EncDate:08/06/24 

Enc#47

ObservBegin:08:10 AM

ObservEnd:09:50 AM

Vessel:Mike 1

Staff:Mark Malleson

Other Observers:Joe Zelwietro

Pods:J, L

LocationDescr:Victor Hotel

Start Latitude:48 23.61

Start Longitude:123 24.61

End Latitude:48 23.61

End Longitude:123 18.28

 

EncSummary:

The Salish Sea better resembled a sheet of ice than the mighty Pacific on World Oceans Day, and Mark and Joe were thankful an early report of killer whales near Albert Head would give them an excuse to enjoy it. They departed Victoria at 0745 and were seeing distant eastbound dorsal fins just west of the VH buoy shortly after passing Ogden Point.
Even from a distance Mark was confident the animals were residents, and this was soon confirmed as the guys slowed and captured a few shots of J40 and J45, followed closely by the rest of J pod.
All of J pod but the J17s were travelling slowly in a tight formation – the J17s were lagging just behind and offshore – but it was a trailing group of four that caught Mark and Joe’s attention, as they spotted the hulking L88 and his adoptive family, the L54s, pacing the Js east. These four whales were the only J Clan animals missing from the CWR’s recent encounters with them off San Juan Island in late May (see Encounter #44). Mark and Joe spent a few minutes photographing each of them, and watched as the matriline passed as close to Victoria as they’ve likely been in a few years, just a mile south of the Ogden Point breakwater.
The entire group accelerated as they slipped out of the opposing ebb current south of Brotchie Ledge. They took the near-shore back eddy toward Clover Point, fanning out as they advanced, the J16s charging to the lead. As they reached Clover Point, J16 and J42 surged ahead of the rest and angled offshore, though – perhaps in an attempt to flush any lurking fish off the wall of Clover Point – most of the whales passed through the kelp beds along the southwest shore of the point. No predation was observed, but many of the Js lingered in Ross Bay for a few minutes, somewhat surface active, as the L54s caught up and briefly overtook them, slightly offshore.
As the animals meandered indecisively toward Trial Island, J16 and J42 remained in the lead, but dawdled as they waited for the remainder of the J16s to join them before being the first whales to round Staines Point. The others followed in short order, quite surface active as they moved southeast out of the bay and through the kelp bed along the southwest shore of Trial Island.
The guys ended the encounter as the animals continued east, toward Sea Bird Point, and ultimately San Juan Island. They were travelling in much the same composition they were found, with the J16s leading the bulk of J pod east, the J17s the lone matriline apart from the rest, and the L54s shadowing them all, slightly behind and offshore.