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EncDate:24/03/24 

EncSeq:1

Enc#:24

ObservBegin:01:32 PM

ObservEnd:02:47 PM

Vessel:Mike 1

Staff:Mark Malleson

Pods:Bigg's killer whales

IDsEncountered:T046

LocationDescr:Protection Island

Start Latitude:48 06.00

Start Longitude:122 58.77

End Latitude:48 04.48

End Longitude:122 53.72

EncSummary:

Mark decided to take advantage of the sunshine and calm seas and survey the waters of the Juan de Fuca strait. He and Fin departed Victoria harbour on Mike 1 at 1030 and headed southwest toward Race Rocks. Stopping to scan several times along the way, he spotted colleagues on a Fisheries and Oceans survey vessel transiting northeast in the Strait, south of Sooke. They reported that the only cetaceans they had seen were porpoise so Mark turned to the south and then east toward Dungeness. There was a 1000 report of four killer whales that had been reported near Port Townsend that were heading out of Admiralty Inlet which he felt could be nearing Eastern Bank or Dungeness by the time he got into the area.
Upon reaching Dungeness Spit at ~1300, Mark received a delayed report of westbound killer whales near Diamond Point, which was less than 9nm south-south east of his location. While scanning with his binoculars he received confirmation from Captain Carl that he had his eyes on them, close to the shore near Sequim, from his 24' perch aboard the Island Explorer 5. Carl was soon able to confirm that they were prey-sharing, with a large group of gulls hovering above them as they milled.
Mike 1 arrived ten minutes later and confirmed it was a group of seven animals, the T046Bs. They were now moving at a steady pace towards the southwest corner of Protection Island. They skirted the southern shoreline of Protection Island, passing the hauled out harbor seals that were safe from their grasp.  
When the T046Bs reached the southeast corner of the island they veered to the south and fanned out as they entered the mouth of Discovery Bay.
Mark was able to get decent shots of T046B2s newest calf which he had first observed while guiding a commercial whale watch trip four months ago on November 25th westbound amongst a bunch of feeding humpbacks near Crescent Bay. He next encountered them a few days later on Mike 1/ CWR on November 29th traveling southwest south of Sooke (see 2023 Encounter #71). The calf was estimated to be born mid November as there was no sign of a calf with T046B2 during the previous encounter on October 25th and when photographed in late November, fetal folds were still visible.
Mark stayed with them long enough to get proof of presence photographs of each animal before ending the encounter at 1447 at Beckett Point. They were doing long dives and seemed determined to head south to the head of the bay.