Center for Whale Research back on the water with a new encounter

— from Center for Whale Research —

Jane Cogan called Dave in the late afternoon to relay a report of a group of whales that was heading west in Spieden Channel. Dave made a couple of phone calls and checked the wind forecast before heading to Snug Harbor. One of the people Dave called was John Durban who just happened to be leaving Roche Harbor by boat at the time and said he would take a look for the whales.

As Dave arrived at Snug Harbor, John sent a text saying the whales were at Danger Shoal. Dave left in the boat at about 1800 and headed through Mosquito Pass. As Dave approached the scene he was informed by John and “Spirit of Orca” (who had been with the whales while they were in Spieden Channel) that the whales were the T123s and had been evasive and were taking long dives.

The whales finally came up from a very long dive heading west about three quarters of a mile south of Reid Harbor and the encounter began at 1825. The four members of the T123s angled northwest and traveled at a medium speed in a tight group. Luckily, their long dives became shorter and the whales started traveling in a straight line. The whales turned a bit more west and slowed down a bit before the encounter ended at 1854 about a mile southwest of Tiptop Hill on Stuart Island.