EncDate:12/10/24 

EncSeq:1

Enc#:105

ObservBegin:08:24 AM

ObservEnd:12:58 PM

Vessel:Mike 1

Staff:Mark Malleson

Other Observers:Rachelle Hayden, Brendon Bissonnette

Pods:Bigg's killer whales

LocationDescr:Oak Bay Flats

Start Latitude:48 23.31

Start Longitude:123 13.53

End Latitude:48 14.51

End Longitude:123 28.36

 

EncSummary:

Mark, Brendon and Rachelle met at Mike 1 at 07:45, eager to survey the western Juan de Fuca Strait. Just before they departed Victoria Harbour at 0800, Mark received a call from Gord reporting that he could see killer whales south of the Oak Bay flats. With the sun rising over glassy seas, the crew changed their plan and set off toward the reported sighting.

At 0821, while navigating south of Discovery Island, Mark and Rachelle spotted a large dorsal fin to the south. Mark repositioned the vessel, and moments later, they initiated their encounter 2 nautical miles south of Seabird Point.

Brendon identified the whales as the T123s, T046B1s, and T046C2, comprising a group of eight whales, and they were moving west towards Constance Bank. All the whales were in a tight group, resting as they travelled. 

As they photo-documented this group, Mark noticed more blows in the sunlight to the east. Gord had reported sighting multiple groups, so this aligned with his observations. As the eastern group appeared to be heading further southeast away from them, the team decided to conclude their brief encounter with the T123s, T046B1s and T046C2 at 0837. They planned to return to these whales on their way back should the timing align.

At 1014 AM, after an additional encounter (see encounter #106) to the east, they re-encountered the T123s, T046B1s, and T046C2 on the eastern edge of Constance Bank. The behaviour of the whales had since shifted from their resting formation earlier that same morning; they were now spread out in smaller groups as they covered the bank, likely drawn by the abundance of gulls and baitfish in the area. As the team quietly observed the whales, the T046B1s and T046C2 gradually veered southwest, while the T123s continued westward toward Parry Bay.

The team opted to leave the whales behind and head west as far as the light permitted. However, upon reaching Otter Point, conditions worsened beyond forecasted expectations, prompting them to turn back. Upon their return, they found the whales again, this time southeast of Race Rocks. The T123s were noticeably missing, while the T046B1s and T046C2 had spread out and were moving westward. 

By 12:58, the team had successfully captured images of all the whales and noted that there had been no successful predation events. They observed that the T123s had turned northeast, while the T046B1s and T046C2 were swiftly heading southwest at a speed of 7 to 8 knots.