The A30 calls in Blackfish Sound, which were first heard at 11:30pm on the previous day, continued into the early hours of July 29th. At approximately 3:00am, the distinct sound of orca blows was heard directly in front of the Lab as the orcas made a southbound movement through Blackney Pass. By 4:43am, calls were picked up in Johnstone Strait, confirming the group was continuing traveling eastward.
Roughly two hours later, the whales reached Robson Bight and engaged in a brief rubbing session at Strider Rubbing Beach, lasting from 7:01am to 7:19am, before resuming their eastbound movement. By 10:30am, Jared confirmed the A54s, who then crossed Johnstone Strait together and were now heading west along the shoreline of West Cracraft Island.
At 9:38am, A5 calls were heard in Blackfish Sound, as a group headed east toward Blackney Pass. As they were traveling against the current, we observed a prolonged and beautiful passage of the A23s moving south between 10:30am and noon. After passing by the Lab, the whales remained visible on our remote camera at Cracroft Point before turning west, now moving with the current along the Hanson Island shoreline.
Approximately four hours later, at 2:48pm, the A54s were unexpectedly observed on one of our remote cameras entering Robson Bight from the west, being almost completely silent. They continued traveling eastward along the Vancouver Island shoreline. While monitoring this group, we received a report from Nicolette that a pod of orcas had just passed Telegraph Cove heading east. This raised the question of whether the A23s had looped around and were now returning toward Cracroft Point.
This assumption was confirmed at 5:54pm, when both groups were observed together on our Cracroft Point remote camera, heading north into Blackney Pass after converging from the two different directions. Due to strong opposing currents, the whales progressed slowly, and it wasn’t until 7:21pm that they became visible from the Lab. A60, also known as “Fife,” was leading the group far ahead as they passed mid-channel in the golden evening light. Much like their passage earlier in the day, the whales were traveling against the current, resulting in a prolonged and graceful transit.
By 8:11pm, the entire group had cleared Blackney Pass and entered Blackfish Sound, where the last acoustic detections were made around 8:30pm. Approximately one hour later, Alexandra Morton reported that the group had reached Bold Head, confirming their continued westward movement along the northern Malcolm Island coastline.
Words by Freddy
