EncDate:03/04/24 

EncSeq:1

Enc#:27

ObservBegin:10:03 AM

ObservEnd:10:38 AM

Vessel:Mike 1

Staff:Mark Malleson

Other Observers:Rachelle Hayden

Pods:Bigg's killer whales

LocationDescr:Baynes Channel

Start Latitude:48 25.19

Start Longitude:123 17.16

End Latitude:48 27.75

End Longitude:123 16.04

 

EncSummary:

Mark, Fin and his friend and colleague Rachelle, of the Salish Sea Orca Squad left the dock at Victoria Harbour at ~0920 to follow up a report of a pair of killer whales seen by Gord from his "Crow's Nest" at 815 tracking east bound ~ 1 nm south east of Trial Island. 

Described as a pair of killer whales, It was thought that it could be T049A1 and his younger brother, T049A2, who were in Esquimalt Harbour for most of the day before. As they were leaving the harbour, Mark received another report that a single bull had been seen inside Victoria harbour's Ogden Point breakwater at ~0900. Just as the Mike 1 crew was about to have a binocular scan from the mouth of the harbour, George spotted a single bull moving quickly east through Enterprise Channel from his perch on Gonzales lookout. 

Mike 1 rounded the corner of the Oak Bay golf course at 1003 and Mark spotted the trailing edge of a bull killer whale moving north towards Baynes Channel. When he got alongside within 300 metres, he was able to confirm the unmistakable fin of 46-year old T011A.
Following his last sighting in September of 2023 in the Salish Sea, T011A resurfaced on March 12th in the Sooke Basin - notably returning with five total appearances in the basin between the 12th and 31st of the month. He had returned with a new minor injury at the leading edge of the top of his dorsal giving it a slight kink to to his left side.

For the next 35 minutes Mark and Rachelle watched T011A track north, rounding Ten Mile Point light and cruising up the Vancouver Island coastline at a steady 5.5 knots with no signs of predation. They ended the encounter at 1038 ~ .75 nm north of Ten Mile Point and went to look for the pair of killer whales that Gord had earlier seen.