Sightings around Campbell River and Desolation Sound as well as farther along Johnstone Strait and the inlets. Delays in postings due to poor cell phone coverage from behind islands – it's hit and miss.
Transient (meat eating) Orca
August 30:
Overnight 29th-30th: Some Transient Orca headed down Johnstone Strait from Cracroft Point.
10:20 am I found T046B and T046B1 (very unique marks on saddle patch) plus two young calves going through Greene Point Rapids with the last of the ebb tide Westbound. Followed them till the mouth of Wellbore Channel at 12:30 pm still Westing in Chancellor Channel. One possible kill with a large spyhop and head stands after.
1:30 pm Lone Male Orca spotted by local fisherman by Greensey Bay just above Campbell River headed South. (Although there were tour boats out there looking for this large needle in the haystack, the only sightings were of a Humpback Whale. See report below. - SM)
August 29:
10 am Transient Orca at Cracroft Point, Johnstone Strait. No numbers or direction.
11:20 am 80+ Lags (short for Pacific White Sided Dolphins' Latin name – SM) were flying West along the mainland shore past Gunner Point, Sunderland Channel. We ran beside them doing 17 to 18 knots at times. (That's around 35 kilometres per hour-SM) Then we found Transient Orca T010, T010B and T010C Westing by Jessie Island (Port Neville) at 12:15 pm which explained the flying Lags.
August 28:
8:30 am Possible Transient Orca by Willow Point, south of Campbell River heading North.
9:15 am Some Transient Orca by Brown's Bay, above Campbell River. (Sounded like conflicting reports, but these may have been the other group found later on. - SM) Over radio
9:30 am 3 Transients T010, T010B and T010C currently passing Campbell River Northbound.
9:48 am Transients T010, T010B and T010C Northbound by Duncan Bay headed for Race Point and Seymour Narrows. 10 am picked them up by Maude Island.
12 pm the 3 Transients were at Elk Bay looking at first like they would go into Okisollo Channel, but at 1:20 pm they were running between 5 and 6 knots West by Cinque Islands stopping by Otter Cove, across from Nodales Channel and just below Chatham Point Lightstation, for a brief bit of hunting around the rocks. They continued around Chatham Point.
12:07 pm Another group of Transient Orca were in and out of Teakerne Arm, Lewis Channel moving fast towards the West – Calm Channel.
Vessel Yellow Fin
12:55 pm T101's and T102 (4 animals) were picked up by the top of Lewis Channel just as they came up to Calm Channel. At 1:15 pm they passed up on 4 to 5 Dall's Porpoise by Raza Island and at 2:15 pm they were in Redonda Bay with a bit of a flurry of activity as they took a seal. By 4 pm these Orca had travelled up to Big Bay, turned back South and headed into Hole in the Wall. From there they were reportedly heading West to Okisollo Channel, possibly to meet up with the other 3 Orca.
Various reports including ID's from Nick Templeman
7 pm 7 Orca were Eastbound in Johnstone Strait by the Robson Bight area.
Commercial Fisherman
Northern Resident Orca
August 30:
7:30 pm 8 or 9 Resident Orca are Eastbound down Johnstone Strait from Robson Bight.
Overnight 29th-30th: A12 and the two A36 brothers headed down Johnstone Strait from Cracroft Point.
August 29:
8 am The A30 Matriline of Orca (10 animals) Westbound in Blackfish Sound, and by 10 am they were by the Whitecliff Islets.
August 28:
9 am Resident Orca were headed East towards the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve, and by 10 am they were by Izumi Rock on the Western edge of the Reserve.
Humpback Whales
August 30:
7 pm Humpback headed North past Campbell River. We are assuming it's the same one from the earlier report.
AJ passing the info on to Nick over the radio
3 pm A large Humpback Whale was spotted at Brown's Bay just above Seymour Narrows. It rode the current through the Narrows and past Campbell River doing around 10 knots! By 4:15 pm it had made it to Cape Mudge Lighthouse and was continuing Southward.
Various tour reports heard over the radio
Pacific White Sided Dolphins
August 29:
11:20 am 80+ Lags (short for their Latin name – SM) were flying West along the mainland shore past Gunner Point, Sunderland Channel. We ran beside them doing 17 to 18 knots at times. (That's around 35 kilometres per hour-SM) Then we found Transients T010, T010B and T010C Westing by Jessie Island (Port Neville) at 12:15 pm which explained the flying Lags. (duplicated report from Transient Orca section)
Dall's Porpoise
August 28:
1:50 pm 4 – 5 Dall's Porpoise were speeding by Raza Island at the time the Transient Orca were there.
2 pm 10 or so Dall's Porpoise were by Church House, Stewart Island.
Radio transmission from a tour boat
