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EncDate:22/06/24 

EncSeq:1

Enc#:55

ObservBegin:08:27 AM

ObservEnd:08:59 AM

Vessel:Mike 1

Staff:Mark Malleson

Pods:Bigg's killer whales

IDsEncountered:T051

LocationDescr:Mandarte Island

Start Latitude:48 39.01

Start Longitude:123 19.88

End Latitude:48 38.18

End Longitude:123 17.50

EncSummary:

As Mark and Fin navigated east through Miner's Channel following an early morning stroll at Sidney Spit, Mark spotted the unmistakable T051 at 0827, surfacing less than half a mile off Mike 1's port beam. The mature bull, estimated to be in his early forties, was travelling east towards Mandarte Island. It must have been his final dive of the series, as Mark was unable to re-sight the whale for what seemed like an eternity, though it was likely only four minutes before he resurfaced, heading northeast towards Gooch Island. Mark anticipated a thrilling morning observing T051 hunting seals among the kelp, as after a quick pair of breaths T051 was seen heading southwest towards the seal-laden reef at Mandarte Island's west end.
Despite scanning and repositioning Mike 1 numerous times over the next 30 minutes, however, Mark was both disappointed and humbled not to spot T051 again. Mark concluded that T051 had likely doubled-back eastward during the bull's prolonged dives and the strong ebb current helped to pull him out of Miner's Channel. Mark also suspected that he had likely missed a sequence, whilst unable to see the trailing edge of T051's dorsal fin. 
Mark decided to conclude the encounter at 0859 and return to the anchorage where he and Fin had spent the night, following a lively summer solstice barge party with a flotilla of boats, enjoying groovy beats by Gordon G.I. Blunt. Mark's true hope was that Rod had finally awakened and would be brewing a fresh pot of coffee!
Later that same afternoon, one of Victoria's commercial whale watch boats finally located T051 heading southwest in Oak Bay. By evening, he was last seen moving west through the Juan de Fuca Strait near Race Rocks.

Photos taken under Federal Permits

NMFS PERMIT: 27038/DFO SARA 388