EncDate:19/08/23 

EncSeq:1

Enc#:45

ObservBegin:11:53 AM

ObservEnd:02:16 PM

Vessel:Orcinus

Staff:Dave Ellifrit

Other Observers:Darren Croft, Alyssa Kelley, Molly Henling

Pods:L

LocationDescr:Haro Strait

Start Latitude:48 27.89

Start Longitude:123 05.46

End Latitude:48 28.54

End Longitude:123 05.16

 

EncSummary:

After hearing that the L54s and L88 were on the west side of San Juan Island, the team headed down to Snug Harbor and left in the boat at 1050. We topped off our fuel tank at Roche Harbor before continuing down Haro Strait. The team arrived on scene off False Bay at 1153 where L88 and L117 were traveling northwest up Haro Strait together. We spent about ten minutes getting both left and right side ID shots on these two when another whale surfaced about a half mile to the north near Pile Point. We went over there and this was L54. L108 also surfaced nearby. Both whales were pointed up island and began spreading out with L54 being inshore and several hundred yards ahead of L108. L54 breached a couple of times before she and L108 came back together and both pointed offshore. We then went southwest about a quarter of a mile to take another look at L88 and L117 again. We got some more good lefts on these two before deciding to go on a little whale search. The L12s had last been seen going south the previous evening so there was a chance they were in Haro Strait somewhere.  

We departed the area and headed south toward Hein Bank. We made it down to Hein Bank without seeing anything so we headed northeast toward Salmon Bank. There were a couple small bird balls near the Salmon Bank buoy but no minkes or other orcas showed up. Since it looked like no other whales besides the L54s and L88 were around, we decide to head toward home with one last look at the four whales present on the way. After our hour long whale search, we made it back on scene around 1345. L88 was now heading southeast by himself off False Bay. We stayed with him for one series of surfacings before he arched big for us and we then moved on to the others. The L54s were about a third of a mile to the north of L88. They were lined up abreast but spread out with L108 and L117 being separated by about fifty yards and L54 being another 200 yards inshore of them. L108 and L117 joined up together off the south end of False Bay and, after about ten minutes, L54 joined them. The L54s then turned around and began heading north. We ended the encounter with these three still heading north and inshore about a half mile off Kanaka Bay.