Encounter # 8 • March 8• T's

Observers: Ken Balcomb and Mark Malleson

This morning @ 0715, I spotted four transients near the Victor Hotel buoy off the Victoria waterfront and guided Mark to them via VHF. The male looked to me like T87, but at three miles I could not be sure. Mark and "Beamer" found the whales at 0815 and stayed with them until 1051 as they headed west toward Race Passage in rather sloppy conditions building to the Gale Force predicted. Before the weather deteriorated, T87, 88, 90, and 90B were positively photo-identified. At 1000, more whales were reported heading south in Satellite Channel south of Saltspring Island, and we surmise these are also transients.

These photos were taken under MMPA permit #532-1822