EncDate:12/10/24 

EncSeq:3

Enc#:107

ObservBegin:02:00 PM

ObservEnd:03:02 PM

Vessel:Mike 1

Staff:Mark Malleson

Other Observers:Rachelle Hayden, Brendon Bissonnette

Pods:Bigg's killer whales

LocationDescr:William Head

Start Latitude:48 19.12

Start Longitude:123 27.33

End Latitude:48 18.44

End Longitude:123 34.01

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EncSummary:

On their return from a survey of the Juan de Fuca Strait, Mark, Brendon, and Rachelle had just wrapped up an encounter with the T046B1s and T046C2 (see encounter #105) when a new report came in: a single bull killer whale had been spotted heading west, not at all far from their current position southeast of Race Rocks. The team guessed it was the cryptic 26 year old, T049C. He had been seen skulking around the area for the last two weeks, often south of Victoria.

Known for his unpredictable behaviour and lengthy dives, the prospect of finding T049C on their return to Victoria intrigued the team, especially given the favourable conditions. They kept a vigilant eye out for him as they made their way back to the harbour.

As they traveled 2 nautical miles west of Constance Bank, Rachelle was the first to catch sight of a solitary bull’s dorsal fin approximately 400 meters southwest of their position, moving steadily toward Race Rocks. Mark skillfully turned the boat and approached T049C from his port side, while Rachelle and Brendon prepared to capture updated identification photos. Rachelle tracked his surfacings, noting 6 to 8 breathing periods after each 5-minute dive.

As T049C entered the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, the team remained alert for any signs of hunting behaviour. T049C surfaced once off North Race Rocks and quickly veered toward the kelp before diving once more. They held their breath in anticipation, but T049C resurfaced further ahead, continuing his exploration of the kelp patches at the entrance to Eemdy Pass along Bentinck Island, though there were no signs of success.

At 1502, the team made the decision to conclude the encounter as T049C pushed west into the kelp close to shore off Christopher Point.