EncDate:10/06/23 

EncSeq:2

Enc#:25

ObservBegin:04:05 PM

ObservEnd:05:17 PM

Vessel:Mike 1

Staff:Mark Malleson

Other Observers:Ollie Radford

Pods:Transients

LocationDescr:Victoria waterfront

Start Latitude:48 23.77

Start Longitude:123 21.14

End Latitude:48 21.02

End Longitude:123 22.02

 

EncSummary:

The Mike 1 crew was about to enter Victoria harbour after their encounter with 3 different matrilines of Bigg's near Race Rocks (see Encounter 24) when they heard that the T049A's were west bound off Clover Point.
At 1605 they started the encounter with the T049A's and could see that all members except T049A2 were present. T049A2 dispersed from the family several years ago and is most often encountered alongside other individuals, though is occasionally seen with his older brother, T049A1, who has also been wandering away from the family in recent years.
The group of 6 was steadily tracking west when Mike 1 first arrived, but then then took a turn to the south shortly thereafter. At this time Mark had received a call from a colleague who had spotted another pair of animals, a bull and a cow, 3 miles south of Mike 1's current location heading north towards them.
Mark left the T049A's and a few minutes later arrived on scene a few minutes later with the bull and cow pair. The two whales were identified as T117A and T172, which are a pair of relatively seldom seen individuals in the Salish Sea compared to the more commonly sighted T049A's.
The Mike 1 crew stayed with this pair until they joined up with the T049A's. 
They ended the encounter at 1717 as this newly formed group headed east towards Trial Island.