EncDate:30/09/23 

EncSeq:2

Enc:61

ObservBegin:11:09 PM

ObservEnd:11:16 AM

Vessel:Mike 1

Staff:Mark Malleson

Pods:Transients

IDsEncountered:T049C

LocationDescr:Bentick Island/Race Passage

Start Latitude:48 18.45

Start Longitude:123 32.57

End Latitude:48 18.08

End Longitude:123 28.27

 

EncSummary:

Mark departed the successful Steller hunting party at 1054 (See Encounter 60) to follow up on a report of a single bull reported eastbound along the shoreline of Christopher Point headed for Race Passage.
He suspected that if it truly was just a solo bull, it would be T049C, who had come in from the west a few days earlier and typically hangs around the area for a while.
Sure enough, at 1109, Mark spotted T049C eastbound along the shoreline at the edge of the kelp line at Bentick Island in Race Passage.
Likely hearing the group prey sharing the Steller sea lion ~ 4 nm to the east, T049C altered his course and picked up his pace to between 7 and 8 knots on a direct line towards them. 
Mark ended the encounter a few minutes later at 1116 as Joe Zelwietro was on scene guiding a whale watch trip and would inform him of the solo male's travels. Mark also wanted to follow up on yet another report of more animals seen along the shoreline of East Sooke Park and make it to the outbound T018s.
*note- T049C made it within 200 metres of the group but never joined and soon disappeared.