CWR encounter with Biggs Killer Whales

EncSummary: Mark, Gary, Tasli, and Mollie got what friend and colleague Joe called a “respectable start” as they pushed off the dock just after 7:00 AM, with plans for a western Juan de Fuca Strait survey. As the team approached Race Rocks, a report came in of a group of whales just off Bentinck Island. The boat was slowed, and it didn’t take long to spot blows tucked in close to shore just to the west.

The first whale spotted was the unmistakable dorsal fin of T109B4. The 11-year-old whale was accompanied by the rest of the T109Bs and the T069s, without T069E, who has been off on a solo adventure. T109B4 and his big sister, T109B3, were working in tandem as they sleuthed around the kelp beds and rocks in search of seals. Within the team’s first 15 minutes on scene, the duo had already successfully caught two. The others, just to the west, seemed to be having some success of their own as they milled around with gulls dropping down to pick up scraps.
The group of eight whales continued working their way west along the shoreline, peeking into seemingly every kelp bed and reef for their next opportunity. The team ended the encounter just after 8:30 AM and continued west to take advantage of the incredible conditions.