EncDate:30/01/24 

EncSeq:2

Enc#:11

ObservBegin:12:38 PM

ObservEnd:01:24 PM

Vessel:Mike 1

Staff:Mark Malleson

Other Observers:Brendon  Bissonnette and George Hamilton

Pods:Bigg's killer whales

LocationDescr:Sheringham Point

Start Latitude:48 22.29

Start Longitude:123 55.53

End Latitude:48 23.64

End Longitude:123 59.32

 

EncSummary:

Mark, Brendon, and George were returning to Victoria following their encounter with K Pod (See Encounter #10) when a notification came in that whales had been sighted off the Sooke shoreline just thirty minutes prior, moving west. Since K Pod had been observed several miles offshore, it was evident that these couldn’t be the same whales. Intrigued, the team decided to investigate.

The team navigated to the reported location off Sooke and then set out westward from there. While traversing across Orveas Bay, the distinct scent of a fresh predation wafted through the air. Despite not detecting any slick, the team proceeded cautiously, staying on high alert for the whales who were surely nearby. Upon reaching Sheringham Point, the team halted for a thorough scan. It wasn't long before George spotted the whales through his binoculars, approaching Sheringham from the east.

The encounter began at 1238 off Sheringham Point. The first whale to surface was T109B4, a distinctly-marked whale with a noticeable notch along its spine. Shortly after, T109B and T109B5 surfaced in unison, accompanied by another sizable female identified by Brendon as T002B, a satellite female known for moving between various pods, including the T109Bs. Coincidentally, T002B was last observed off Sooke on August 30th, 2023, also in the company of the T109Bs. Notably absent during this encounter, however, was 11-year-old female T109B3, present in the August sighting.

The four whales moved leisurely, likely resting post predation. As they approached Point No Point their pace slowed to little over 1 knot, now just a few metres from the rocky shoreline. At the western tip of Point No Point the whales engaged with a patch of kelp in the shallow water; T002B emerged with kelp draping over her dorsal fin and saddle patches, while T109B lifted her rostrum twice in low-profile spyhops. After a few minutes of enjoying the kelp, the whales resumed their westward trajectory. The team decided to end the encounter here at 1324 and commence the journey back to Victoria.