with the L54s and L88, they moved on to the next largest group of whales they could find. This was the J22s, K14s, and K16s in a tight group mostly pointed east. More whales began appearing from the south, mainly the L12s, J11s, J16s, along with J40 and J45. These whales were spread out in singles and small groups. While most of the whales appeared to be heading north, nobody seemed to be heading in any one direction for very long. They ended the encounter at 1306 with L85 as he traveled northwest in a straight line while surfacing regularly-being extremely cooperative. Mark and Dave both share a soft spot for L85 and as tough as it was tough to leave the whales in such incredible conditions it was unanimous to end the encounter with him.... not to mention they still had a long boat ride back to Victoria ahead of them!

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